Chapter Eight - Descent

Ushio hung up the phone with a heavy heart at the Neo Domino City Security Maintenance Bureau headquarters. The beep indicating the end of the call sounded flat and resolute, its ensuing silence echoing in the sudden emptiness of his office.

"Ushio-san…" Mikage was standing opposite his desk, looking at him with desperate eyes.

"It can't be helped, Mikage-san." Ushio shook his head. "Security can't keep lying to him forever."

Mikage slumped into a chair. "I tried calling him as soon as you told me what was going on… but he won't talk to me. I don't know… I don't know how anyone's going to break the news to him." She bit her lip so hard Ushio was worried she might actually break the skin. "Can't you just tell him it never existed?"

"I'm sorry, Mikage-san." Ushio walked around his desk to sit next to Mikage. Hesitant at first, he nevertheless patted the woman's shoulder in comfort. "But when Yusei called up specifically asking for Rosewood, I don't think there's any way that Security can hide the truth from him anymore. He was actually doing us a favour by calling me first. Imagine if he went straight to the Archives or some other department – what a mess that would have been."

Mikage heaved a heavy sigh as well. "Then… how much are we going to tell him?"

"You meant how much am I going to tell him, right, Mikage-san?" Ushio gave a grimace. "You don't need to be dragged into this."

Mikage lowered her head. "You know that I knew what was going on all along, Ushio-san. There's no point in trying to hide that from the King either."

Ushio gave a crooked grin. "Yeah, I suspected you had other duties when the Director assigned you, a Security officer, to be Yusei's secretary."

Mikage frowned. "I don't know how he found out about Rosewood, though. You don't think…?" She looked at Ushio with troubled eyes.

"I don't think any of us who knew would break our promise and tell him about Izayoi." Ushio shook his head. "I'm not sure of that either, especially since he sounded so certain of it. Somebody must've shown him some concrete evidence to convince him that much."

"Well, Ushio-san…" Mikage went on cautiously, "how much do you know about Rosewood Institute?"

"Just a bit here and there." He muttered. "I looked it up in the Archives department after the Director told me Izayoi had been sent there. I knew it's used to store certain convicted criminals, and how it poses as a hospital to the public in Satellite. There was a lot of information, but nothing important."

"I see." She nodded. "That's all I know as well… The Director never talked about it. I didn't even know Rosewood existed before Izayoi Aki's incident."

"I don't understand why we need to have a place like that." Ushio frowned. He didn't like the idea of keeping condemned prisoners alive and hidden for God knows what reason. "We have enough detention centres to keep prisoners. If Security doesn't want to execute people, they can just abolish the death sentence."

Mikage shook her head. "I brought that up with the Director as well, and… it was a strange answer that he gave me."

"Hmm?" Ushio's curiosity was piqued. He also felt there was something underlying those words, making Mikage's tone even more hesitant and cautious than usual.

The female Security officer went on in a low voice. "He said Rosewood was built to lock away a catastrophe that almost occurred a long time ago. And… if Rosewood is shut down, it would release that destructive fate the City had narrowly averted back onto us."

Ushio blinked.

"Wow. That sure is… something."

Mikage didn't reply to that. She sat for a while, lost in thought, then she slowly delivered a question to Ushio.

"Ushio-san, do you trust the Director and the Security force?"

Ushio was taken aback. "Of course I do, Mikage-san. Why are you asking that?"

"If you do, then let's stop questioning whether Rosewood is really necessary." Mikage looked away. "Let's just consider Rosewood… as simply another facility that Security must run behind the citizens' backs to ensure the City's happiness and safety."

"Yeah…" Ushio trailed off. "I better get back to the problem closer to me. I need to process Yusei's request to enter Satellite."

"I know." Mikage sounded concerned as well. "I don't think for the King of the City to go into Satellite is a good idea."

"Since he asked, then I kinda have to do it, don't I?" Ushio scratched his head. "There's one problem, though. Yusei was hoping if he can get in Satellite tomorrow, and he wants to bring Jack Atlas with him."

Mikage turned around in genuine shock. "So urgent, and with Jack Atlas? Did he explain why?"

Ushio watched as Mikage briefly struggled with her expression, which threatened to contort itself. He knew she did not approve of the eagerness Yusei pursued Izayoi Aki with, as well as his desire to enter Satellite in such a rush. Frankly, he wasn't too pleased with Yusei's close acquaintance with Jack Atlas either.

"Nope. That's beyond me as well." He shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "But we can definitely ask Yusei about it when he gets here. Speaking of Yusei, he should already be on his way."

The loud beeping of the phone on his desk intercepted their conversation just on time. Both Mikage and Ushio looked up. It's gotta be Yusei; he knew that thought must have flashed through her mind as well. Stretching out his hand, he pressed a button on the phone.

"Yusei." He started with a grave voice. "Come up. We –"

"So what I've heard is true then." Instead of Yusei, a small hologram of Director Goodwin appeared above the phone instead. Ushio clamped his mouth shut, regretting that he had so easily assumed it would be his friend. He quickly gathered himself to answer that stern, paced voice of the man who was in truth the most powerful person in Neo Domino.

"Yes, Director." Ushio hastily saluted.

"I see his Satellite pass applications are coming through." Goodwin lowered his head as if reading something on his desk. "Do you plan to approve them?"

"Yes, Director." Ushio repeated.

"I trust there will be a Security escort for him tomorrow, then?" Goodwin asked, not lifting up his head.

"Most certainly, Director." Seeing how Ushio suddenly became silent because he didn't think of that issue, Mikage stepped up to answer Goodwin. "I will definitely arrange for an escort to ensure the King's safety."

Goodwin just nodded.

"Director," in the brief silence that ensued, Mikage gathered her courage to ask a question that she had being wondering, "will you not refuse the King's application?"

Shaking his head, Goodwin gave a smile that could almost be considered as bitter. "No, I will not, Mikage-san."

"But…" Mikage stuttered. "But do you really want him to meet Izayoi-san?"

"That, Mikage-san, is not my intention." Sitting up and looking directly at his subordinates, Goodwin straightened his posture. "On the contrary, I would rather hope that by seeing Satellite with his own eyes, Yusei will no longer be so obsessed with a criminal who had already been condemned by law."

Mikage looked sideways uncomfortably. "I am sorry, Director, for not succeeding in getting the King's mind off the issue after the end of the case. I had thought that he had put all his energy into the duelling season. I did not expect him to be looking into the Izayoi family's transactions and Security internal documents. It is my fault that the situation had deteriorated to such a degree, Director."

"I do not blame you, Mikage-san." Goodwin answered coolly. "However, as Yusei's secretary, I expect you to be more attentive of his thoughts in the future. Do you understand?"

Feeling a hint of cold anger in Goodwin's voice, Mikage nodded and gave a bow.

"I do confess that even I did not foresee this." Goodwin continued. "Yusei is the last person I expected to have any reason to go to Satellite. More importantly, I did not expect him to have an even greater connection to Satellite. Is this Jack Atlas, whom Yusei has been frequently associated with during this week, really the man they regard as the king of the petty gangs in Satellite, and of whom I heard had recently successfully migrated into the City as a legitimate citizen?"

"My blunder, Director." Ushio hastily gave a bow as well. "I got the documents approved because Yusei was asking for it, and also because I couldn't get Jack into a hospital without migration papers. I should have –"

"Enough." Goodwin put up a gloved hand to indicate silence. "I heard about what happened from the hospital. I'm afraid that I won't be granting him the right to visit Satellite, though. I cannot afford him to stir up more trouble in that district."

The two Security officers nodded silently.

"It is Jack Atlas's luck that Yusei was the one who found him, not the Security officers who should be patrolling the area." Goodwin mused. "Although I am curious – is Jack Atlas the one who may have piqued Yusei's curiosity in Satellite?"

"I do not know, Director." Mikage answered truthfully. "Frankly, I don't think Jack would have any connections with the place the King is interested in."

Goodwin narrowed his frosty grey eyes slightly. "The place… Yusei is interested in?"

Mikage and Ushio gave each other a look.

"Director, do you not know… where Yusei is interested in going?" Ushio ventured to ask.

"I'm afraid that I do not." A rather puzzled look emerged on Goodwin's lined face. "That was not mentioned in his application."

"Director, the place that the King wants to go isn't just anywhere in Satellite." Mikage swallowed. "It's the Robb-Lewis-Henley Memorial Hospital – Rosewood."

Goodwin was visibly taken aback. His pale visage looked even more drained of blood, and he took a long, deep breath.

"We were just discussing who may have told him of this information, Director." Ushio went on. "It seems completely unreasonable that he would have spotted that place – no, I don't even think he's capable of knowing that such a place exists. Do you know what's going on, Director Goodwin?"

"No, no, I do not." Goodwin was shaking his head, and traces of doubt and surprise were clouding his usually piercing eyes.

"Director, I don't suppose that the few of us who knew…" Ushio didn't want to finish his sentence.

"No, I don't suppose that either." Frowning, Goodwin locked his brows together in irritation. "Both Professor Fudo and Senator Izayoi have sworn to secrecy with me, and I do not doubt that both of you have faithfully obeyed your orders. Apart from the five of us, no one else should know."

"Then…" Ushio was at a loss and didn't know what to say. He gave another look at Mikage. She looked equally confused.

"No, no, in fact, this may suit my intentions quite well." Different to his subordinates, Goodwin's mind was working quickly. Having regained his composure, the Director of the Security Maintenance Bureau drummed his fingers on the desk. "For Yusei to see the Rosewood Institute in its current state would no doubt deter him greatly in his obsessive search for Izayoi Aki. There's no doubt of that."

"Rosewood in its current state?" Ushio did not understand.

Goodwin took a small sigh. "You see, Ushio-san, Rosewood was… recently destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Mikage couldn't help herself. "But Director, what you told me –"

Goodwin gave her his sternest look.

"What did I tell you, Mikage-san?"

Mikage bit her lip. "You told me that… the destruction of Rosewood… would bring ill fortune on us all, Director."

Goodwin looked at Ushio. The officer appeared unfazed.

"I assume that you heard about this as well, Ushio-san?"

"Yes, Director." Ushio replied, not taken aback. "Although I do not understand what you mean, I trust that Mikage-san did not lie to me and I believe that you will always act in the best interest of the City and the Security force. Therefore, I take what she says as true. But then… if Rosewood is really destroyed…"

"That does not concern you." Goodwin waved his hand as if telling him not to bother. "If Yusei sees the Institute's ruins, he is very likely to give up on his search. That is all I'm interested with in this better."

"I understand, Director." Ushio looked as if he wanted to say more, but Mikage tactfully ended the discussion on this topic.

Goodwin nodded. "Then please choose well for Yusei's escort tomorrow. I expect him to return well and unharmed."

Ushio and Mikage bowed once again. Pressing the end-call button, Goodwin hung up.

In the highest level of the Security Headquarters, Director Goodwin mused in his leather chair. He had known about Rosewood's destruction for a while, but did not expect it to be brought up under such circumstances. He had tried his best to keep Yusei, Neo Domino's hope, away from that place. He was willing to indulge the young Fudo one last time in order to completely conclude his pursuit of Izayoi Aki. He made a mental note to have a long talk with Yusei, half regretting that he hadn't done it earlier.

Pressing more numbers on his phone, Goodwin dialled for the Archives office. Once the call went through, he requested the archivist to look up the last known residents in Rosewood Institute, under the pseudonym of Robb-Lewis-Henley Memorial Hospital for Satellite, to see if anyone was connected to Jack Atlas in any way.

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Yusei would have objected to the Security escort, but he understood it was Ushio's good will. His friend had sternly told Yusei to come back safe, which Yusei replied with his usual reassuring smile.

His application for visiting Satellite had been approved on the day that he handed it in. Jack's had been denied. There wasn't much Yusei could do about it. When he explained it to Jack, though, he noticed the distinctive relief in the other young man's eyes. Now, one day later, he was ready to head into that alien land through the narrow and tightly guarded isthmus. Sitting on his D-Wheel and waiting for Security clearance through the numerous gates that seamlessly locked Satellite away from the City, he couldn't help but wonder about the world beyond the countless mesh wire walls that he was about to enter.

Beside him, in their own Security standard D-Wheels, his Satellite Security bodyguards appeared much more at home. They gazed forward, their hands resting easily on the controls of their machine, their bodies leaned back as if thoroughly savouring the ride. A Security car rode before the two D-Wheelers, and was currently going through the last Security checkpoint before they officially entered Satellite.

The Security officer in charge of this final gate was gentle but firm. He would not allow the driver, a young officer from the City, to take his camera or cellphone into Satellite.

"I'm sorry, but that's the special condition associated with your pass." The officer stated this again when the young recruit launched into another beseeching plea. "The Security Bureau isn't allowing any of your group to bring electronic communication or recording device into Satellite during your visit." He cast a quick look at Yusei. "Considering the nature and destination of your visit, I have to say that such measures are quite necessary."

Although the officer kept his voice low, Yusei still heard his words. After the driver reluctantly gave up his camera and phone, the officer then approached Yusei's D-Wheel.

"I don't suppose that you'll request me to give up my D-Wheel as well?" Yusei questioned the man after he has completed the standard procedures. "D-Wheels are all equipped with video call features."

"Your D-Wheel should be fine." The officer waved his question off. "Most vehicles these days have video call features. Moreover, King, we don't want you to lose communication completely while in Satellite." Done with his job, the officer saluted Yusei, then moved on to the Security D-Wheelers and the other Security car following their entourage.

Yusei sighed. Mikage made every officer sign a confidentiality agreement before they set out, demanding that they do not leak anything that they see or hear on this trip into the media. Yusei wasn't surprised with the unusual constrictions associated with his journey. After all, he had asked to visit a place that does not legally exist.

As the King of the City, Yusei was justifiably uncomfortable with knowing that such a facility existed beyond the law. However, he was amazed at how easily his own beliefs changed when Aki was thrown into the lot. She wasn't forever lost, but stowed away in the age-old political compromise between impartial justice and high-profile filial love. Such a thought was so much more comforting than aggravating to him. Yusei had thought that he was as just and upright as any other man. It was incredible how differently things now appear.

The officer had finished with Yusei's D-Wheel bodyguards and moved towards the last car. Impatient with the prudent and slow proceedings, the Satellite-based Securities began to chat quietly amongst themselves.

"Where are we heading to again?"

"Did you forget? It's Rosewood, man, that nutjob down near the central districts."

"You serious? I thought that lady was kidding when she said it!"

"Nah, serious. He wanted to go there, that's what I heard."

"Did he lose it? Why would someone like him want to see that psycho house – no, what used to be that psycho house?"

"Shh, quiet! You know, that case…? That psychic redhair daughter of the Senator a few months ago…?"

The conversation died down as the officers realised what case they were talking about. Yusei grimaced.

"A psycho house, huh?" He muttered to himself.

All he knew about Rosewood Institute was from what he obtained in the Archives offices in the Security Headquarters. Top classified, the Institute initially had no name, known only as a code. The name Rosewood was actually a nickname that arose from the thick rose bushes that were planted around the outer walls of the establishment as a natural deterrent for escape or intrusion. Outwardly, it operated as a charitable hospital, but what kind of a hospital was it in truth? Ominous images of a horror-movie style mental ward swelled up in Yusei's imagination, which he had to forcibly push down. And what would Aki be like after being in that place for so long? Yusei couldn't answer any of these questions. He cast a look behind him. The officer in charge of the checkpoint had finished, and was signalling for the gate to be opened.

"There we go." The Security closest to Yusei muttered. Without knowing why, Yusei instinctively took a stronger hold on to his D-Wheel.

Surrounded by Security officers, Yusei rode through the gate. Satellite was not as inhospitable as he had thought. Due to the long and slow approach, his body had actually become accustomed to the dark cloud of industrial pollution that perpetually hung above it and could be glimpsed even from the City. He could no longer smell the arid sharp chemical scent that had caused him to cringe in discomfort when they first neared Satellite, although he was sure it was still all around him. Needless to say, the sky was a shade of shapeless grey instead of the crystal blue of the City heavens that almost rivalled the azure of the ocean below. Clothed in grime, the concrete buildings loomed alongside the road, making the paths below appear even darker. The few pedestrians scuttled out of their way when Yusei and his retinue approached, casting them baleful glances in the process. Yusei looked briefly at these Satellite residents, but he was the only one who spared the time to do so. The Securities next to them completely ignored the passers-by and drove straight towards their destination.

Rosewood was deep into Satellite. Although the roads in this desolate place weren't as developed as those in the City, it still took longer than Yusei imagined getting near it. The King saw no signs of the danger he had been warned against. There were no outlaws or rogues eying them hungrily and no gangs that dared stopping them, but he doubted that would be the case had he not had this crowd of Security officers with him. He didn't know what the Satellite people thought of the City, but he could vaguely imagine what anyone would feel when they were so close to such glory and yet endlessly spurned by it.

"Is Satellite usually so quiet?" Yusei presented that question to the officer closest to him when they rode through several blocks without seeing a soul.

"Ah. No, not usually so." The officer shook his head, but he didn't appear surprised at the notion. "There's apparently a new powerful gang that rose up in the past few months. People are too scared to come out at night already these days. I won't be too surprised if they cut back on coming out during the day too."

"Are the gangs in Satellite really so powerful?" Yusei inquired, thinking of Jack and the story of how he rose as the ruler of all those gangs at such a young age.

The officer gave a quick laugh. "We do our best to keep them down, but what else do you expect from this place?"

Yusei didn't go on. He decided to leave the Security officers' opinion of Satellite to themselves.

"We'll be arriving at Rosewood soon, King." The officer went on after a little while. "I advise you to be mentally prepared for it. It's not a pretty sight."

"I know." Yusei muttered, although it was too soft for the guard to hear.

The formidable and haunting wreckage stood in the heart of Satellite like the lone chthonian memory of a once sublime fortress. Yusei could discern the distinctive scorch marks on the rubble of what used to be high walls as soon as the remainder of the building came into his view. Of the tall rose bushes that he read about in the archives, none remained. What was left to distinguish the boundary between that secluded complex and the rest of the Satellite were jumbled, blackened concrete blocks that were left scattered throughout the area. Even long after the fire, a fine layer of charred dust still covered the majority of the yard. The tall building standing behind it, which Yusei assumed to be the main hospital, was reduced to a blank grey facade studded with gaping black holes that were once windows. Yusei swallowed uncomfortably as he approached this looming ruin. He now shared more than a little of Jack's reluctance to come to this spot.

"That's Rosewood?" He asked the Security next to him.

"Yep." The man nodded. "We'll be stopping next to it, King."

The group of D-Wheelers came to a stop close to what was once Rosewood. Stepping off his bike, Yusei lifted up his head to take in the entire view of the complex. The main building was in an "E" shape, with three perpendicular wings coming off the building with the front entrance. In its heyday, it probably looked rather majestic and imposing, standing above the courtyard that he imagined would have been carefully decorated with gardens and paths. The large enclosure between the three wings and the distant back wall was probably the same. The entire place took more than two blocks of land. Yusei let out a long breath when he thought of how many people it would be able to hold.

"Are we… moving in?"

Yusei looked at the Security officer next to him. The man was looking cautiously towards the crumbling ruins with more than a sliver of fear. The King of the City sighed and put a hand on his bodyguard's shoulder.

"We will. But don't worry, I won't stay too long."

The rest of the retinue also got off their D-Wheel and approached the ruins wearily. Yusei lead the team, which suddenly seemed much more timid as they got near the place. The charred pavement creaked a little under his boots, adding to the eeriness of the surroundings. Looking up, those infinitely black and empty windows seemed as if they were glaring down at him, silently surveying his every move. Nevertheless, Yusei stepped into the enclosure surrounding by the crumbling walls.

Once he was in, he could tell just how bad the damages were. He couldn't imagine an ordinary fire ravaging through the building with such ferocity and power. He walked past walls with gaping holes and rooms reduced to nothingness. In certain corners there were huddled remains that he didn't even want to look at. Even the Securities behind him were getting edgy. Yusei could again hear them whispering amongst themselves as they followed him up some rickety stairs to the scorched, but still stable, second story of the building.

"What happened here, man? It's as if… no one even came here to clean up!"

"Figures. Everyone was too scared back then, and now no one really cared."

Yusei sighed to himself. Yes, no one really cared. He could see that, had they wanted, the Securities in Satellite could have easily cleaned up this place and rebuilt something over it, and yet they chose not to. They simply left this mysterious institution to fade by itself in the midst of Satellite, waiting for weeds to grow up and reclaim this spot for the wilderness. He had come so close to finding Aki, but this was what greeted him. Narrowing his eyes, he cast his eyes to the courtyard outside to take in its entire view, if only as a distraction.

He blinked. Suddenly, those crisscrossed markings on the ground that he had thought were the paths of the fire took the shape of a three-toed claw mark in his mind. Holding his breath, he looked carefully again. There was no mistake. There were definitely two marks of heavy and giant claws. Now that he looked even more carefully, that entire field of disturbed and stamped earth, which he had thought came with the destitute state of the complex, looked as if it was the remains of a gargantuan swing by a remarkable tail in his altered perception. Yusei's breath caught in his throat. From up here, he could almost imagine something out of a nightmare – her dragon that he knew so well – was standing right there, out in the courtyard, spreading fire and destruction to the building before it. His heart jumped as his subconscious made the links that his mind didn't dare to make.

"Could it be…" Those words softly escaped from his mouth, but the Security officers still heard it.

"What is it, King?"

"Was there ever an investigation into how the fire was caused there?" Yusei questioned gently.

"Not that anyone knows of." The officer scratched the back of his head as he replied with an answer that Yusei had half anticipated. "I'd say no, there hasn't been."

Yusei took a long breath and nodded. "Thanks."

The officer gave a respectably small bow and moved away. Leaning forward, Yusei put his hand on the darkened windowsill and lightly put his weight on it. Clutching his teeth to control the shivers crawling up his spine, he tightly shut his eyes.

"You got me this time, Aki." He muttered beneath his breath. "You really surprised me, you know that?"

He felt that he had completely misunderstood Aki. He had completely underestimated her. If she really destroyed this place along with all these lives… then he honestly didn't know how to face her anymore. No; suddenly the goal he had been chasing after seemed like a disillusioned mirage, a delusion that he had crafted out of his own mind. He felt like he had just woken up from a long, amnesiac dream. He could recall the bitter, empty feeling of loss; but as for exactly what he had lost, he could no longer remember.

Looking up, he could see the sloping hills far into Satellite. Standing above the lowlands that made up most of Satellite, he had heard that those hills had once looked over the old harbour when Satellite was still Domino city. Yusei shook his head. This wasn't like him; he didn't get confused over his goals. All he had wanted was find Aki. There was a feeling of compensation, of guilt, yet even those hidden sentiments were never tangled with such rage, such incomprehension. Just what was Aki searching for? What caused her such rage and fear, and wrecked such injury? If so, then it felt terribly like she acting just like a dangerously spoiled kid, venting her emotions uncontrollably on everything around her.

If she had really descended to such depths, then should he still seek to save her?

Squinting towards the top of that far-distant hill, Yusei could have sworn that he glimpsed a dot of crimson red fluttering in the wind. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at that barren hilltop again, not believing his sight. Sure enough, the next time that he looked at it, it was gone.

"Just a trick of the morning light." He muttered under his breath and turned his back to the window, ready to leave.

"Hey, did it just get really dark?" Instead of moving down the stairs, one of the Security officers suddenly announced.

Puzzled, Yusei looked outside again. To his terror, the clear summer sky had been replaced with an endless winged shadow in the blink of an eye. He had turned around and was yelling before he knew it.

"Everyone, run!"

He felt the trembling of the building beneath his feet as he rushed towards his bodyguards. He was too slow. The impact had already hit the crumbling ruins before he crossed the room. The last thing he saw was the naked horror on the faces of the Satellite officers before him, before everything in his world went utterly dark.

-Fin-