Notes: So, the next chapter is done it only took forever again (=
To make things worse this isn't the meeting between Serena and Yusaku many of you were waiting for. I understand if the waiting for it is annoying, but my plan had this chapter before the meeting and it gave me more time to really think things through.
I total get if your disappointed.
This chapter is experimental and any thoughts and criticism are more welcome than ever.
Enjoy.
Chapter 7: The company man
The seat was very uncomfortable. It was too small and the back rest hurt his back. It was clearly mad to torture anyone who sat on it.
He shifted again, not sure how he should sit, before deciding to sit with his back straight, eyes looking forward at the door and hands to his sides.
Yuri just needed to stay like this for a few more moments. He doesn't need to look at the clock above the door. It would only say that they had been sitting there for far too long, like the last few times he had looked at it.
Keeping his back and feet straight was slowly building a desire in him to kick that door in and ask why they let them wait for so long, but of course he would never do something like that now.
Years of military training taught him how to properly sit straight, but even back then he hated it and would use every opportunity to find a distraction. This whole situation was oddly familiar to him. Sitting in front of a professor's office, or in this case a principal's office, waiting. There was always the waiting in the hallway before the professor would ask him in and give him his new…
No. He needed to stop thinking about that time. That was over. Even thinking about it made anger and disgust rise up his stomach and that wasn't supposed to happen.
His stupid past, he needed to move on. It was usually easier to avoid thinking about. With the way his life was now, he should be able to be free, but sometimes he couldn't help it.
If he could, then they would not be sitting there right now.
Yuri started to nervously shift in his seat again.
"What has bitten you?" Serena asked him, with a stern look on her face.
Yuri quickly looked over to her. She was sitting next to him in the same kind of uncomfortable chair, she didn't show her annoyance as openly, but Yuri could tell it was there.
Her questioning face stared at him, waiting for an answer.
Yuri decided to look back at the door to avoid her gaze. If she would look him in the eyes, she would see that something was greatly bothering him, instantly.
"Nothing. The seat is just terrible and this teacher is taking forever. They sure give the kids here a great example." He answered, trying to sound annoyed enough to make it believable.
Yuri continued to avoid Serena's eyes. His eyes wandered around the hallway.
On the Door it simply said: "principal's office". On a bored next to the door were a few colorful notes about activities the school would host.
"School gardening competition" He and Yusaku would totally win that. He wasn't supposed to help too much, but he could give advice and Yusaku isn't too bad at it himself.
Yuri would have smiled, but in the moment even that did little to distract him. His eyes even wandered back to the clock and he cursed himself for it. Almost no time has past since the last time he had looked.
Yuri's eyes had wandered over everything in this hallway enough to memorize it by now. It offered him no distraction anymore.
The way he saw it he had a good chance of Serena not noticing that something was wrong. Normally she was good at telling when something was wrong with him or Yusaku, but her impatience had her just as annoyed at the situation as he was. There was a good chance that she didn't notice.
Charing his problems with Serena had always helped him, but he needed to learn to handle it himself and he knew that this whole raising an actual human being thing was hard for her too, even if she always acted strong. She couldn't use the extra weight.
When they got home Yuri would make sure that she would have a nice evening and that everything else was taken care of. He would throw in a sarcastic comment about having to do all the work to save face, but they would both know it was fake.
Yuri felt Serena's hand on his and immediately knew that she could tell that there was something wrong with him.
He gave a sigh. There was no going back now. He needed to tell her or she would get it out of him.
"It's just…" Yuri muttered. He didn't really know how to put it. He thought for a long moment.
"I wish he had more of you in him then of me." Yuri finally admitted. "He has got being amazing, smart and strong from you … and from me he has … the amazing qualities that landed us here."
After building up enough courage, he finally looked at her directly and gave her a weak smile. Yuri was really out of his comfort zone talking about this.
Serena looked like she was thinking very hard. An expression Yuri would usually find amusing and cute. In any other situation he would have probably even teased her a bit for it.
"You think that we are here because of things he got from you?" Serena finally asked him, looking into his eyes questioningly.
Yuri could only nod uncomfortably, looking away again. He was never sure if he was the best father for Yusaku. He tried with everything in his power, but sometimes it felt like, because of his past, his best was not good enough.
"Yuri?" she asked, waiting for him to look at her again. When he did he saw her give him a reassuring smile.
"He played duel monsters during class. That is not the end of the world. I bet if we would have gone to a normal school, like this, we would have done the same thing." Serena told him, cheerfully.
Yuri, not quite giving in, gave her only a weak smile.
"That is not the only thing. He is wild sometimes and don't try to hide itm even you struggle to keep up with him sometimes." Yuri sighed. He wanted to look at the ground again, but something in Serena's now determined look told him not to.
"Yuri, he is a kid of course he is going to be wild. He is lively, happy, confident and kind to everyone he meets. If he has got any of that from you, then I wouldn't have him any other way, do you?" Serena questioned him with a confident expression.
Yuri thought about that for a moment. Sure, he was quite a bit to handle, but now that he thought about it he couldn't count the amount of times he had made everyone smile. Was that, partially at least, because of him?
"No, of course not. I wouldn't change a thing. He is great the way he is." Yuri finally answered, confidently.
Yuri took Serena's hand because he didn't know how else to show how thankful and relieved he was. There was a moment were both of them were enjoying a comfortable silence.
"You know what? You are right. I take back what I said. All the best stuff he has got from me and not from you." Yuri teased with a smile.
They both started to argue and laugh happily for the rest of there still long wait.
They were still laughing when the door finally opened.
"Mr. and Mrs. Fujiki."
"Mr. Fujiki?" a soft voice called to him "Mr. Fujiki, sir?"
Yuri opened his eyes and was overwhelmed by the light of the room. His headache kicked back in and every bone in his body hurt.
After the first moments of confusion he tried to see who had called him.
He shifted himself so he was sitting straight in the chair he had fallen asleep in. A woman with long white hair and a blue hoody was standing in front of him.
Yuri couldn't quite remember were he had seen the woman before, but he definitely recognized her.
She looked at him with a polite smile, waiting for him to collect himself. Yuri's headache hurt too much for him to feel awkward for falling asleep here.
"Mr. Fujiki, my brother sends me to tell you that he will be ready for you in a few minutes." She told him politely. "Can I offer you anything while you wait?"
Yuri's memory slowly came back, he almost didn't recognize her. She looked so different from when she was younger.
Her name was Reira and she was Akaba Reiji's sister. She had decided to no longer hide her long white hair under a hood and cap and she was so much taller then Yuri remembered.
"No, I'm fine. Thank you." He muttered after a moment.
Reira sat herself across from him in the large waiting room. Still smiling at him politely.
"I will lead you to him when he is ready." She informed him before looking down and starting to type into her duel disk.
She really was different now. It must have been years since Yuri last saw her.
Yuri knew that Reira was one of the original Lancer's and that she was the one to land the final hit on Zarc. She then took all his darkness inside herself and was born again.
Yuri shuddered. Such a young child needed to fight the darkness he created. Another person he had hurt.
No. He shouldn't think like that. Serena always told him, that both of them were different now, that they both regretted the things they did and that they always tried to do everything to set things right.
Yuri took a deep breath. Serena always believed in him and he owed it to her to believe in himself.
His mind continued to wander during the waiting and an old memory came to mind.
Reira was only a few years older than Yusaku. She would always play with Yusaku and the other Lancer's children when they were younger. She was like a big sister to all of them, someone they all looked up to and trusted.
After what happened, Yusaku didn't want to play with the other children anymore, no matter how much they tried to convince him. He would always prefer to be alone, suffering silently to himself.
Yuri decided to end that train of thought before it began. He was here to fix it.
The next few moments he tried desperately not to think or to give into his headache.
After deciding last night that he would face Akaba Reiji, he didn't get much sleep and he headed to the gigantic LDS tower as soon as it opened in the morning.
The choice between Akaba Reiji or Akaba Leo was clear to him. He might not like facing Reiji, but he swore to never return to Academia and he wouldn't be so weak as to need Akaba Leo for anything ever again.
Still Yuri couldn't help but feel something other than the pain of his headache and fatigue from not sleeping while sitting in that seat.
Yuri didn't really fear Akaba Reiji, but he still would whether not talk to him. He just wasn't sure that this would work and that made him uncomfortable. He hated to admit it, but maybe he was a bit nervous.
Whatever it was, he needed to ignore it. Yuri would simply state his case and convince Reiji that his plan was justified. It would work out, it needed to, for his family.
Instinctively Yuri checked his duel disk and saw that there was a message from Serena. He would come home later and apologize to her for making her worry. Yuri could understand why she felt the way she did, but he had to do this or things would never change.
"Mr. Fujiki, my brother is ready for you now." Reira told him, releasing him from his wandering thoughts. He would check the message later.
Yuri followed her through the winding hallways of the LDS tower, past large action dueling fields and crowds of students.
The whole place made Yuri uncomfortable. Seeing the school uniforms and dueling lessons made him shiver and he was glad when he and Reira entered the elevator to Reiji's office.
While the elevator was dashing up the large tower Reira started to throw nervous glances at Yuri, who noticed instantly.
After a while she took a heavy breath and seemed to have finally build up enough courage to say something.
"Mr. Fujiki, sir. How is Yusaku these days?" she asked trying to sound casual, but Yuri could see right through that. She still avoided his eyes while waiting for an answer.
Yuri was somewhat surprised by the question, but he supposed it was normal, they used to be friends after all.
"Just busy with school. He is … fine…." Yuri lied. He wasn't asked about Yusaku very often and it didn't feel right to talk about it now.
Before Reira could say anything else the elevator reached its destination.
Reiji's office was gigantic, with a massive panorama window overlooking the whole city. The rays of morning sun were just about shining through and the window gave a perfect view of the large and colorful dueling school ally and the Miami city harbor.
Yuri took the long way from the entrance to the desk with quick and decisive steps, he wouldn't be intimidated like some business partner coming here to talk to the great head of the Leo corporation.
As Yuri drew closer he saw that Reiji was sitting with his back turned towards him looking out over the bay.
"Good morning Yuri." Reiji greeted him in a calm voice. "I trust Reira has led you here well? She is doing an internship at Leo corporation's science division and I thought it would be best to send someone you knew."
Yuri couldn't read anything from his voice. It was completely neutral and calm, but Yuri was no amateur at reading people and he was sure that he would give something away eventually. This would be a fight.
"Good morning Reiji. Reira did great. Give her my thanks." Yuri answered. His voice was polite and direct.
Reiji then turned his chair around to face Yuri. He had his hands folded in front of his face. His eyes were neutral, but Yuri knew he was sizing him up. Yuri thought he probably knew why he was here, or at least he had some idea.
Yuri couldn't really blame him for being suspicious. He probably had some idea of how Yuri spends his nights, that alongside his past probably justified the leader of the Lancers having his guard up.
"Please take a seat." He told him, pointing at a chair in front of the desk.
Yuri sat down and put his arms comfortably on the armrests. He would try to appear confident.
"Can I offer you anything to drink?" Reiji inquired. He was playing for time trying to see his reaction. Yuri wouldn't fall for it.
"No." Yuri answered, a bit too quickly, failing to fully hide his impactions. It was only a tiny mistake, but he was sure Reiji noticed.
Reiji leaned himself back into his chair, his hands were still folded and his look was sharp.
"You said you needed my help with something." He noted. Strait to the point then. Yuri was pleased that they could skip the pleasantries.
Reiji then waited for Yuri to speak. Yuri knew that he was looking closely for any hints, but he wasn't new to this kind of game so he would stay confident.
"I have uncovered information concerning one of your rivals. SOL technology has connections to illegal activities and to … what happened to my son." Yuri finally explained. He cursed himself for stuttering at the end.
Reiji gave him a skeptical look. His red glasses obscuring his eyes. Yuri knew instantly that Reiji had doubts, but he couldn't give up now.
There was a moment of tense waiting for Yuri while Reiji observed him.
"Do you have evidence for these accusations?" Reiji questioned, incisively.
Yuri knew he was going to ask that and was prepared.
"I have investigated the case for years now and everything seems to link back to them. They covered there tracks well, but it is clear that they are the only ones in the position to organize something like this. When all the evidence leads back to Den city it has to be them." Yuri summarized, keeping his voice full of confidents.
Yuri saw the light reflect of Reiji's glasses, not moving at all.
"Nothing concrete then?" Reiji noted, sharply.
Yuri had to swallow a bit of anger at the question, but quickly collected himself.
"They are the only ones capable of the kind of actions I have uncovered. Evidence doesn't just vanish and I am sure you are not unfamiliar with large scale cover ups." Yuri argued, sarcastically. He had heard a lot of stories about Akaba Reiji through the years.
For a moment a smile flashed on Reiji's face before he stood up and went to stand near the edge of the desk.
"Yuri, I promise you that the Lancer organization, as the protectors of this dimension, and Leo corporation, as a competitor, will monitor any activity of SOL Technology closely. I also promise you that the investigation into what happened to your son is still ongoing. If you have evidence that could help us I will be glade to receive it." Reiji finally stated.
Yuri should have known that this was useless. Reiji would always believe that he was clinging onto anything out of desperation. He should have never come here. Anger was rising in him, but he wouldn't yell or strike out, that wasn't him anymore and Reiji was Serena's friend. He would just have to do this on his own.
Yuri stood up as well and calmed himself so he could leave. Reiji was still observing him closely.
"I must also repeat an offer I have made to your family before. If you need any kind of support, Leo corporation and I personally will support you in any way we can." Reiji added, and even though anger still clouded his judgment Yuri could somehow tell that it was Reiji's strange was of being genuine, Reiji was Serena's friend after all.
Yuri thanked him and the two said goodbye. Yuri went back through the large office to the elevator. Away from the sunlight that was reaching through the window. It dawned on him what failure here meant and what he needed to do now. He didn't know if he could.
Yuri was making his way through the busy seaside alley of Miami city. Even at this early hour the pier area was full of people.
Along the way Yuri came past countless dueling schools and dueling shops each was more colorful and had a different theme then the last. All the while he heard the sound of the soft ocean waves and the seagulls crying.
When Yuri moved here he was overwhelmed with it all, he would complain about how much he hated all of it. Now he knew that he had been just confused about his life and that he had let it out on everyone.
In hindsight he couldn't express how lucky he was that Sakaki Yoko and Yusho had taken him in like he was family, treating him like their own child.
Even with the kind offer his road to accepting it was long. After what happened he had spent days in the ruins of Academia not knowing what to do.
After being free of Zarc something changed in him. He would try to act out his violent ways to gain some satisfaction, but something was holding him back.
In that time, it was Serena who thought him out. While surrounded by the rubble of the destroyed academia castle she told him about a different path that she had taken and that he could take too. That day he took the first step out of Academia with her by his side.
Even with that resolution he must have made life a bit of a hell for the whole Sakaki household for a while. Still they never gave up on him.
The road was long and every step was hard, but eventually he got better. Yoko, Yusho, Yuya, Yuzu and many more helped him. Serena of course most of all. Prideful as he was he didn't show it often, but he was thankful that they helped him.
And so, in time he learned that Miami city wasn't too bad.
He had often gone to the seaside with Yusaku and Serena here. Yusaku had loved to watch the ships go by and wanted to study at every one of the colorful dueling schools. Yuri couldn't quite chare the enthusiasm even after all these years the idea of a dueling schools still made him shiver.
Yuri realized he had lost himself in memory. The thought would have been beautiful, but his son was no longer smiling at the world like he used to and he was on his way to break the vow he had taken so many years ago.
But he needed to, even if he would regret it.
While walking to the interdimensional train station Yuri thought he noticed a shadow dashing along the rooftops next to him.
He kept walking to avoid suspicion and between the next rooftops he saw it again. It was fast, anyone else would have missed it, but Yuri had keen eyes and experience. He hated how easy it felt.
Yuri made his way into a nearby alley and kept walking until he was in the darkness.
"You had your fun. Game is up. Come out or I will make you." Yuri exclaims in a mockingly tired voice.
For a moment nothing happened and Yuri leaned himself against one of the alley's walls.
"Your good, but you should have kept more distance. We could go through the whole process of me losing you or you could show yourself." Yuri explained, starting to get impatient.
After another moment there was a hissing sound behind Yuri and as he turned around a man in a black and blue ninja outfit stood behind him.
"I have failed my master's mission." The ninja said, humbly.
"Well obviously." Yuri deadpanned, moving over to him.
The man in front of him Yuri recognized to be Tsukikage, one of the Lancers and Reiji's spy.
Anger started to rise in Yuri. First Reiji refuses to help him and now he spies on him. Reiji's own investigation had found nothing and if Reiji thought he could stop Yuri from doing what ever it takes to save his son then he would soon find out that he is wrong.
Yuri grabbed Tsukikage by his collar. A part of Yuri wanted to do more to hurt him, but he could stop himself. He only needed to make sure that he could do what he needed to do without interruption.
"Tell your great master to mind his own business and never spy on me again." Yuri threatened, calmly.
Tsukikage nodded, his face determent. He was only excepting because of his honor. If he wanted to he could have escaped from Yuri's grip easily.
He pities him Yuri realized and it made a flash of anger run through his body.
He let his grip on the ninja go and started walking away. Behind him he heard the sound of Tsukikage leaving the alley as well.
On the street corner Yuri took a moment to calm his anger. He felt terrible for slipping and for how easy it had felt.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It would have disappointed Serena to see him like this and to see what he was about to do, but he needed to.
He would ask her to forgive him when they had their normal life back. He promised himself that he would.
The small dot on the horizon drew ever closer. The soothing sound of the wave and the crying of seagulls flying next to the cruise ship did little to calm Yuri. He could not tell if he wanted the voyage to finally end or if it should take forever.
During the rest of his walk to the station and during the fast dimension hopping train ride he managed to ignore his actual destination.
The walk from the station to the docks was short, but he hated how the streets were so familiar to him. In these white streets he had hunted students running from academia and on these rooftops, he had kept a lookout for his next target.
Even the salty ocean air he was breathing had an uncomfortable familiarity to it. It made him feel so sick that he thought he would throw up.
He looked away from the still growing dot on the horizon. A creeping feeling was crawling up his stomach.
In the city he had constantly pictured his mission to keep it together. He had pictured his son crying in a corner, hugging his legs and shaking. He remembered all the years he had failed him. It kept him going.
But now his hands were shaking and the sickening feeling was overwhelming. He needed a distraction.
His eyes wandered across the deck of the ship. It was all so different now. The ships used to bring students to their forced service in academia or entertain the Academia elite with a tour.
Now the daily cruise between the island surrounding the city was for parents with their children. Yuri saw them joyfully looking over the sea or eating at one of the tables.
He couldn't quite get his head around the people here being happy. In his youth Academia used to be the school of iron discipline and unwavering devotion, all to let out his bloodlust. After he left Academia was all the suffering and pain he had caused keeping him up at night.
There was news about what happened here since then, but he never cared. He left it behind and it could all burn down for all he cared. Serena always told him that his anger was natural, but that it should never control him. In that too he had failed her, he supposed.
Now there were laughing children here. Like there never was a war. Like this place didn't almost take everything away from him, Serena and everyone else.
As he watched the parents and children, he couldn't stop himself from imagining Serena and himself standing next to one of those railings looking into the distance and pointing out all the islands to little Yusaku. Yusaku would be excited to visit all of them and would impatiently run around the deck. He would knock over a waiter while running or fall on his face while trying to catch a seagull that had landed. Serena and he would laugh together.
If only so many things would have been different.
Yuri didn't even notice the tears in his eyes, but when he did he quickly wiped them away. Yuri did not cry. His family would be fine again soon.
After another moment of looking out over the horizon, Yuri heard one of the children playing close to him. As he turned around a woman quickly came over and took her child away, giving him an almost scared look.
Yuri quickly figured out what had happened and it send a hurting feeling through him.
His activities during the war were mostly unknown, but rarely something like this would happen. Yuri couldn't say that he was angry at the woman. She probably used to be an Academia student and had all reason to fear him.
It was clear to him that some people could never forgive him. Serena and he had talked about this before. He never knew how to react, but they had worked out that they should reminded themselves about all the things they did to make up for the mistakes.
But did that really work with what he was doing now?
And the dot on the horizon came ever closer.
Yuri felt like he would throw up. With Every step he took in that great white hall something inside of him screamed that he should run away, that he should stop, that he shouldn't be here.
But he did not turn back.
He hated how he knew every corner and every turn. How he made his way to the professor's throne room without even thinking about it.
Every student in the large halls made him sicker and angrier. They had different uniforms now, but even they made Yuri want to rip them to pieces.
When he got a look inside the class rooms he saw the same boards, chairs and tables that were there when he was here.
The teacher stood in front talking to the class like they used to. That's how during his time here, they were taught about how to hunt people, how to bring suffering to the dimensions and why Academia's world would be the best thing for everyone.
On the main entrants were large signs declaring that the school was now a place where students learned how to help the four dimensions live together peacefully, but Yuri could only see all the suffering that had come from this place. The suffering that he had enjoyed in his youth.
It all continued the mix of sickness and anger rising up his stomach.
As he came close to the large door of the throne room, he could hear noises coming from inside. He was confused for a moment because this all too familiar gate was unguarded. He cursed himself for the stray thought.
With some effort he opened the massive door and was completely surprised by what he saw.
The room was not the threatening, dark room he remembered. It was festively decorated. Nothing reminded him of the old room and students were moving about decorating it even more.
Festive balloons, garland and posters of all colors were lining the hall. A large stage was placed were the throne used to be and tables were placed around the room.
Yuri stood there in complete confusion, like he had walked into a different world. One of the posters proclaimed that a massive festival celebrating the peace between the dimensions would be held here in a few days and that people of all dimensions are invited.
He had no idea how to feel about the situation. To him this place was darkness. He couldn't see how it was anything else. How could they have a festival here?
He wished this place could have burned to the ground years ago. Clenching his fist in his anger, he didn't notice a curly red-haired man walking over to him.
"Hey Yuri, awesome that you're here, but the festival is only in a couple of days." A familiar voice laughed towards him.
The second most famous entertainment duelist in the world Dennis Mackfield stood in front of him, greeting him with widely stretched out arms.
His orange-blue suit and bow tie made him stick out just as much as Yuri remembered. He seemed to have not aged a day.
Yuri was stunned by the surprise of seeing the fellow former Academia member here. Dennis quickly laid one arm around Yuri and gestured towards the stage. Yuri couldn't think of anything to say in the moment.
"Or maybe you are here to help! We still need every hand we can get to preparing the festival." Dennis rambled full of excitement, still pointing to varies parts of the room too quick for Yuri to see.
"Or maybe you can even be part of the show! I know you haven't done any entertainment dueling before, but I can feel that you have the spirit for it. C'mon Yuri please. It's going to be spectacular!" Dennis cried.
While talking he had let go off Yuri and took a step towards the stage. Dennis threw his arms into the sky dramatically, clearly already planning out what part Yuri would take in the show.
It gave Yuri a moment to compose himself. For the first time since coming here his troubles were only in the back of his mind.
He straitened his violet suit were Dennis grip had messed it up and waited till Dennis, who was still looking at the stage excitedly, returned his attention to him.
Dennis turned around and gave him a smile. Yuri shook his head.
"Mackerfield, I am sorry, but I have other thinks to do then taking part in your song and dance routine. I will leave that high art to the experts like yourself and Yuya." Yuri answered, having gotten enough concentration back for sarcasm.
Dennis still smiled at him, which told him that he hasn't given up yet. Yuri could only give him an annoyed look and sigh. He had no time for this nonsense.
"I know you have an entertainer inside of you. It could only be a small role if your nervous at first." Dennis argued, giving him a playful smile. "We can even get Sora to come, we will call ourselves the Fusion trio and make a show no one will forget. We used to hang out together, but now we…"
Dennis trailed off and his look changed for a moment to uncertainty before it quickly changed back to a confident smile.
It was true. After he got out of Academia the three of them developed something even Yuri had to admit was like a friendship. They hung out together often to play duel monsters or do other things.
Yuri would always be sarcastic and complain, but the two countered with being cheerful. They both knew he enjoyed it even if he wouldn't admit it.
Yuri grew comfortable with them around and Yusaku love them both. Sora would always bring him the newest toys. Yuri was never sure if they were safe or age appropriate considering Sora's deck, but Yusaku played with them all day.
Dennis would show him magic tricks that fascinated Yusaku so much he got Dennis to teach him some. One-time Serena got very frustrated when she couldn't figure out how one of them worked. Yuri found it cute, but that didn't stop him from mocking her mercilessly for it. He of course had no idea how it worked either.
But that was all before what happened and before Yuri's quest. Since then he tried to avoid them as best he can.
"Dennis, I'm here to see the prof…" Yuri stopped himself mid-sentence. "… Leo. I am here to see Akaba Leo. Can you tell me where to find him?"
Dennis gave him a confused look.
"The professor. Well, he is in his laboratory. I can bring you there If you want." Dennis finally answered, unsurely.
"That would be great." Yuri muttered, the weight of his mission returning to him and the voice inside him crying he should turn around again.
"…Anyway, I dueled this big and strong wrestler guy and it was awesome." Dennis rambled while Yuri and him were walking through the halls of the school.
Yuri wasn't really listening to him. He was completely focused on what he was about to do. Akaba Leo wasn't worth his time. He would demand that he help him and nothing else.
Yuri felt the anger rising in him and he almost had to close his eyes. It was a white anger, lashing out at everything, directed at the man he was about to meet, at the halls he was walking through and the whole dimension celebrating peace after what happened here.
The hatred made him want to leave even more. Serena would be disappointed in him for letting it get out of hand. He would give his demand, get what he came here for and then leave.
"This LINK VRAINS thing is the future, no doubt about it. The Blue angel and the wrestler, I dueled, are great. I tell you they will one day do Yuya's and my job. And then there is this Playmaker hero! There is nothing like a little mystery to spice up the show." Dennis praised, dramatically holding his hand in front of his face to mimic a mask.
Yuri knew that Dennis could tell what was going on with him and that he was trying to distract him. He had always used his high energy when someone was feeling down. It did little to help Yuri in that moment.
"I have already got Sora to make himself an account. If you get yourself one, we will be the star trio of the network. It will be awesome." Dennis explain, excitedly and using grand gestures. "When your ready just add me my account name is …"
"I will. When I got the time ok?" Yuri cut him off, trying not to sound to annoyed or nerves. "Is that the door?"
Yuri pointed to the end of the hall. It was a mechanical door and had two people standing in front of it.
One of them was wearing the white and golden LDS jacket and the other was dressed in a black jacket. Yuri's first thought about the person in black was Xyz's dimension, but why would someone of them be here.
As Dennis and Yuri got closer the two watched them closely.
"Visitor for the professor guys." Dennis told them, seemingly the only one trying to be cheerful.
The two looked at Yuri closely before stepping aside. Yuri didn't like how they observed him, but decided to ignore it.
"Here we are Yuri. Call me sometime or write me if you have the account. See you." Dennis told him with a smile. Yuri nodded and whished him goodbye as well.
Now it was only a few steps.
As Yuri entered the dimly lit room the door snapped shut behind him. The lion's den, Yuri thought to himself.
The only source of light was a tiny window and a lamp on a desk full of computers. Next to it Yuri could see multiple boards and what he thought were scientific machines.
Yuri slowly moved towards them looking around the dark laboratory for any trace of his target. The computers showed graphs and tables he didn't understand. Next to the desk was a board with pictures and notes on it.
Above the board it said:" Research into other kinds of dimensional travel: leads" And Yuri could make out a picture of a brown-haired man with a red jacket standing on a faraway cliff, a picture of a fat brown cat and a painting of a strange red eye.
As he looked over the research a noise came from behind him.
"Yuri is that you?" a quite but still familiar voice called to him. Yuri straitened his back without thinking about it.
He turned around and saw the professor coming out of the shadows. But it was not the professor who had ruled here many years ago. The man Yuri saw now was old, skinny, even sickly looking. It looked like a person that could barley hold himself on his feet.
The most striking thing was a box like medical device Akaba Leo was dragging on wheels behind him. It had lots of blinking lights and all kinds of tubes were coming out of it and went into his body.
"Yes, it is me." Yuri answered, not comprehending what he saw.
Leo made his way over to his seat and slumped into it, putting the device behind him on the table. Yuri was still looking at him in confusion.
"Don't look at me like that Yuri. I'm old. This thing keeps me alive. Time gets us all in the end." He said, almost with a laugh and patted the device.
Yuri composed himself. He needed to get this over with. The initial shock had worn off and the burning in his stomach returned. It gave him an odd satisfaction seeing Akaba Leo like this.
"I heard about what happened to your kid. I'm so sorry son." Akaba Leo lamented.
The white anger, that was almost forgotten by the shook of seeing Akaba Leo like this, suddenly unleashed itself in Yuri. He launched himself forward at Leo. His hand ready to grip around his throat.
But he could stop himself before he reached him. Yuri was standing close to him now.
"Don't ever talk about my child! And don't call me that." Yuri screamed at him with anger that made his body shake and his throat hurt form how loud he had screamed. The feeling was familiar to Yuri, but he was unable to think.
Leo seemed to be shocked at first, instinctively leaning himself into his seat to get away from Yuri, but he quickly sat back up strait and closed his eyes for a moment.
Yuri took a step back from Leo and took a deep breath. He could no longer look at Leo and walked towards one of the small windows. It overlooked the court yard and he could just about make out a few students.
They are sealed, Yuri noticed, the windows are sealed. A revelation came to him. He should have noticed earlier, but his anger had blinded him. This wasn't a laboratory, this was a cell and to Akaba Leo this wasn't a school, it was a prison.
Yuri didn't follow the events, but he knew that there were still many people in every dimension who hated Akaba Leo with burning passion. People whose life was ruined by him, who lived for so long in fear of Academia.
Yuri couldn't stop himself from forming his mouth into a wicked smile at the thought of Akaba Leo trapped here forever.
"Behold the great ruler of Academia." Yuri mocked with great satisfaction, still looking out of the window. Yuri felt a feeling of power creep up in him. It was very much familiar, but with the person in front of him he could only think of the rush coming out of his anger.
Yuri turned away from the window to look at his target. Leo had recomposed himself, opened his eyes again and seemed almost unfaced by Yuri's mockery. He looked like he had long excepted his fate and his body was strangely firm despite his failing health.
"I have an opportunity for you to distract yourself from your living arrangement for a few moments. I need you to do something for me…" Yuri demanded, softly.
He had power of this person, the person who had done so much harm to everyone. He explained the mission to Akaba Leo. It felt great to see his former master listening to him in complete silence and Yuri was sure that he would obey any of his demands.
Yuri finished his demands and paid only half attention as Leo gave him a weak nod.
"Yuri … I know nothing can make up for what I did to you, but if I can help you with this I will do it." Akaba Leo acknowledged, weakly.
Yuri didn't even hear it instead his eyes focused in on the medical device. Lights were blinking on and off and a faint beeping could be heard.
"I know you don't want to hear this, but I must say it and hope that one day you will understand, even if you will never forgive me." Leo told him, having managed to build up calm confidents in his words. "I am truly sorry for what I did and for what I made you do. Nothing I can do will ever make right what happened here … Yuri?"
While Leo was talking Yuri had moved over to the medical device on the table. His hands softly went over the cables.
A thought entered his head. It would be so easy. He would simply leave afterwards, no one would enter here for hours. Many people would be thanking him, people who felt like Leo hasn't been punished enough, realistically there wouldn't be any consequences.
"Yuri…?" he heard Leo mutter behind him.
To how many people did he do what these people did to his son? How many families did he rip apart?
Yuri grabbed a bundle of cables in his hand. It made sense to him, it should be easy, but his hands started to shake. He closed his eyes and focused, but found that he couldn't.
He heard Leo sigh and as he opened his eyes again he saw that Leo looked away closing his eyes. His expression was one of resignation.
"That you were able to build something together, even after what I did makes me so proud. Serena and you, I loved you both with all my heart in another life. I am sorry I didn't love you enough in this one." Akaba Leo confessed, his voice full of honesty and acceptance.
Serena. What was he doing? Yuri almost jumped away from the table.
Standing now in front of Leo, Yuri saw that he still had his eyes closed.
"Don't talk about Serena." Yuri hissed, quietly. Yuri saw that Leo had opened his eyes again before Yuri started to walk away.
"If you have found something out, call me and then we will never see each other again." Yuri called to him on the way to the door.
Then Yuri left him in that large and dark room.
After fiddling with the key in the dark again, Yuri slumped himself down into the chair of his secret storage room. The exhaustion of the day had caught up with him.
He didn't have the bravery to return to Serena just yet. The mission needed to be finished first.
Yuri would tell her everything, he could not lie to her anymore. A beautiful flower would no longer serve as an apology.
He would tell her about all the years he had spent seeking revenge. He would tell her about the things he had done and all the times he had lost control. He would beg her to forgive him and accept it if she couldn't.
She was always there for him and helped him to overcome his anger, but he had let her down so often. It hurt to thinking about it.
Yuri looked onto his duel disk and saw that he received a message from Serena a few minutes ago.
Over coming his fear and with the knowledge that he couldn't delay this forever, he hit the play button. Serena's exhausted voice came out of the duel disk.
"Yuri… I don't know where you are or what you are doing, but whatever it is … whatever we fought over … you just need to call ok? … it's about … it's about our…"
A new message cut off Serena's voice. It was Akaba Leo calling him.
Yuri answered the call, in disgust.
"Yuri, I have found something." Leo stated, slowly.
"Then out with it, my time is a lot more valuable then yours." Yuri urged, failing to hold in his anger.
"SOL's system is currently under maintenance. Normally this data would need physical access, but I got it while it was being moved. It's a long story and I will explain on the way, but I think I found what you are looking for. They aren't SOL, but they hacked into their system and I think they are the people you are after. There access point could be only temporary, if you want then, you need to go now." Leo explained.
"Just send me the location and any other information." Yuri answered, not wanting the call to last another moment and hung up.
He looked at the half-played message from Serena again and closed his eyes. He would do another thing to disappoint her, another time he left her waiting, another of his failures.
"Serena…" was all Yuri managed to mutter before heading out the door.
Notes:So, the next chapter is done it only took forever again (=
To make things worse this isn't the meeting between Serena and Yusaku many of you were waiting for. I understand if the waiting for it is annoying, but my plan had this chapter before the meeting and it gave me more time to really think things through.
I total get if your disappointed.
This chapter is experimental and any thoughts and criticism are more welcome than ever.
Enjoy.