It's been a few days, but I'm still crashing at Poppo Time. I've been promoted from the couch to Yusei's room, which is nice. That's one of the perks of dating, I suppose. I've gotten to the point where I can stand long enough to cook without being moments away from passing out from a headache. Since Yusei and I are the only ones up, I throw some eggs on for the both of us. It's really quiet this morning. Yusei wraps his arms around my waist as I stand at the stove. I have to cough away a grin.
"How are the eggs coming along?" He asks.
"They haven't complained." Yusei looks so done with me. "They're fine, you can't really get eggs wrong." Well, Yusei might.
Last night was the first time that we shared the bed. It's a single bed so it was a tight squeeze. But on the bright side, it did get rid of any of that initial awkwardness that comes from going from friends to dating.
"When are we telling them?" Yusei rests his head on my shoulder. This got brought up the day after we started dating, we haven't come to a solid decision yet.
"Leave it another while." I sigh. "I'd rather not deal with their reaction right now."
"Did you know that they have a bet going on about us?"
"Oh I know. Do you know who won though?"
"If memory serves me right, it's Crow. They made that bet way back in the Satellite, so I don't really remember the specifics."
"Yeah, that makes sense." I nod. "Since he dubbed himself my wingman, I figured it would have suited him for us to get together sooner rather than later."
"What about Kaoru?" I get a shiver when Yusei asks me.
"I'd like to say never, but that's not really possible. He's being left until last." I sigh. "He might try to murder you if he finds out, so keep an eye out for that. If you happen to see Light End Dragon or Judgement Dragon, run for your life."
"He can't be that bad." I actually turn to face Yusei, and I shake my head. "Wouldn't he be able to hear your thoughts? Are you sure he doesn't already know?"
"Trust me, I'd know. We talk in our heads sometimes. Mainly when he wants a distraction though." I start plating up the eggs. I've lied. We talk about gang stuff a lot, but I can't tell Yusei that. "He can't hear my thoughts most of the time. What can I say? I like my privacy." Yusei hums into my shoulder, still not letting go of me.
In the afternoon, the guys are working on the new engine. They're making a lot of noise, honestly they're starting to give me a headache. I'm slowly stirring a fresh cup of coffee, rubbing my temple in the hopes of warding the pain away. Once I drop the spoon on the counter, an explosion erupts from the basement, flooding the kitchen with black smoke. I sigh, grabbing a towel and whipping it around, trying to keep the smoke away from the smoke detector. I open the windows, getting rid of some of it. I walk down into the garage, it's the second time this week.
"Are you two okay?" Yusei asks, taking off his goggles. He's covered in dirt and soot.
"I should be asking you that." I say, sighing.
"Somewhat." Crow says, beside Yusei. Jack rises up from the scrap on the floor, I shake my head.
"What happened, Yusei?" That's what I want to know. I'm standing beside Yusei, looking at the largest pile of scrap. I assume that's where the model originally was.
"Our engine…" Aw, he sounds so sad. I kneel down with him. He's digging through the pile, searching for some parts that still work, I assume.
"It's your fault for pushing it to the extremes!" Crow instantly pushes the blame on Jack. I look at Yusei, who's just staring at the pile. He glances at me from the side of his eyes. He's already done with their shit.
"What? You're the one who wanted the accelerator at full throttle!" Jack raises his voice. Here we go again.
"Oh, I didn't know Jack Atlas was the type of person who does whatever anyone says!" I look up at the window, more people are starting to stand in front of the window. I sigh. "Any sane person would lay off the accelerator when he hears strange noises!" Okay, the blame going on Jack is fair.
"What? You want to fight?" Jack's voice raises again, and grabs the front of Crow's shirt. I stand up to try and separate them.
"You guys again!" The landlady bursts through the door.
"Zora!" Crow exclaims.
"What a nosy granny!" Jack mutters. Dude, she's letting you stay here for free. I would not be complaining.
"How dare you say that! I'm letting you stay because you know Martha! If you're going to cause problems, then leave!" Zora starts shouting at Jack. I mean, she's not really out of line in doing that. This much space for free, people would kill for that.
"Wait! This was an accident! The new engine-" I start looking down at the scrap pile on the floor.
"Making excuses already? A real man takes responsibility for his actions!" Yusei starts moving towards Zora.
"I'm sorry, Zora." Yusei stands behind Crow, almost hiding himself. He's always hated being given out to, especially when we were younger. "We went too far with our tests."
"Oh, Yusei. It's okay if you make one or two mistakes." Zora starts walking down the ramp towards us. "Mistakes are the best shortcuts to success!" She walks up to Yusei and starts whispering to him. "I'm just trying to save face. Since I'm the landlord, I'm required to yell at you." I manage to overheard. Bless, she favours him so much over the other guys. Yusei nods, while Jack and Crow just sigh. I hear sirens approaching us before stopping outside. Zora is the first to go outside, with the four of us right behind her.
"Security? Sorry. We didn't intend to cause so much trouble that Security had to get involved." Zora apologises to who I recognise as Mikage along with another officer.
"You failed again?" The other officer directs the question towards the guys. "Don't worry. We're here for other reasons."
"I see." Zora mutters.
"We need to talk to the four of you." Mikage turns her gaze to us. Four? Is she including me in this too?
"You're developing D-Wheels as usual?" Once inside the garage, the officer, whose name is Ushio I learned, asks.
"Yeah. In order to win the Grand Prix next year, we need a new engine." Yusei picks up a piece of scrap from the pile in the middle of the floor.
"Three people form a team to enter. Since we're upgrading three vehicles, there's never enough time." That's why they're making a new model and applying that to their own. At least, that's what I think they're doing. I'm hopeless when it comes to this kind of stuff.
"The first-ever Grand Prix will be held here in Neo Domino City. The winners will become legends in the Riding Duel community. Our dream is to get that glory!" I stare at the poster behind Jack. Crow has put a few up around the garage, almost to remind them of what they're working towards. Honestly, I think Crow's the most excited about the WRGP out of the three of them.
"But you're building machines and holding jobs at the same time? Aren't you guys famous enough to get sponsors?" Ushio asks, it's a fair question.
"We don't need them. It's only worth it if we win the tournament with our own strength." Crow replies.
"Exactly. The City and the Satellite have finally become one. That means we're finally citizens. So how can we contribute to the City?" You saved the City from certain doom, I think that's enough, Yusei. Then again, from what I understand, there wasn't much of a choice. "We think we'll find that out by winning this tournament. That's why we want to do this by ourselves!"
"I expected nothing less." Mikage comments.
"You're finally showing some swagger." Ushio adds. There's something off here. They aren't here just for a chat.
"Anyway, why do you want to talk to us?" Jack cuts straight to the chase, obviously feeling the same way I do.
"Have you heard the rumours about Ghost?" Ushio finally asks.
"Ghost?" Yusei questions. I look at him, he should know.
"I heard about him. He appears on the highways at night, challenges people to a duel and causes them to crash." Crow answers Yusei. I find it surprising that Yusei doesn't know. It's been in the papers for a solid week now. Then again, I actually try to read the papers.
"After Neo Domino City and the Satellite became one, it's no longer illegal to have Riding Duels on the highways." Ushio confirms Crow's story. "It's so popular that we built special courses. As an official World Grand Prix card, Speed World was upgraded to Speed World 2. D-Wheelers from around the world are living it up in the City."
"Some of them must want to defeat the other D-Wheelers in advance." Crow ponders. That's not it.
"The problem is his method. In a normal Riding Duel, there can never be an accident that hurts the opponent." Mikage explains. Wait.
"So Ghost is using an illegal method to make the opponent crash?" Jack asks. I know why they've brought me into this.
"That's exactly what it means, Mr. Atlas." Mikage answers him.
"Mr. Atlas? C'mon Chief…" Ushio whines, but Mikage ignores it.
"Aside from this, we don't have much information on Ghost. All but one of his victims are in critical condition." Here we go, Mikage turns to look at me. "Yuuka. What do you remember of the incident?"
"What I said still stands. I remember nothing except that I was dueling someone. No more details than that." It's better that everyone thinks that I was attacked by Ghost, rather than some kid from a gang. This is a believable lie. It will hide my tracks for now.
"Wait a second." Crow speaks up. Shit, does he know that I'm lying? "Did you come here to ask for our help in solving your case?" I want to sigh in relief.
"Excellent guess. What do you say, Yusei?" Funny how Ushio turns to Yusei for the opinion of the entire group.
"I don't mind, but…" Classic Yusei.
"We're busy getting ready for next year's Grand Prix! Yusei does mechanical development. In order to fund this project, Jack and I don't sleep much so that we can work at other jobs!" Crow constantly complains that Jack does nothing. "We can't cross this bridge!" He starts pushing Ushio and Mikage up the ramp and out the door. Yusei and I just look at each other and shake our heads. "You're interfering with our work! Go home!" Crow locks the door after them. "Let's continue with our tests." Yusei and Jack agree with him.
I'm woken by Yusei opening the door of the bedroom.
"Yuuka, you need to wake up." He comes over to the edge of the bed.
"Why can't you lie down and go to sleep like a normal person?" Despite my sleepiness, I manage to reach out and grab his arm in an attempt to get him to lie down with me.
"Yuuka, you need to get up now." Yusei throws on his jacket, making me take my arm back. Huffing, I sit up.
"What's going on?" I rub the sleep out of my eyes. I catch a glimpse at the clock on the nightstand with the light coming through the door. 3am, something must be very wrong.
"Ushio got attacked, we think it's Ghost." It takes a few seconds for the news to set in.
"Oh shit." I blurt out.
"I'm heading to the hospital with Jack now. Do you want to come with me? You'll be safer that way." Without a second thought, I get up and start getting ready. Yusei goes back downstairs to give me some privacy.
When I get back downstairs, I'm meet by Yusei and Jack in their normal clothes, well Jack's in his riding suit but still. Meanwhile, I'm just in jeans and one of Yusei's shirts. Yusei gives me a spare helmet that matches his. On the way to the hospital, I cling onto Yusei for dear life. Not because we're going too fast. But because there's not a lot of space, so it gives me an excuse to do so. As soon as we burst through the doors of the hospital, Crow calls out to us.
"Is it true that someone hurt Ushio?" Jack asks.
"Yes." There's a sadness in Mikage's eyes.
"How is he?" Yusei asks, but he already knows that it's not good.
"He's getting emergency treatment." As soon as Crow answers, Ushio gets wheeled in on a trolley. He's covered head to toe in bandages. A small gasp escapes my mouth. "Ushio!"
"Get out of the way! We're going into emergency surgery!" The staff try to usher the guys away as they approach the trolley.
"Ushio, what happened?" Yusei asks the barely conscious Ushio, I'm surprised that he's alert enough to respond.
"Yusei, don't use Synchros against Ghost." What? What even is Ghost?
"Synchro?" Yusei moves closer to Ushio. I grab his sleeve, trying to get him away from the trolley.
"Don't talk! Let's go!" The staff manage to get Ushio into the operation room.
"Why did you let Ushio do that?" Jack turns to Mikage.
"He felt that we shouldn't rely on you anymore. So, he used himself as bait. It's my fault." I hear the guilt in Mikage's tone. What exactly is Ghost? I don't have the answer to that. But I know that he needs to be stopped.
There's a silence in the garage as we all stand looking at each other. We're all at a loss for words. Crow seems really shaken up. His fist is clenched really tight, his knuckles are starting to turn white.
"Damn!" Crow slams his fist against the wall. "It's my fault that Ushio is hurt! If I said that we would cooperate…"
"Stop it, Crow!" Yusei tries to calm Crow down. "What's done is done. Since Ushio is badly hurt, that means Ghost is very skilled."
"Just look at what Ghost did to Yuuka, there's no doubt of that." Jack chimes in. I say nothing.
"So we should just stay here and sit quietly?" Guilt radiates off Crow. It makes me feel bad for lying, saying that I was attacked by Ghost. Yusei stands up from the desk, and throws Crow his helmet.
"I never said that we should stay here and sit quietly, Crow!" Yusei says, putting on his gloves.
"We're the only ones good enough to get his revenge!" I hate to say it, but I think Jack is right. Even Security can't handle this. Though, is that really a surprise to anyone?
"Yusei! Jack!" Crow smiles. There's a sense of adrenaline in the air.
"But first, Yuuka." Yusei turns to me. "I'll drop you home before we go looking for Ghost. You'll be safe there."
"I'll be perfectly fine." I cross my arms. "I don't see the problem."
"We can't protect you if you stay here. Kaoru will keep you safe at home."
"Then, just bring me with you. I want to help." I pout.
"No, I don't want to risk you getting hurt again." Something in Yusei's eyes tells me not to argue.
"Fine."
It's still the middle of the night when Yusei drops me off at the door. He didn't say a thing the entire ride over. His mouth forms a hard line. Did I make him mad?
"I'm sorry." He finally says. I look up at him, surprised. "You're still not fully healed. You need to be kept safe, that's what matters right now."
"It's okay. I know what you meant. I just sick of being coddled, you know." Yusei nods. Kaoru opens the door. He rubs his eyes. I almost snicker at his bedhead.
"It's the middle of the night, why are you doing this to me?" He shakes his head at me.
"I'll explain in the morning." I say goodbye to Yusei before heading inside. I keep it short to avoid Kaoru's suspicion.
"Right, I'm going to bed. Do whatever you want." He waves his hand, before heading back upstairs. I stay downstairs. I'm too awake to even think of going back to sleep. I glance at the mirror over the little table beside the door. I'm honestly taken aback. I look like I've suddenly gained ten years. Only to blink again and find that I look exactly the same as I did this morning.
I notice the door to the garage is only closed over. I look at the stairs and listen. Kaoru's gone back to bed. I open the door and peer in. Kasumi's car is gone, another business trip I'd assume. Kaoru's D-Wheel sits in the middle of the garage underneath a sheet. I spot his riding jacket, complete with shoulder and elbow pads, sitting on the mini-fridge. I pick it up and stare at it, then back at the D-Wheel. I want to help. I pull the sheet off Kaoru's D-Wheel and throw the jacket on. I'm going to help Yusei, whether he likes it or not.
The sun has officially risen. The roads are completely silent. Then again, it's the weekend. Only a few hours until Kaoru gets up and I'm busted. Don't use Synchros. That's what Ushio said. The more I think about that, the more unsettled I become. I don't know why, but something about it rubs me the wrong way.
"Kaoru!" It takes all of me not to scream or speed away. "Hey! Have you seen-"
"Good morning, Crow. How are you doing?" I really feel like screaming, but I try to keep calm and act like nothing's wrong.
"Yuuka!" Jack calls out to me. "Didn't Yusei drop you off at your house?" Boy, am I in for it. Think of an excuse, any excuse. That unsettling feeling washes over me again. Some kind of android appears over the lane next to us. I spot the red blur of Yusei's D-Wheel just behind it.
"What's that?" Jack and Crow follow my line of sight.
"I've never seen a monster like that before." Crow mutters.
"That's Ghost, the man who defeated Ushio!" Jack proclaims.
"But what is that monster?" Once I say that, Crow starts fiddling around with his screen, looking at the details of their duel. From what I can see, they only just started.
"A monster made of five cards? Hey Jack! What is that monster?" Crow looks back towards Jack.
"I don't know. I've never seen that monster before. But we'll find out its power in his duel against Yusei!" Jack starts leading us to the bridge on which Yusei is dueling.
"Don't let your guard down, Yusei!" Crow says more to himself than Yusei. We end up cruising behind the duel ahead of us. I bring up the details on my own screen in front of me.
I can barely pay attention. I start to disassociate. That monster, Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity, that's what Ghost called it. It scares me. I don't know why. It feels like something that once haunted my dreams. What's so special about this monster?
"All right! Their monsters now have the same amount of attack points!" I hear Crow shouting. I look up. Stardust Dragon soars above us.
Don't use Synchros.
Ushio's words ring in my head. I go to speak, but only muffled sounds escape. I look between Yusei, Crow and Jack. They focus only on the duel.
"Stardust Dragon now has higher attack points!" No. It's not going to work. It only makes me lose my grip on reality more. Synchro killer. Those words repeat in my head. That's what's so special about this monster. It's only a matter of time.
"It's no use, Yusei Fudo! Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity is immortal. You finally realised the terror of my Machine Emperor. But the real horror is only starting!" I hear the robotic voice of Ghost chime. My head starts to hurt.
"If you have so much power, why do you keep targeting D-Wheelers?" Yusei shouts back at Ghost. No. It's Synchros.
"D-Wheelers? I'm not going after D-Wheelers. I'm just eliminating unnecessary things in the world." Ghost shoots right back.
"Unnecessary things?" Yusei repeats. My entire world shakes.
"That's right. Useless things called Synchro Monsters! Synchro Monsters are proof of humanity's newest evolution! We don't need things like that in this world! Taste the power of a Synchro killer, Yusei!" That's what Ghost is after.
"Synchro killer?"
"Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity's effect activates!" Streams of light emerge from Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity and wrap around Stardust.
"Stardust Dragon!" Ushio's words ring true too late.
"Once per turn, Wisel can absorb a Synchro Monster on your field!" This is the power of a Synchro killer.
"What?" Stardust gets dragged into that thing's chest cavity. "Stardust Dragon... This is what Ushio was talking about. It's a robot that captures Synchro Monsters!"
"Wisel gains attack points equal to the attack points of the Synchro Monster it equips. Stardust Dragon has 2500 ATK. Therefore, Wisel gains 2500 ATK(ATK:2500-5000)!" The ultimate counter to Synchros.
"It absorbed Stardust's attack points!" He never stood a chance. The ultimate ace in this day and age. Our world is built on Synchro. I hear Jack speak, but I can't make it out. All I can focus on, whether I like or not, is that monstrosity.
"Go, Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity! Attack Yusei Fudo directly! Yusei Fudo, your own monster's power will defeat you! Machine Emperor's single strike will end you!" I can't bare to see this, but my eyes don't move.
"I activate the trap Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! When your monster attacks, this card negates that attack. After it activates, it can be set again!" I shake as I exhale. That was close.
"You're stubborn. I set two cards and end my turn." That's certainly a way to describe Yusei. I almost hear my heart thumping in my chest despite the wind blowing in my face. My head starts throbbing again. I'm not supposed to driving because of the concussion. It's not that. It's that monster, I can feel it. The glowing green energy coming from that chest cavity shaped like an infinity symbol. It hurts me. I don't know why. It strikes such fear and pain into me. Why?
"I activate the Field Spell Speed World 2's effect! By removing 7 Speed Counters, I can draw a card from my deck!" I'm able to tune enough that I hear Yusei. My heart slows to a steady beat. Everything suddenly becomes clear.
"What?" I look over to Crow. His Signer mark glows.
"The mark of the Crimson Dragon?" So does Jack's.
"The mark of the Crimson Dragon." Their marks disappear, allowing the full brand of the Crimson Dragon to form on Yusei's back. "I see! You're lending me your strength! Ghost, no matter what you try, you can't stop our evolution! This is proof! Draw! Appear, Savior Dragon(ATK:0)! I activate the trap Synchro Material! This lets me use a monster on your field to Synchro Summon!"
"What!?" Ghost proclaims.
"Return, Stardust Dragon!"
"What? You're taking back Stardust Dragon?" He killed the Synchro killer.
"Level 1 Savior Dragon tunes Level 8 Stardust Dragon and Level 1 Unicycular! Shining stars come together to illuminate a new miracle! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Arrive, Savior Star Dragon(ATK:3800)! Since Machine Emperor lost Stardust, it loses attack points(ATK:5400-2900)!" Savior Star Dragon? Huh. A perk of being chosen by an ancient deity, I assume.
"But due to Wisel Guard 3's effect, it will block your attack!" I was out for a while, so I missed a lot. I just go with it.
"Too bad, but Savior Star Dragon negates your monster's effect!"
"Even if you negate it, your attack can't defeat me!" I need to stop spacing out during duels.
"Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity is a monster made of five cards. Now that your effect is negated, I can attack any of its parts!" You go, honey! Honestly, it feels so good to call Yusei that now.
"You knew that?" Anyone actually following the duel probably figured that out.
"I'm attacking Machine Emperor's head! Go, Savior Star Dragon! Attack Wisel Top! Shooting Blaster Sonic!" Ghost's life points drop to 0. He starts spinning out, only to fly off the track, down into the forest below. "What?" Crow and Jack stop and get off their D-Wheels, running up to the barrier. They stare down into the forest below. An explosion and billow of smoke follow.
"Oh no!" Crow cries.
"We have to save him!" Jack shouts to the rest of us. Already, I'm fiddling with the controls on this D-Wheel. I'm not used to its layout at all.
"We're not going to do anything here! I'll call Mikage on my our way down there."
We ditch our D-Wheels as close to the billow of smoke as we can. We sprint through the forest, following the smoke. As we get closer, I can feel the smoke in my lungs.
"Are you okay?" Yusei shouts as we spot the wreckage in the forest. We sprint the last few meters.
"We'll take you to the hospital right away!" Crow moves towards Ghost, reaching out. His fingertips graze his limp arm, causing it to fall off. "What's this?" Crow cries.
"What is he?" Jack exclaims.
"It's a robot!" Yusei answers. My hands scramble for my phone. Call Mikage, that's all my mind is saying.
"A robot." Jack echoes.
"What's going on?" Crow mutters. I don't know yet, but I have a bad feeling about this.
It's silent when we get back to Poppo Time. Aki, Rua and Ruka are already there. We left the huge gang of Security officers at the wreckage. Mikage said that she'd come over later to talk about what happened. I'm waiting for someone to say something. About how I stole Kaoru's D-Wheel to go look for Ghost, when I specifically told not to. It's probably going to be Yusei, so he's waiting until we're alone.
"Yuuka, what do you think you were doing?" To my surprise, Jack steps up to the plate.
"Helping you guys." I take a seat on the couch. I'm in a lot of pain, but I won't tell them that. I was running for gods know how long, and then I was on a D-Wheel for longer. So, naturally, everything hurts.
"We told you to stay at home." His eyebrows are furrowed.
"How did you expect me to just sit at home? While you're out there looking for Ghost, getting into all kinds of trouble."
"Because you haven't recovered yet. You were told not to drive and to rest." Jack steps closer to me. I sigh.
"You think you're the boss of me, huh? Well, big news, I'm not a little kid anymore. I don't need all of you to take care of me. I can do that for myself." I stand up to meet Jack's level, though he still towers over me.
"Then explain why you keep getting hurt." I grit my teeth.
"You know what? I don't have to." I throw my hands up. "I'm going upstairs." I move as calmly as I can to the bathroom. I lock the door, using the shitty lock that barely works half of time. The tears that threatened to fall start moving down my cheeks before dropping onto my lap.
I keep staring at the photos of the Ghost wreckage. Why did Ghost make me feel so weird? What even was that thing?
"It's a Ridingroid that Security is currently developing." Ushio explains. That doesn't help me. Apparently, most of his injuries were on the surface. His head didn't get messed up like mine, so he got out a lot sooner.
"Ridingroid?" Yusei asks.
"It's a robot that handles D-Wheel violations." Ushio tell us what that is, but it doesn't give me the answer I'm looking for. What if it was the monster he was using? Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity.
"The test machine was stolen about ten days ago. I'm surprised that it's Ghost." Ten days? I guess that's why they think that I'm a victim of Ghost.
"Who did this?" Jack asks. I'm imagining that they don't know because there's no suspects.
"I don't know. Real damage from dueling... A test robot stolen from Security... There are a lot of mysteries." Only one of those things is a mystery. I know from first-hand experience. "If it only left behind a memory chip."
"There was no data on the Riding Duel chip." I sigh as Yusei tosses the chip to Ushio. "It's programmed to wipe all the data when it loses a duel." Ushio examines the chip before realising what it is.
"You're not allowed to steal the evidence!" He shouts.
"Don't be so uptight. Yusei's skills are better than Security's analysis." Crow comments. That's true but also illegal.
"That's true, but…" Ushio trails off as Mikage sighs.
"Are you okay?" Aki turns to me and asks. I nod. I only came down as Ushio and Mikage arrived. That's only because Yusei managed to convince me to leave the bathroom. I don't know how long I was in there.
"I wanted to see that robot." Rua stares at the picture of Ghost that he picked up.
"Rua! People were hurt!" Ruka scolds.
"Sorry."
"But who and why would anyone want a robot that captures Synchro Monsters?" Crow asks. Someone who thinks that Synchros are the enemy. Something inside me tells me that.
"I don't know, but it's clear that there's a new enemy." Jack answers. I sigh.
"Exactly. And if he's going to threaten our City, we'll keep fighting!" Yusei says it with determination in his eyes. They want to protect the City. I do that in my own way, I suppose. Fighting gangs, keeping them off the streets. Maybe I'll protect this City in that way too. I owe it that much. Considering that I almost destroyed it before. It feels so long ago now. But my demons are never ones to stay away for long.
A/N: And we're back to canon folks! But, how much am I going to change? That is the real question.