Once Kaoru and Shinji are gone, Yusei and I move back down into the garage. We return to the comfortable silence that was there before. My mind is reeling over what Shinji told me. How did everything manage to go spectacularly wrong? Instead of leaving Black Flag, I'm now its leader and barely escaped with my life in the process. To top it all off, I'm now homeless and unemployed as well. I can't help but wonder if I was right in trying to leave. I tap my fingertips in a rhythm against my thigh. I'm trying to convince myself that I was right. That Raiden's behaviour and my feelings were enough to justify it.
"Yusei?"
"Yeah?" He looks up from his D-Wheel at me.
"D-Do you think I was right to leave Black Flag?" I honestly don't know what I want Yusei to say, but I just need to know what he thinks. I see something flash through his eyes. His tools make a slight clang as he lays them on the ground. He walks over and takes a seat beside me on the couch. That move just took the intensity of this conversation from zero to ten. I was honestly not ready for that, and I'm a little bit scared now.
"Why did you leave Black Flag?" There's a look in his eyes that tells me that there's more to this than plain empathy.
"Because of Raiden really. I just got tired of the mind games and him manipulating me. I had to leave. Gangs here are different from the Satellite. Everything's vicious. I always needed to watch my back. I just needed to get away from it all."
"I can see why you left." His brow furrows like he just remembered something he'd rather forget.
"What's wrong? I know there's something you're not telling me." I wonder what his aura would tell me if I could read it. He sighs. There's a weight to his sigh.
"I never told you what really happened to Team Satisfaction." I nod. I know where this conversation is going to lead, but I let him continue.
"You told me that Kiryu attacked Security by himself and got arrested."
"Yeah." He pauses. "How much do you remember from back then?" There it is.
"Everything." There's a look of shock in his eyes, it's slight but I can see that it's there. "Except what happened after our duel." The look fades. I must have said something weird, why else would he have that look in his eyes?
"Well, after you got arrested, we managed to unify the Satellite. Then, Kiryu changed." He exhales before continuing. "To him, it wasn't just about making the best out of our lives in the Satellite anymore. He was almost power-hungry." The word 'power-hungry' brings back memories. What Kiryu told me about Yusei wasn't true. What he told me, it really applied to himself. Was Kiryu really that delusional? Or did he have the same doubts that I did? I stay silent though, letting him continue. "Crow and Jack left Team Satisfaction. For them, enough was enough. But I stayed. I thought that if I stayed, maybe Kiryu would stop and everything would go back to normal. I couldn't turn my back on him after everything that had happened." I'm starting to see why Yusei decided to tell me this now of all times. "Eventually Kiryu set his sights on Security. I knew then that I had to leave. I thought that if I left Kiryu wouldn't have the courage to fight Security by himself." There's a sense of helplessness in his words. I wonder if this is the first time he's told anyone this.
"You were wrong, weren't you?" I bit my lip. I just want to wrap my arms around him and tell him that everything's going to be okay, that he couldn't have predicted what would have happened. He nods.
"Kiryu ended up attacking Security. Jack, Crow and I looked everywhere for him, trying to get him to snap out of it. When I found him," he pauses like an image that haunts him came back into his mind, "he was standing over the body of a Security officer." I freeze. Kiryu killed him? Suddenly, I get the sensation of Kiryu's aura. I remember how dark and chaotic it was. There's no doubt in my mind that Kiryu could have done that. Yusei pauses again, relaying all of this must be hard on him. "I swear all of Security was out looking for him. I tried giving myself up in Kiryu's place. I told Security that I was the leader of Team Satisfaction, that they should arrest me and leave the rest of the team alone." I can't believe that Yusei was actually going to give himself up for Kiryu. What I did I do to deserve having such a selfless person in my life? "It was too late though. Security had already found him. They didn't want to take me now that they had Kiryu. I watched as they dragged him away. This officer puts his hand on my shoulder. Kiryu saw this and-"
"He thought that you had sold him out." He looks at me like he didn't expect me to finish that sentence. "Kiryu told me that you had sold him out. I suppose that makes sense now." He nods.
"I thought that I had made the right choice in leaving. But still, I couldn't help but think that if I stayed, I could have stopped all of that from happening."
"You were right. I mean, how could you have known what would have happened?" It's unfair that a person as great as Yusei feels bad because of something out of his control. It's not right and I don't like it. "It's not your fault that Kiryu became a Dark Signer." I reach out and grab his hands on impulse. I think that's the first time I've reached out, normally it's the other way around. "It's not your fault that I became a Dark Signer." My throat and eyes have started to burn. "None of these things are your fault, Yusei. You need to stop blaming yourself." Then, something clicks. I hold eye contact for a beat, then let go of Yusei's hands. "Oh, I get it now."
I thought I was doing the right thing in leaving Black Flag, I suppose that's what really matters. My mother's featureless face flashes in my mind. Take my guilt and turn it into something better. Yes, I'm going to do that. Instead of ruining this City, I'm going to turn it into something better. A City without gangs, a better City. Revolution. That's what this City needs. The system needs to be destroyed before it can become something better. A cycle of destruction and rebirth. Once I'm better, I'm going to work with Takumi and Kenta to turn this City into the utopia it claims to be. It's going to be a long road but it'll be worth it.
"Thanks Yusei." I smile. It's a smile that makes my cheeks burn with its warmth. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. "I mean it." He moves to respond, but the door opens before he can speak.
"Hey Yusei! Let's duel! I found a new combo!" Yusei and I turn around to look at the door. The boy I recognise as Ruka's twin runs in, followed by Ruka herself. To my surprise, Izayoi follows soon after. He stops when he sees Yusei and I looking up at him. "Wait, you're-" My mind flashes back to my duel with Yusei. The twins were there, I remember now.
"Yeah, we've met before, haven't we? At Saiga's place, right?" Yusei asked me if remembered what happened. This means that there's probably some Dark Signer who forgot what happened. I'll play along like this, for now.
"Oh yeah." He's almost hesitant in saying this. I think he believes that I don't remember what happened, which is what I want. I want to avoid that conversation topic at all cost.
"You wanted to duel, Rua?" Rua, huh? What's with parents and giving twins similar names? I can tell by Rua's face that he looks up to Yusei a lot, he looks so excited just at the prospect of dueling Yusei. The three of them walk down the ramp into the garage. Izayoi's gaze holds my own. She recognises me, the slight raising of her eyebrows tells me this. Izayoi takes the seat vacated by Yusei beside me on the couch, with Ruka sitting to Izayoi's left. A silence permeates for a few seconds. Both of them definitely know that I was a Dark Signer, great.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it Izayoi?" I break the somewhat awkward silence between us in the hopes of a less awkward conversation.
"Yeah, it's been two years right?" Izayoi holds herself differently now. It's strange, it's almost like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. She moves easier, more fluid and graceful. "And call me Aki." She smiles. Aki doesn't seem like the same person at all. Any hint at some internal angst seems non-existent.
"That sounds about right." We've met each other since I left Duel Academy, but since we were both wearing our masks, she didn't recognise me.
"Yusei told us that you were in hospital. Are you doing okay?" Aki asks. I wonder how much she has been told about happened, not much I imagine.
"Yeah, as well as I could be, I suppose." I smile.
"Oh that's good." Her eyes dart like she has questions burning in the back of her mind. My inability to read auras now is quite a nuisance, it would have been handy in this particular situation. "If you don't mind me asking," oh here we go, "why did you leave Duel Academy? You suddenly disappeared out of nowhere."
"Well, I'm a psychic so you can imagine why I dropped out." Aki seems taken aback by this. I suppose that wasn't the answer she was expecting.
"Oh, you're a psychic too?" Ruka pipes up beside me. She seems less timid than before.
"Yeah, you can see spirits right?" Both of them quickly glance at each other, as if they're wondering how I knew that fact. "I can sense auras, I'm able to see that sort of thing."
"Oh," Aki moves her hand up to her mouth, "I've heard that sort of thing was possible. I've never met anyone with that ability."
"Really? It's not that uncommon, I know plenty of other psychics who can do that." I want to say that I'm surprised she hasn't met someone with that ability in the Arcadia Movement. But given the fact the Arcadia Movement suddenly disappeared during what happened with the Dark Signers, asking now might be rubbing salt into the wound. She mightn't be ready to talk about it. I'll hold my tongue for now, though I'll have that curiosity in the back of my mind. Long ago, Divine tried to get me to join the Arcadia Movement, but Raiden had already snatched me up. I suppose that has always made me keep an eye on the Arcadia Movement.
"You think so?" She falters. "How many psychics do you know exactly?" I reckon Divine isolated her at the Arcadia Movement, she probably wouldn't even recognise most of the former members of the Arcadia Movement. I know because I was the same. Outside of Raiden, Shinji, Reika and Anako, I can't name anyone else from what used to be Black Flag. Whenever I went to the old base, I was whisked by Raiden into his office as soon as possible.
"A good few. You'd be surprised how easily we find each other." A psychic can see the tell-tale traits of another psychic. Heck, I'd say most of the people I know well in this City are psychics. "I can introduce you to some if you want." I imagine that Aki has had limited interaction with other psychics, it might be good for her to interact with us. Since we could probably relate to her best out of everyone else after all.
"Yes, that would be great." I can't tell if she's being polite or if it's genuine. Sure, she'll probably see Kaoru around here eventually. We'll see how that goes. I turn my attention back to the duel between Yusei and Rua. At first, it doesn't seem like either one has a clear advantage. This surprises me, given the fact that Yusei is dueling, and it doesn't look like he's going easy on him either. I'm interested to see what Rua's new combo is going to be. We stay in relative silence as the duel progresses. Rua's combo isn't bad so to say, it just needs work. This kid has potential, that's easy to see. To no one's surprise, Yusei eventually ends up winning the duel. Seriously, I bet that Jack couldn't even beat him with how good Yusei's gotten, even though Jack won most of their matchups when we were younger.
After the duel, it returns to chatter. I zone out of the conversation almost entirely, only nodding or giving some noise of agreeance when Yusei's gaze settled on me. I can't feel but feel out of place here. While the twins and Aki seem lovely and don't seem to resent my presence here, I don't feel overly accepted either. I excuse myself from the garage and retreat upstairs. Sitting on the couch, I pick up the box containing my new phone that I left on the coffee table. I notice that on the underside of the box, a business card is tucked under the ribbon. It's blank except a list of names and numbers. I recognise the writing as Shinji's, as it's big and blocky. I take the phone out of the box and go through the usual movements of setting up the phone. I scan the card and look at the numbers. Shinji has managed to get the numbers of everyone that I talk to, it's incredible. Between himself and Reika, Kaoru and Emiko, and even my dad. I notice that Takumi and Kenta's number are hastily scribbled down at the bottom, like they were added later. I assume he left Yusei's, Jack's and Crow's numbers out since I'm staying with them for the time being. Once the phone is set up, I hastily send Takumi a text.
Thank you for the flowers – Yuuka.
I stare at the morning glories, sat on the table against the opposite wall. No one could have sent those flowers but Takumi and Kenta. If my knowledge of flower language serves me right, they expect me to fulfil that 'willful promise' that I made to them. Unify the City, wipe this City clean of gangs. An action of destruction and rebirth if you will. Now is the right time to do this. I'll wipe my slate clean and walk away from everything for good. Sounds of footsteps on the stairs results in Yusei coming into view.
"Do you want another coffee?" He asks as he fills the kettle again.
"Yeah, please." Once he turns the kettle on, he takes a seat beside me on the couch. I avoid his gaze. I suppose he wants to know why I just kinda left the garage out of nowhere. The reason why will be hard to explain to him.
"Are you doing okay?" Here we go. I know that he cares, but sometimes he's just so predictable.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I flick my wrist so that my phone points towards him. His brows furrow slightly. He knows that I'm lying. There's that look in his eyes, he's pushing me to tell the truth without him saying a word. I sigh. "It's just that," my face twists as I try to word my feelings, "I don't feel very... welcome, that's all." With the kettle on, I doubt they'd be able to hear us from the garage.
"What? You'll always be here and you know that." He looks like he can't believe that I feel like this. As much as Yusei has gone through, there's still this innocence inside him. Or maybe it's just optimism.
"I don't think your friends are too keen on me." I shrug my shoulders. "They know that I was a Dark Signer, right? I mean the twins were there, and judging by Aki's face, someone told her."
"They do know, but that doesn't matter." I rest my chin on my hands as Yusei tries to convince me that I'm being delusional. "They're going to love you, I'm certain of it." He knocks his shoulder against mine in a playful manner in order to get me to smile, it works.
"Oh what? Do you want me to go on some life-changing adventure with them to get them to like me?" I raise an eyebrow and something resembling a chuckle escapes my mouth.
"I mean that would work-" I knock my shoulder against his as I laugh. "What? It would."
"Probably, but I don't exactly have the resources for such a thing." I tilt my head to the side with a wonky smile. It's at this stage that the kettle stops boiling.
"Right, come back down, it'll be good for you." Yusei pours two cups of coffee, one for me, one for himself. My phone vibrates as Takumi's name flashes on the screen.
"I'll be down in a minute." I take the cup that Yusei hands me. "Certain people need to be updated on how I am."
"Alright." He heads back down into the garage as I unlock my phone.
I'm glad you liked them, Kenta picked them out. My guess was right, Kenta seems like he'd know the language of flowers. It's barely a few seconds before the phone vibrates again. We need to meet up, soon. I scoff offhandedly to myself as I type my reply.
Yeah, name the time and place. I'll need to bring my brother though, you'll see why. I take a sip of my coffee as I wait for his reply. Nothing beats a pure black coffee.
Okay sure, just make sure that he doesn't spill the beans. Kaoru wouldn't spill the beans. He's going to be a key part of this. After all, despite how I am now, we can hear each other's thoughts. If that isn't a useful tool, then I don't know what is.
I rest my phone back on the coffee table, next to my mug. A weird feeling fills me as I stare at my phone. A sense of waiting. Then I realise what I'm waiting for. Raiden. The realisation that Raiden will never call me again starts to sink in. Regret sits in the pit of my stomach, it startles me. Do I really regret cutting Raiden out of my life? He had a grip on my heart like no one else. I gave that up for freedom, was that really worth it though? Letting the last few years of my life be a complete waste, for what? Normality. That's what I want. That's what I'm going to get. I left so I could break down the gang system until there is nothing left. Destruction and rebirth. Build the City from the ground up again. Make sure there's no violence, no petty wars over nothing. Then, maybe I can be normal. No gangs, no dreams about fated wars. Just perfectly normal and ordinary.