This is one long chapter… oh well, hopefully you'll enjoy it.
Chapter Six - Claw
"Urk… Whaa…"
There was something ringing… something ringing very shrilly somewhere in her house. She had to find it… she had to get up and answer it… answer it…
Oh dear. It was the phone.
Carly fell out of her bed in a jumble of arms and legs. Slippers on feet, glasses in hand, and dressed only in her pajamas, she tumbled out of her room. Running into the living room, she bodily bumped into the table with the phone in her hurry and yanked up the receiver.
"Hh… hello?" She coughed to clear her dry throat.
"Carly! Why can't I get through your mobile?" A voice boomed on the other side of the line right into her ear. Carly winced. It was her boss, full of gusto, and channelling his energy into yelling at his underlings as always.
She massaged her temples despondently.
"I – er – sorry, boss." Carly gave up trying to find excuses. "Is there anything going on?"
"Damn right something's going on!" Accompanying the yell was a loud bang. It must be the boss slamming that desk in his office. Soon they may have to get another one. "You've almost missed out on a good scoop! Angela's gonna get there ahead of you now, so hurry up and get your arse to the Security headquarters as fast as you can. Hear that?"
"I –" Carly swallowed her words back down. "I'll be right there, sir."
"Good." The voice growled, a sense of grudging satisfaction calming it somewhat. "Don't think that your position is secured just because you gave me a few good stories in the past, Carly. I can still fire you whenever I feel like it, and there are always people waiting for your place in my newspaper. Remember that."
Carly sighed. "I know, sir."
"Then I expect a good article by eight o'clock."
The line disconnected with a beep. Carly put her hand to her mouth to cover the huge yawn that she could no longer keep down.
What time was it? It looked to be barely past six, with the horizon stained with the faintest hint of rosy pink. The air in the living room was slightly chilly in the way it was when autumn was on the verge of arriving. The City outside the window was lifeless and grey. Putting her glasses on the table, Carly shivered and hugged herself for warmth. Her fingers brushed past a large bruise at her side from last night.
"Ouch!" A sore pain shot through her. She staggered backwards, almost falling to the ground. However, someone grabbed her arm just on time.
"Still not awake properly, are you?" A stern sound came from a pale figure above her.
"J – Jack?"
Carly could feel her face blushing red to the ears. She struggled up, out of Jack's reach, and grabbed her glasses and put them on.
The whiteness of his coat stood out starkly against the dim room. Facing the window, he had a cup of hot, steaming coffee in his hand. The A-shaped earrings on his ears moved like pendulums as Jack tilted his head to fix his nonchalant gaze on Carly.
"Ah – what – why are you up so early?" Carly stammered out the first thing that came to her mind.
"Habit." Jack replied simply. He sipped at the coffee. "Going out on a job?"
"Y – yeah." Carly was eager to retreat to her room. "I'll be going soon."
"Wait."
Putting down the coffee cup, he took something out of his coat pocket. Then, with a move of his wrist, he threw something small and silvery towards her.
"Catch."
Carly missed. After picking it up from the floor, she stared at her spare key in amazement.
"Jack, how –"
"Keep it at a better place next time." He had turned back to the window.
"I – er –" Carly blinked. She wanted to ask Jack why he would say that, ask him what was going on, but the relentless ticking of the clock on the wall, so loud in the early morning's tranquillity, forcibly reminded her that she was already short on time for her job. He had turned completely away, making it clear that he will pay no more notice to her. Momentarily unsure of what to do, she swallowed and turned back to her room.
Jack's long, white fingers picked the coffee cup up again and moved it to his lips, resuming the slow sipping of the poignant liquid. What he was looking at was the complex of high-rises that composed of the suburb of Tops. A man-made mount of luxury, a ziggurat of power, only the most elite of the City were granted residence there. Jack would spy the tall, dark shadows of the trees that grew in gardens terraced in steel and concrete, waving their foliage in the wind that accompanied such a height. That was where Yusei and the twins live, in a life so far away and yet now strangely close to Jack's own. Blinking, sending these sentiments to the back to his mind, the blond man mused over recent event once more.
Psychic Duelists: that seemed to be what was holding everything together. First there was Yusei's odd question, then the presence of this strange girl, and finally its supposed connection with his birthmark. From the averted eyes and the tense vibe that permeated the air whenever it was spoken, Jack rightfully judged that the root of all these must lie in ethereal Tops.
Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma of the well-brewed coffee all the way into his lungs. Something told him that soon, even him, Jack Atlas, a Satellite resident and a gang leader, might well be on his way to Tops whether he likes it or not.
-\-\-\-\-\-
It was just past noon. Panting under a scorching late summer sun, Ruka nursed her head with her hand as she staggered up the Tops hill from the Duel Academy near the sea. The tall buildings beside the asphalt roads offered her no help of shade. The little girl's steps quickened just a bit as she reminded herself of the pleasant, breeze-filled garden beside the sparkling pool of her house high up in Tops. That thought urged her on past the last steep rise, coming into view of the main entrance of the Tops suburb.
She had left school early today, troubled by a persistent headache that started up during second period and became almost unbearable around lunch. Rua would have called a taxi, but Ruka walked instead. She knew that fresh air would make her feel better, and she was not one to spend her parents' hard-earned money so casually. But now, she was almost ready to admit that she made a mistake. The dry, impassive sunlight far outweighed any benefit the fresh air conferred. Rua found herself longing for the cool dark shadows of her house more than ever.
Ruka?
The girl gave a small grin to the lion spirit that appeared beside her. "It's alright… I'm almost at Tops."
Regulus didn't say anything further. He simply walked beside her up the small hill that would at last lead her to the main entrance of Tops.
And it seemed like there was already someone waiting for her.
"Errr…"
Ruka couldn't help but take a step back. It was a black D-Wheel, in an all too-familiar shape with its bands of bright yellow streaking through its sides.
"Is he…" There was no need for her to say anything more. It has to be one of those men that she saw last night.
The D-Wheel's owner had gotten off the bike and was leaning against the tall, grey concrete wall that surrounded Tops. With arms crossed across his chest, his rough attire of an orange top, leather jacket, and green pants stood out incongruously among the astute surroundings, not to mention his spiky orange hair and pierced ears. As if alerted to Ruka's presence merely by her silence, he lifted up his head the same time she saw him and focused his cool, determined, steel-grey irises on her.
Ruka swallowed uncomfortably as she stared back at that face, riddled with Markers. Frozen on the spot, staring was the only thing that she could do as she watched the man lifted himself off the wall and walked slowly towards her.
"Oi, kid." He called out, his voice rough-hewn and abrasive. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt you." He stopped a little away from her, his boots firmly standing their ground. "You just have something that I need."
The green-haired girl shook her head. Patty's small, helpless figure flashed past her eyes. How can that man still say this, even after what he did last night? Ruka's breath caught in her throat.
"Don't… don't come near me!"
The man lifted his chin with surprise at Ruka's sudden exclamation. For a split second, the determination in his eyes wavered, and was momentarily replaced by an underlying uncertainty. Then he tightened his jaw visibly and took another step towards Ruka.
"Listen, girl, if you simply give me what I want –"
"Is that what you said to Patty last night too?" Ruka didn't move back. An overwhelming surge of anger that she had hardly ever felt before welled up in her chest, pushing away the matter of her immediate safety if only for a little while.
"Patty…?" The man was dazed, as if he didn't know what she was talking about.
"She's the girl you attacked last night. Is that what you said before you hurt her so bad… before you almost killed her?" Ruka's voice rose as she went on. Right now, she couldn't forgive this man for what he did to her friend. He was after her, but Patty had suffered in her stead. It almost felt like it was Ruka's responsibility – Ruka's duty – to face him for what he did to Patty.
Regulus was already growling beside her. The spirit spoke with a sound that only she could hear. Ruka, if you want to, I'll take him down before he knew what hit him.
Ruka swallowed. She never was one to use the power of the spirits against others, but now that Regulus mentioned it, an unknown part of her perked up in agreement. Spirits can interact with the physical world without been seen by ordinary humans. If she were really to attack him…
The Marked man shook his head as if shaking off a bad dream. "That's enough," he muttered, then quickly approached Ruka with an arm outstretched.
Regulus leapt forward then. With a snarl, the lion landed on top of the man, its paws gripping the man's shoulders in a tight grasp. The man's grey eyes flew wide open with shock as he was slammed to the ground by an invisible force. The spirit had his entire weight on him, and the man's fears only increased when his struggles proved to be fruitless.
"Wait… Regulus!" Ruka hesitated for just a split second, then called out. True, she didn't feel sympathy towards the man, but – she knew how strong and dangerous Regulus can be. "Regulus, stop!"
Still growling in its throat and keeping a wary eye on the Marked man, the spirit stepped back and moved off the human. The man scrambled backwards, still sitting on the ground. His lips were quivering and, breathing in shallow, fearful gasps, he stuttered out a phrase almost unconsciously while staring at Ruka.
"Psychic… Duelist…"
Ruka blinked at that familiar description. As if in habit, the first thought that came into her mind due to recent events slipped out of her mouth.
"Aki-san…"
"Izayoi…?"
When the man responded to Aki's name as if he knew her, Ruka paused. "You… you know Aki-san?"
The man returned Ruka's look; his stone grey eyes fixed solidly on Ruka's large, olivine orbs. Slowly, he got up. With a brisk movement, he brushed off the dust on his pants.
"So that's why Izayoi wants you." He said in a guarded, cautious voice. "You have powers too. Just like her."
"Aki-san wants me? Why? What do you mean by that?" The man's words had turned most of Ruka's previous anger into confusion. Being Yusei's close friend, she knew that the King of Riding Duels secretly believed that Izayoi Aki was still alive somewhere. While Ruka and Rua grieved themselves for Aki, who was also their friend and watched them grow up, they could only look on at Yusei's search with sympathy. The case had been so high-profile; would some underhanded dealings really have occurred and for some reason spared Aki's life? The twins had consigned to the fact that Aki was never coming back, but what this man just said – a sickening feeling settled in Ruka's stomach.
"Then again, you people are powerless without your Duel Disk and cards." The man gave one more hard look at Ruka from top to toe, taking in all her small figure and then, apparently unfazed by the force that had just knocked him over, the man pounced on Ruka once again. Now that the distance between them was closer than before, Ruka wasn't given any chance to respond. She took one step backward without looking and stumbled on the edge of the pavement. He reached out, and his fingers were just inches away from her Duel Disk when Regulus's claw lashed out on him.
This time the lion was cutting him no slack. The sharp claws that it swung aimed at the man's neck with deadly precision. Eyes wide open, Ruka watched, aghast. Yet, just before Regulus launched its attack, the man jumped away – no, more like his body jumped back on its own – as if anticipating what was going on. Regulus fell on the concrete, a short distance away from its target. Sitting up, Ruka blinked in confusion. There was no way he could have foreseen Regulus's presence. But looking over at her attacker, Ruka caught a brief glimpse of a monster spirit fading away just on time. The shape that flickered and fluttered away in the wind was a humanoid bird wielding a giant sword, a monster that she had just became acquainted with last night.
"Lone Silver Wind…" Ruka muttered in amazement. It was very rare for spirits to emerge from her deck without her calling for them. For it to act without her, the card must have felt something – something very strong – towards that man.
"I see now… you are Crow-san!"
The man called Crow was looking at Ruka, absolutely bewildered.
"How do you know my name?"
"Regulus, wait! Don't hurt him! Please!" Ruka turned to more urgent business. Now that she knew who he is, she must prevent Regulus from dealing him any more harm. "He's Crow-san! Lone Silver Wind's owner!"
Slowly, Crow straightened himself. He planted his feet slightly apart and took a steady stance, and regarded Ruka wearily. This time, she answered his questions before he asked.
"Yusei picked up your card after you left," having established the identity of the man, Ruka walked forward tentatively. She knew enough about Crow just from what the monster spirit had told her last night. "He pushed you over, didn't he? I'm… I'm sorry about that." She lowered her head a little. "It must have hurt, to fall from a D-Wheel."
Crow glanced around him cautiously. Twice he had felt some unseen power pouncing on him from Ruka, and he wasn't going to let his guard down despite knowing that he probably won't be able to detect a thing if she really wanted to attack him.
"You're different to Izayoi," he muttered in a low voice, his slate-grey eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion.
"I communicate to monster spirits," Ruka didn't see the point in arguing about the phrase. If he knew about Aki, then the little girl didn't think she needed to focus on that issue. "That's how I knew your name, Crow-san. Lone Silver Wind told me that… last night."
And the spirit told her a lot more than that, too. Ruka had gathered that Crow, while he lived rough in Satellite, wasn't just a gangster. He loved children, for one thing, and had taken a group of orphans under his care and tried to make a living for them in the most dangerous district of Satellite. He was not someone whom you would expect to use violence on a girl that he barely knows.
"Crow-san, why are you here to attack me?" Ruka decided to ask.
"Nothing you need to know about." He grumbled a reply. Ruka's knowledge of his name unsettled him, just like how Aki's presence had unsettled him when he first saw her using her powers. Like most people, Crow had regarded Psychic Duelists as unreliable, if not outright dangerous. Even after getting to know Aki well, it seemed that he still couldn't shake off that fear from the depths of his heart.
"But judging from what your card told me, that's not the kind of person you are!" Ruka was dissatisfied with the reply. She could see that he was dodging away from the answer. What he had said beforehand bugged her. That's why Izayoi wants you – did Aki tell Crow to attack Ruka? "You don't believe in using violence for everything, and you don't believe in beating up kids, either!" Crow flinched at that. "You must have something that's driving you to do this… but Crow-san, I don't understand. I know that you're here to hurt me… probably even to kill me," she swallowed, "yet I never did anything wrong towards you…"
"That's not how it is…!" Crow stretched out his hand without thinking. Too late did he remember Ruka was too far away from him for him to comfort her with a touch. Feeling awkward, he scratched the back of his head instead. "I just… need your deck. With that," he sighed, "maybe I can help the people I care about."
"You're a duelist too, Crow-san." Ruka replied quietly. "You'd understand that I would never give up my deck unless I understand why you need it."
"It'll save the people in my hometown, isn't that enough?"
"Hometown… by that, you mean Satellite?" She wondered out loud. "But then, Crow-san, why did you – want me?"
Crow gritted his teeth at that. In all honesty, he had been wondering about the same thing. He would gladly have sought out another way to achieve their goal if it existed, but Aki's conviction, Aki's hope, had persuaded him to believe her. Maybe in order to fulfil their dream, some sacrifices really were necessary.
But would he tell that to the little girl before him?
"I –" He took one step forward, but the words froze in his mouth. How can he possibly make Ruka understand that the weight of the entire Satellite was resting on the shoulders of only a handful of people, Aki and him included? How can he make Ruka understand the brutal contrast between her hometown and his own, which prompted some people to take control by force? Most importantly, since it appeared Ruka knew Aki well, how can he talk about Aki's change of heart without inciting the little girl's incomprehension and subsequent anger?
Ruka didn't push him. She simply looked at him. She could have waited even longer for him to speak up, but she wasn't allowed that luxury. The distant siren of a Security petrol car sounded in the neighbourhood and was getting nearer.
Crow startled. With his face, he can't afford being seen so close to Tops. He turned back towards his D-Wheel.
"Crow-san, wait!"
He turned, alarmed, suddenly having a vision of Ruka restraining him with her power and handing him over to Security by force. But what he saw was Ruka's small hand stretched towards him, holding Black Feather – Lone Silver Wind in her fingers.
"Crow-san, now that I've found its owner, I should give it back to you."
Crow blinked. "Than – thanks." He quickly replied, then jumped on his D-Wheel. Just then, a thought struck him. He turned back to ask her.
"Ruka, you know Fudo Yusei too, right?"
Surprised, she nodded mutely.
"Then – do you know if someone called Jack Atlas –had anything to do with Yusei recently?" Crow took the risk. With all the attention Aki was paying on Yusei, he had suspected that all their other targets may already have clustered around the King of Riding Duels.
"Huh? Jack – yes, yes he did. But – "
Crow didn't stay to hear Ruka's question. He got the answer he wanted. His friend was safe, at least for now. With that, he started his machine and accelerated, leaving Ruka in the dust.
Keeping her eyes on the direction that the man had ridden off, Ruka blinked as she digested that man's last words. She soon made up her mind on what she should do to make everything clearer. As for the Security motorbike that quickly whipped past her, the green-haired little girl barely took into notice.
-\-\-\-\-\-
"Let me get this straight. That girl Ruka from last night wants to see me?"
Carly nodded to Jack's incredulous question as she drove her car towards Tops. She could hear him sighing in the back seat.
"What's wrong, Jack?"
"Nothing." He grumbled a reply, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't like how his predictions this morning had become true so quickly. Moreover, he has no idea what that little girl would want from him. He had already gathered Ruka's family background from Carly. A spoiled rich kid was most certainly not his forte.
Not to mention Ruka was certainly far more than just a spoiled rich kid. She was a Psychic Duelist, no matter how hard she tries to deny it. Jack's hand moved to his Duel Disk and his deck for reassurance. He had insisted in bringing them along. Just for emergencies.
"Well, it's not like we get to go to Tops every day." Noticing the rather tense mood in the car, Carly attempted to cheer it up. "Isn't it great that Ruka invited us, Jack?"
He did not reply. She sighed and went back to driving silently until they reached the gates of Tops. Ruka had already arranged for the guard to let them through, and when Carly carefully parked her vehicle, they found that a familiar red D-Wheel had already arrived.
Jack barely gave Yusei's D-Wheel one fleeting look before he got into the lift with Carly to go to the topmost level, where the twins lived.
The three Tops residents were all sitting in the soft leather sofa of the living room when the door of the lift opened to show Jack and Carly the twins' residence. Yusei had his arms crossed over his chest, his blue gaze unwavering as he followed Jack's movement across the room. Ruka and Rua sat uneasily with their hands on their knees and their backs straight. The little boy periodically glanced upwards at the visitors with a wary look while his sister sat with her eyes focused on her feet, her lips pursed with a quiet determination. Seeing this scene, Carly quietly steered Jack towards two empty seats and settled down.
"So… uh…how are you feeling, Ruka?" With a beaming smile, the reporter attempted to make conversation. She found this brooding silence uncomfortable. Yusei may be inclined to bouts of contemplation, but certainly not the twins. Her heart sunk a notch lower when no one replied to her question. At length, Yusei opened his mouth.
"Jack, we need to speak to you."
Jack raised one eyebrow. "We?" He echoed.
Yusei ignored him. "You told us that you ran from Satellite because you were being pursued," he narrowed his eyes, "but you never said who or what was pursuing you. May I ask?"
Jack looked away. "I don't want to say."
Yusei didn't let go of his scrutiny on the blond man. "Perhaps, Jack, you were never chased at all." Unfolding his arms, he leaned forward. "Perhaps you came to the City with a purpose of your own."
Jack's violet eyes glanced back towards Yusei. "What do you mean?"
"I've been wondering about what you said," the blue-eyed young man went on slowly. "How could it be possible that someone has the guts to chase down Jack Atlas in Satellite, so much so that you had to run from the place altogether and risk being arrested? Maybe, just maybe, that someone never existed." Yusei sat back. "Maybe you being here is a part of something greater, something that may… bring harm to the City, where we live."
"Yu – Yusei, what's gotten into you?" Carly gaped. She never thought that Yusei would think of Jack this way. She was about to stand up when Jack put a restraining hand on her knee.
"Why do you say that, Fudo Yusei?" The Satellite man growled in reply. "What proof do you have of your accusation?"
"I… I met someone who knew you, Jack." With a sound as small as the chirping of a cricket, Ruka voiced beside Yusei.
Jack and Carly both snapped their attention to the little girl.
"I met someone who knew you today, outside the gates of Tops. He was waiting for me there." Lifting up her head, Ruka repeated. On the other side of the sofa, Yusei was looking at her with a supportive glint in his eyes. "He knows you. He was…" she had to swallow, "he was one of the D-Wheelers who attacked Patty last night."
"What?" That slipped out of Carly's mouth before she could stop herself. She gave a quick look at Jack. The blond man's brows were furrowed.
"He was here… to get me and my deck." Ruka went on despite another loud, shocked gasp from Carly. "And he also said it was Izayoi-san – Aki's – order for him to do so."
Jack remained unmoved. "I don't get what you're saying, Ruka."
"He's the owner of that card from last night. Crow." The girl concluded. She was sure this will definitely ring a bell in Jack's head.
Sure enough, Jack stood up.
"You're right. I did know that guy." Looming over Ruka with his tall frame, he gazed down at her. "But I have nothing to do with that man, Ruka." He crossed his arms. "That can't count as evidence."
Rua looked at his sister, then at Jack, with apprehension. But Jack wasn't finished yet.
"However, Ruka," with the girl remaining silent and Yusei merely looking on from the sidelines, Jack knew this was a chance for him to change his position in this conversation. "How do I know that you, a Psychic Duelist, is not in league with them?"
"What?!"
That loud yell came from both Rua and Carly. Yusei, stunned, didn't even respond on time. Ruka also looked up at him, and Jack could almost see there were tears shimmering in those large, childish eyes. Life was unfair, no matter what anyone said, and Jack won't back down from this insult done onto him without dealing something back.
"This woman, Izayoi Aki, is a Psychic Duelist who wants to get back at all of you." Crossing his arms, Jack surveyed the ones sitting around him. "Haven't you thought of the possibility of other Psychic Duelists working with her while you're all so busying accusing me?"
"But Ruka just said it was that Satellite guy –" Rua rose to his sister's defence.
"What do you suppose an ordinary duelist should do?" Jack's brusque bark quietened Rua instantly. "If Izayoi Aki really wants to revenge herself on the City, shouldn't she have picked some Psychic Fuelists to help instead? What can an ordinary man achieve? Hoping that his opponent's D-Wheel malfunction and crashes into a lamppost?"
Rua swallowed, not knowing how to answer Jack's torrent of suspicion. Yusei's face was dark. He was about to rise to rebuke Jack when Ruka spoke up for herself.
"I can understand if you don't want to be connected to people from Satellite, with people like Crow-san," Ruka's voice was low but adamant, her eyes staring into Jack's, quietly indignant, "but you can't simply accuse me of trying to harm the City and the people here."
"Oh?" Jack raised a nonchalant eyebrow. "Are you expecting me to believe what a Psychic Duelist says?"
"It's not –" She didn't see the point in arguing and decided to head straight to her point. "Jack, you must know something about this person. You must have some idea of what's going on. It's as if they're targeting all of us, but we still know nothing about them. Please, tell us what you know."
"You want me to tell you what I know?" Jack sneered. "Fine. Duel me."
Ruka blinked, too daunted for a moment to reply. For a moment, all the other occupants of the room were quiet too. Rua was staring at Jack with his eyes wide open.
"If I lose, you can ask your questions," uninterrupted, Jack took out his Duel Disk with an experienced move of his hand and put his deck in. "But if I win, you stop bothering me about this and leave me alone from now on. Got that, kid?"
Ruka bit her lips as she took out her own Duel Disk and deck. She can accept that condition.
"Wait, Ruka!" Carly stretched out a hand to stop her. "Are you sure about this? Jack's not just any duelist. He's the King of Satellite!"
"Ruka was the junior champion too." Rua backed his twin up.
Yusei sat quietly, although tensely, through this. He didn't think that Jack would come up with this, but he simply watched as Ruka and Jack stood up and prepared to duel. Ruka was indeed a skilled duelist, and he knew the little girl needed chances to prove herself as well. After all, even if Jack did win, Yusei was sure they can still get information out of him no matter what.
Jack regarded Ruka while the girl prepared her deck. With his currently legitimate residency, and his face being free of any Markers, he had wanted to get on with his life properly in the City. While connections with people such as Yusei and Ruka could certainly prove to be useful, the presence of these important Tops residents meant attention from the Security and officials, too. Jack would be better off avoiding all that. Moreover, he had merely escaped into the City; he wasn't expecting to be here too long. When he returned to Satellite, he would like Yusei to know the least about him as possible, for fear that Security would track him down in the future.
And for that to happen, he would have to think of ways to get rid of this group of rich kids around him first.
Once they had shuffled and cut each other's deck, Jack took the first turn.
"I summon Mad Demon in attack mode, and place two cards face down. Your turn, kid."
Ruka glanced at her hand for only an instant before she made up her mind.
"I summon Rose Bird, with an attack of 1800. And I attack Mad Demon!"
Rua jumped off the sofa at his sister's decision. "Wait, Ruka, Mad Demon also has 1800 attack –"
Yusei gave the young boy a look that told him to stay calm and watch. Jack gritted his teeth. The girl knew her cards. When attacked, Mad Demon turns into defence mode. And with only 0 defence it wasn't going to stand up to her monster at all. What a waste of a perfectly good monster.
"Now I place two cards face down and end my turn." Facing Jack, who now has no monsters on his field, Ruka concluded her turn. She could tell Jack was displeased, but she had to be careful of any backup plans that she was sure he would have.
"I start my turn by activating the trap Boosting Resurrection, which summons back Mad Demon from the Graveyard and increase its attack by 1900 points and raise its level from 4 to 5." Ruka took a sharp breath. "I'll also normal summon a level 3 Tuner Monster, Dark Repairer. Do you know what's coming next, Ruka?"
Ruka took a small step back but stayed her ground. The three spectators gritted their teeth. Jack was about to summon a level 8 Synchro Monster. "I did a deck check on him this morning," Carly whispered, knowing that Yusei had probably done the same since he met Jack. "You don't think it's gonna be –"
"The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!" Without hesitation, Jack called out the ace monster in his deck, the monster that had always defined him as a duelist. With a vicious snarl, the red-black dragon made a show of its cruel sharp claws at Ruka, its golden eyes blazing with the fire of battle. She acutely felt the mighty spirit behind the hologram, and for a moment Ruka was overwhelmed by the self-possessed power of this monster that Jack controlled, and she didn't miss the glint of pride that flickered past her rival's violet eyes.
"Red Demon's Dragon, attack Rose Bird!" Certain of his victory in this round, Jack declared his attack.
"I activate Rising Heat!" Ruka wasn't going to back down so soon. "By discarding one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can raise the attack points of one monster by 1500 points. Now Rose Bird's attack points are 3300, higher than your dragon's, which is 3000."
"Sorry to disappoint, Ruka." Jack casually pressed the button on his Duel Disk to reveal his face down card. "I activate Roar of Pride, which makes my monster's attack points 300 points higher than yours at the cost of 1000 life points. So my dragon remains standing." While his life points dropped from 4000 to 3000, the hologram of Red Demon's Dragon blasted Rose Bird to smithereens. Ruka groaned and took the damage. Her life points decreased to 3700.
"It's your turn." As if she might forget, Jack said to Ruka matter-of-factly.
"I… I special summon the Tuner Monster Spore from the Graveyard, where I had discarded it due to Rising Heat." A round, white, fluffy ball appeared on her field. Jack raised an eyebrow. "Spore can be special summoned from the Graveyard by removing one other monster in my Graveyard from the game, and when that happens, the level of the removed monster is added onto Spore's monster level. I remove Rose Bird from the game, and Spore now counts as a level 5 monster as a result." Jack watched the fluff ball getting bigger as its level increased. The girl was obviously going to follow him and summon a Synchro Monster, but what?
"I normal summon Dreamsprite, which is a level 2 monster." Raising her hand, Ruka proclaimed the summoning of her own ace monster. "The holy light of protection! Now, associate with life. Synchro Summon! Illuminate, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" The sinewy, butterfly-winged dragon appeared behind her and snarled back at Jack's Red Demon's Dragon across the field. In front of his dragon, Jack was looking carefully at Ruka and her monster with some grudging appreciation.
"So this is your ace monster…" He muttered in a low voice.
"And now I'll show you what she can do. I activate the Field Spell Ancient Forest. Then Ancient Fairy Dragon's special effect allows me to special summon Regulus from my hand instead of attacking in this turn." Her familiar guardian lion appeared next to her and Ruka smiled to herself, feeling much safer than when she stood alone against Jack and Red Demon's Dragon. "My dragon has one more special effect. I can send a Field Spell from the Field to the Graveyard once per turn and move a Field Spell card from my deck to my hand and gain 1000 life points in the process. I now destroy the Ancient Forest on my field and move another copy of Ancient Forest from my deck to my hand." The tall trees brimming with shimmering green foliage that had just appeared as her Field Spell shattered into dust and her life point climbed up to 4700. "Now for Regulus's special effect, which allows me to move one Field Spell from my Graveyard to my deck once per turn." Having placed her first Ancient Forest back into her deck, Ruka ended her turn.
Jack had been rather confused when she fiddled with the Field Spell, but now he saw that this was a combo that her deck had been designed for. He wasn't feeling apprehensive, though. Facing her monsters, which were obviously weaker than Red Demon's Dragon and inferior to his deck's attacking power, he has no doubts about his own victory. "My turn. Red Demon's Dragon, attack Ancient Fairy Dragon! Absolute Powerforce!"
"No, Jack!" Being more informed about Ruka's deck, Carly couldn't stop herself from crying out at his mistake. Jack looked over puzzled.
"According to the effects of Ancient Forest, all monsters on the field are switched to attack mode, and whichever monster that declares an attack is destroyed at the end phase of the turn." Ruka spelled out the effects of the Field Spell to Jack. "But I won't allow you to take down Ancient Fairy Dragon either. I activate the trap card Mirror Wall, which will cut down your dragon's attack points by half, making it 1850, less than Ancient Fairy Dragon's attack points of 2100! Retaliate! Eternal Sunshine!"
With golden rays of light radiating out from its wings and scales, Ruka blue dragon fought back Jack's attack. Pushed back, the hologram of Red Demon's Dragon screeched and scattered apart into debris. Jack gritted his teeth as his life point dropped to 2750. He wasn't used to losing his best monster to the Graveyard so early in the game, but he now saw through Ruka's combo. Not only does the Field Spell prevent her enemy from attacking her or laying effect monsters face down in defence mode, she can also fiddle with it to gain life points each turn, making her less vulnerable to attacks even if the Field Spell was taken away. Jack's deck has always been focused on the offensive. This wasn't something that he had prepared to deal with.
But what caught him in surprise even more was a dull pain that he felt on his right arm as the dragon's clashed. He grimaced and bore it, careful not to give out any other signs. Something was going on with his birthmark. The skin throbbed, ached, and felt as if a quick flame had just skimmed over it. Convincing himself that it must be the wound he got when he escaped from Satellite, Jack forced himself to focus back onto Ruka.
"Now it's my turn," seeing that Jack wasn't going to do anything else, Ruka drew. "I'll now use Ancient Fairy Dragon's and Regulus' effects to send Ancient Forest to the Graveyard, put my previous copy into the deck, and move a third copy from the deck to my hand." Jack didn't even lay down a facedown card after his attack last turn, and he now has a completely empty field. Ruka took her chances. "I now attack Jack directly with Ancient Fairy Dragon! Eternal Sunshine!"
Yusei sat up from the sofa, watching intently. Rua also jumped up. Jack's field was completely bare. If Ruka attacked him, he would have lost the duel… Would it really be that easy?
"Don't you dare think that I'm going to lose here!" Jack slammed a card down onto his Duel Disk. He had been waiting for her direct attack. "I special summon Battle Fader! This card can be special summoned when I am being targeted for a direct attack, and although it will be removed from the game at the end of the turn, it will end the battle phase immediately when it's summoned this way!"
Carly let out the long breath that she had been holding. Although she had known Ruka for longer, she didn't want Jack to be defeated so easily. Now that he finally got himself out of this one, at least for now.
"I'll play Ancient Forest again, and summon Kuribon in attack mode." Having her attack thwarted, Ruka played her defensive Field Spell again and summoned another one of her favourite monsters, a cuddly brown fur ball with a ribbon tied on top of its head. It squeaked at Ruka, and she replied with a smile. However, she used the chance to cast a quick glance at her right arm. It had suddenly itched very sharply when she repelled Jack's attack. There seemed to be nothing wrong with it. She rubbed it lightly against the hard surface of her Duel Disk and the pain didn't return. It shouldn't be something like a bruise then. Making a mental note to tend to it later tonight, Ruka turned her attention back to the duel, with her life points at 5700 and Jack's remaining at 2750.
"Ruka! You're doing great!" She could hear Rua cheering on the side lines. "Your life points are almost double to Jack's! Keep it up!"
"Tch." Jack drew his card with a hiss of irritation. "I activate the Spell card Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Ancient Forest! Your shield is gone!"
"But she can still bring it back as long as she's got – oh!" Rua stopped mid-sentence when he saw Ruka's troubled expression as she realised Jack wanted to break through her combo at all costs.
"I special summon the level 5 monster Vice Dragon. This monster can be special summoned when the opponent has monster on the field but I do not. Then I normal summon the level 3 Tuner monster Dark Resonator. Now then, I activate the Spell Shining Rebirth, which allows me to summon a Synchro monster in the Graveyard onto the field when the Synchro materials are present on my field. So return to the field, Red Demon's Dragon!"
With a chilling roar, Jack's dragon dominated the field once again. Ruka couldn't help but take a small step back, suspecting what'll come next.
"Red Demon's Dragon, destroy Ancient Fairy Dragon!"
"Ancient Fairy Dragon…!" Standing aside, Rua gritted his teeth. Yusei leaned forward, and Carly bit her nails. Ruka had no face down card. She was going to have to take the hit.
The hologram of Ruka's dragon went up in flames with the attack. Shrieking, its blue figure writhed in the fire of Jack's attack before bursting apart into nothingness. Ruka bent down almost double to manage the impact of the attack – no, not only that. Her arm just acted up again and she had to clutch at it, whimpering at the scorching agony that felt as if it was boring into her skin. Something has gotta be going on; this had never happened during any of her duels.
"I place one card face down and end my turn." Despite his calm demeanour, Jack gritted his teeth as also he endured a sharp pain in his arm. Just then, when the dragons clashed, the jolt of stinging sensation was so sudden that he almost jumped. This duel needed to be finished soon. Ruka's life points were down to 4800. Although that was only a relatively small reduction, Jack was confident he can get it down to zero. Having finished his turn, he could afford to put his left hand on his right arm to keep down the pain. Casting a quick look at Ruka, he was surprised to find that she was bending over and holding onto her arm as well. He turned his head to see what the others made of it. Yusei was standing up. The blue-eyed young man had sensed something was going on.
"Ruka," Yusei called out, "what's going on? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I – I'm fine." Wincing, Ruka drew as quickly as she could. "I place – two facedown cards, and end my turn."
"Then it's my turn. Draw!" Starting his turn, Jack was confident of his victory. "I attack Kuribon with Red Demon's Dragon!"
"Ruka…!" Rua exclaimed. If Jack's attack is successful, his sister will be taking a very large hit. He braced himself for it.
"I activate Kuribon's special effect!" Ruka was ready. "When this card becomes the target of an attack, I can return it to my hand to make my battle damage to zero, while increasing the life points of my opponent by the amount of attack points the attacking monster has at the time." She took her monster back to her hand, whereas Jack frowned at that. Was she really going to increase his life points? His hand moved to his Duel Disk, readying for a counter. His face down counter trap, Crimson Hell Flare, can double any direct damage dealt to his life points and reflect it back to his opponent as long as he has a monster on his side of the field with attack points higher than the initial damage. Hopefully, with Red Demon's Dragon on his side, he can manage whatever she throws at him.
"Now, I activate Mischief of Oberon!" Ruka opened up her face down. "This card can be activated when an effect to increase a player's life points is activated. This will negate that effect, and deal damage to the players equal to the amount of the life point increased! So now we'll both receive 3000 points of damage... Jack, I win."
"What?" Jack breathed, stunned. 3000 points… he could not counter that. He could not… defeat her. He could only watch, in amazement and more than a little of anger, as his life points plummeted to zero on his Duel Disk.
"Ru… Go Ruka!" Rua jumped up in the air. "That was amazing, Ruka!" Pointing at Jack, the little boy proclaimed merrily. "Now you'll have to talk – er, Jack, what's that on your arm?"
Jack growled as he pressed hard on his arm, trying to conceal the birthmark that was glowing – why on earth was it glowing? – with his left hand. Faced with Yusei, Carly, and Rua's curious stare, he forced himself to calm his breathing and glared back at them as if nothing was going on. He could have bluffed his way through, said something to get himself out of this, if it were for Ruka's sudden cry of fear some distance away from him.
"My… my arm! What's going on!"
Ruka was staring at her arm and the glowing, red mark emerging from it in absolute shock. The mark was hot, burning, as if she was being branded by invisible embers right at this moment. Shaking, she lifted up her head, only to see the same thing happening on Jack's arm, which was also glowing eerily bright. With a trembling hand, Ruka pulled back her right sleeve. What could be observed on her arm was a reddish mark, drawn in thick, brusque lines, that was emitting a crimson light.
"That's…!"
Carly and Rua turned around and Yusei's voice. They did not expect to find him staring, wide eyed, at Ruka's arm.
There was no mistake. That mark… that thing that was surfacing into Ruka's skin… it was something that looked awfully like a birthmark that he knew by heart. It was her mark. Aki's mark, in the shape of that horrid claw.
For the first time in his life, Yusei pleaded to whatever gods that may be out there to answer his questions.
-\-\-\-\-\-
"How could you… How could you, Jack! How could you ever accuse of Ruka of such a horrible thing! Does she look anything like a malicious Psychic Duelist to you? She's only a kid! And then you taunted her into a duel and got that… thing… on her…"
"Carly," knowing that he was fighting a losing battle in trying to calm Carly down, Jack nevertheless wanted to make this statement. "Calm down. This birthmark isn't infectious."
"That's… that's not the main thing I'm angry with!" Oh? So she was angry now? Jack put on his best I-don't-give-a-damn face and turned his head to look outside the window and tried his best to ignore her voice. "What I'm angry with is the fact that you're so heartless, so exploitative, and that you'd use everything and everyone to just stay in the City!" Since it was almost the middle of the night, Carly decided to throw caution to the wind. She slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road and Jack, sitting in the back seat and wasn't paying attention at all, was caught off guard and his forehead went straight towards the back of the front seat. The blond man looked up furiously as he nursed his head. Now he was angry too.
"Carly! What the bloody hell are you doing!"
"What I'm doing, Jack, is trying to get you to listen!" Carly turned around to face him properly. "You owe me an explanation this time. You know far more that what you're letting on. What's happening with Satellite, and why you're –"
"That's my line." Jack cut in abruptly. "You people are the ones who are keeping secrets. Tell me, what's Yusei doing? What does he want from me? And what does this," he pulled up his left sleeve and held up his birthmark to Carly's face, "what does this thing mean?"
Carly blinked. "I – I don't know… but Yusei doesn't mean you any ill whatsoever, Jack. He's just trying to find someone who has the same birthmark as you. That's why he's been so interested; he believes there must be a connection between the two of you."
"The same birthmark as me?" Jack's heart skipped a beat. He had never even remotely heard of anyone with such a symbol embedded in their skin. His birthmark, to his knowledge, was unique. He knew that even as a young child. "Who is this person? Is –" the dot suddenly connected in his mind, "does she happen to be Izayoi Aki?"
Carly didn't want to tell Jack everything about Aki without Yusei's permission. She simply nodded.
"That would explain Yusei… and the kid." He stared hard at the mark on his arm. If that was the case, what would that make him? Would he really be a Psychic Duelist who just hasn't yet discovered his true strength?
"Jack…?" Seeing that he was more subdued and in thought, Carly ventured to ask him again. "So… do you actually know that guy called Crow, after all?"
"I do." Putting his right hand over the birthmark as if to cover it from his sight, Jack responded more quietly. "In fact, I saw him just before I left Satellite."
"You did?"
"Mm." He grumbled back affirmatively.
"So… what do you think he's planning, then?"
"He won't be planning anything." Jack answered, remembering that face which had faded so much in the past few years but brought abruptly back into sharp focus a few days ago. "Crow isn't one to plot. If this happened in the past, I would have said that it'd be Kiryu's plan."
"Who?" Carly was puzzled with this new name.
"Kiryu Kyosuke. Someone I used to know, a long time ago." Jack turned away. He had cut all his contacts with Kiryu once the other man entered that place, but Crow kept visiting Kiryu, God knows why. Jack gave a small bite to his lip. He needed to focus on the things happening in the City right now, not on some mouldy memories that he had already chosen to forget. He cackled bitterly. "Don't worry, Carly, I've got absolutely nothing to do with either him or Crow. Haven't had anything to do with them for years. Satellite is a complicated place. I have my turf and they have theirs. We don't interfere with each other, at least not anymore."
"Not anymore? Jack…" detecting that small glint of turbid emotions in those purple eyes, Carly dared to question her thoughts, "did you know them well?"
"They were my best friends when I was a kid." He answered in a low voice. Short and simple as that.
Jack, get out of here. They're gonna hunt the kings.
He still didn't understand what Crow meant with that when the other man barged in just a few days ago, but Jack took it as meaning someone's going to take down certain gang leaders in Satellite. Anyways, he had fled. He had convinced himself that maybe Crow's warning meant just that. Jack had called himself the King of Satellite. It made sense.
But this crazy adventure in the City forced him to think and remember too much. Memories seeped back into his mind, especially the ancient one that had occurred when he was still a little boy, running and screaming in the orphanage's earthen courtyard under the grey, polluted clouds and the languid sun. Martha's House had plenty of visitors once upon a time. And one of them, a tall man dressed in a white coat, had once taken a special interest and called Jack near him.
He had told little Jack that the birthmark he carried was the mark of a king.
-\-\-\-\-\-
Beep. Beep.
The static in the luminescent screen of the black D-Wheel splattered out intermittent sounds as it waited for the line to connect, all the way out the sea and into Satellite. In a dark back alley in the more shady parts of Neo Domino City, his armed crossed, Kiryu sat back in his machine, staring at the screen. Only his left foot, tapping spasmodically on the pedal of his machine, belied his impatience at the slowness of communication.
Beeeeeep. With one final, long note, the signal finally made it. Kiryu stared at the dark room that now showed up in his screen. The webcam on the computer that now linked to the D-Wheel was placed on a table near the centre of the room, and facing it was leather chair, currently empty.
Kiryu bent forward, his golden eyes glinting in the dim light of the screen, eerily bright in the alleyway coiling with shadows. "Aki…?" He said in a low, hoarse voice.
Immediately, there was a small crescendo of footsteps. "Kiryu. Finally…" As the voice got nearer, the sinuous figure of a woman almost floated into form in the blackness behind the chair. "I almost thought you wouldn't call tonight."
The tips of his lips twitched with an appreciative smile while he watched her settling herself into the chair, long red fringe flying, long red dress fluttering. What a woman; Kiryu was more convinced of that every time he saw her. The crimson, tight-fitting outer jacket, belted just below her chest, accentuated her incredibly attractive shape. Meanwhile, the added touches of her long black gloves and thigh-length pitch-dark stockings unreservedly inserted a wild aura of brutality and power into this seductive image. Nonetheless, her giant steel hairpin, gleaming with a cold sheen right on her forehead, neatly balanced this feeling of animalistic strength with emotionless practicality. Together with that icy beauty on her round, intelligent face and the banked fire that simmered in her rosy-coloured eyes, Kiryu knew he would be able to live off her presence alone, without need of food or water.
Unlike her previous lover, Kiryu Kyosuke knew he would die for her if needs be.
Noticing his intense stare, Aki furrowed her brows a little. "What is it, Kiryu?"
"Oh, nothing." He smirked. "Just staring at you."
She glared at him with a look even colder than usual. He just openly laughed at the strong armour that he knew she liked to put around her during serious work. Recollecting herself, she stared back at him. "Now's not the time to be laughing, Kiryu. News?"
"The hunt is going well," he grinned at the memory of Yusei's shock from last night. "They're all tumbling into us one after the other."
A satisfied smile briefly graced her lips. "And how's Crow?"
Kiryu's face darkened as soon as Crow's name was mentioned. "Don't remind me of that traitor again. He ran off this afternoon."
Aki was quiet. She didn't say anything, but the expression on her face was one of genuine shock, and her eyes urged Kiryu to say more.
"I think the take on the kid last night was too much for him after all," Kiryu explained. "I didn't manage to find him until late this afternoon. I tried to get him to come with me but the damn bastard managed to lose me. You better regard him as lost to us, Aki. He could even be back at Satellite by now."
Her glove-covered hands tightened into fists as Aki breathed slowly, trying to come to terms with the unexpected turn of events. "I don't believe it... Crow backing out was one of the last things I expected. I really thought he would have done better than this."
"Forget about Crow." Kiryu spat on the ground as he said that name. "What I care about right now is you. Ready to come out and join the game, princess? I've been waiting for you to get to the City these past few days."
Her reply was vague. "Hopefully so. We'll see."
He sighed in mock exasperation. "Oooh. Really? Do you need to stay in a little longer?"
She looked straight at him in the eyes. "That is right. It seems that the City will not be our battlefield, but Satellite instead."
"What?" He yelled out loud, ignorant of the quiet surroundings. "Then what's the point of sending us into the City –"
"Things have changed." She interrupted him. "The failure to obtain Jack Atlas had altered our plan. He knows a lot about us, and through him it's very probable that people in the City would head towards us. The entire group might even arrive at Satellite very soon." She took a deep breath. "Uncle Goodwin had advised you to be prepared for a speedy retreat back to Satellite."
"And at Satellite, our home turf…" Kiryu was beginning to see what that may imply. He chortled with glee.
"Yes, at our home turf, we'll have them dancing right in our palms." A mesmerising smile also emerged onto Aki's previously serious, impressive face. But it wasn't one of mirth. It spoke of ecstatic excitement, of black longing, of insatiable hunger. "Before they knew it, the city would have lost some of its most famous and important citizens, their King, and the twin children of their most wealthy entrepreneur. Be ready for that time, Kiryu. That's when my revenge – our revenge – will finally be completed."
Under the endless cloak of night, Kiryu's body shook as he finally erupted with mad laughter. Many emotions apart from joy rolled out of him as he let himself go in this crazy release of pent-up sentiments. Tears tumbled out his eyes and he let them fall, like water poured on the hallowed altar in the anticipation of a ceremony. A ceremony that would see the stone receiving the red, pulsing, and tainted blood of its sacrifice.
And across the bottomless sea, in a muter and more constrained manner, with her hand covering her mouth, Aki was laughing and doing the same.
It wasn't easy trying to plan Jack and Ruka's duel. I stuck with anime cards and card effects, and a few cards that were necessary to make it run.
See you in the next update!