I roll over and check my phone. Yusei still hasn't text me back, another all-nighter I reckon. Whenever he pulls one, he gets so invested in his new D-Wheel engine that he forgets to text me. It's currently half three in the morning which means that he'll probably text in the next three hours or so. I turn onto my side, trying to get some more shut-eye before the sun makes it so I can't sleep anymore. But that won't happen as my phone starts ringing. I squint despite the fact that my room is only dimly lit because of my phone.
"Crow?" I answer. "Dude, do you realise how early it is?" The last time I was woken like this, Jack had just been arrested, I can't imagine it can get any worse than that. Then, I realise. It can.
"I don't care." My eyes widen at his panicked tone.
"What's wrong?" I ask, sitting up and turning on my lamp. At this point, I'm expecting some news that gonna make me get up and get dressed.
"Yusei's missing." In that split second, my world freezes. My breath catches in my throat and my heart refuses to beat. Kaoru's aura suddenly jolts in the room beside me. "He's been gone since this afternoon. He went out to get parts and hasn't come back."
"What?" I mutter, trying to get air into my lungs.
"You haven't heard from him either?" I hear Crow take a deep breath. "Then something must be really wrong." I gasp. He's been kidnapped, I realise. Not another WRGP team. A gang.
"I'm coming over, don't do anything. Stay in the garage until I get over." I stumble over my words as I try to get them out as fast as I can. I feel Kaoru moving around so I hang up. He's thinking the same thing, I catch glimpses at his thoughts.
"Okay." Crow hangs up and I sigh. I put my head in my hands, throwing my phone on the bed. My breath catches in my throat. I need to stay calm. I'm already feeling the electricity in my veins. Kaoru knocks on my door. I tell him to go downstairs and wait for me, mentally as to not wake Kasumi. I start getting dressed. I only focus on one thing at a time. One sleeve on, two sleeves on, tank top pulled over head, tuck top into jeans. Put jacket on, put my pads on. I'll drive over to Poppo Time, I think, the quickest way.
"Who is it?" Kaoru asks once I get downstairs. He's packing a bag with our gang clothes in it.
"I don't know." I reply. "My bet is Cardinal Dragons, they're the only gang left and they wanted to do this on their own terms." I step into the garage, picking up my helmet.
"You're not driving." Kaoru says. I glare at him, but he keeps going. "Not like this, you're not. You're too emotional right now, you'll probably crash again and that's not going to help anyone." It's then I realise how much my hands are shaking. He puts his hand on top of the helmet, steadying it with the weight of his hands. His hand doesn't shake at all, it's completely firm. His thoughts aren't racing like mine. He's completely calm. "I'll drive us over, it'll be a tight squeeze on my D-Wheel, but it'll be worth it." I exhale, shaking while putting my helmet on.
Kaoru doesn't talk to me as we drive. His head is completely devoid of thoughts of anything except the road in front of us. This is the one time I'll allow myself to dip into his thoughts. I need the monotonous thoughts of driving to calm me down.
Crow opens the garage door for us, and Kaoru parks in the garage next to Yusei's D-Wheel. His D-Wheel is still here, shit, can't track him that way. Kenta and Takumi are here. Kaoru must have called them.
"Yuuka? What's wrong?" Aki asks me. I start pacing around. I can't answer as my lungs can't catch enough air.
"Drink this." Kenta hands me a cup of coffee. "I know you haven't had any." I gulp enough down so I can pace without it spilling.
"Yuuka?" Crow asks this time. My hands are shaking so much that Kaoru takes the cup off me.
"It's all my fault." I mutter.
"What?" Crow asks again, his fingers brushing off my arms.
"It's my fault." I say again.
"What does that mean?" Aki asks. I clench my fists, my knuckles turning white.
"Answer us!" Jack's shouts stop me in my tracks.
"It's my fault Yusei got kidnapped!" Crow, Jack and Aki stare at me.
"What?" Crow repeats.
"I was right." Aki mutters. Everyone turns to look at Aki. My stomach drops.
"What do you know?" Takumi questions, trying to keep a straight face.
"Yusei and I were attacked a few months ago by a duel gang, but some members of Team Liberations saved us. I thought it was impossible because we were saved by two guys, but no." Aki pauses. For once, Kaoru's composure breaks. "Yuuka and Kaoru were the ones who saved us."
"Yuuka, is this true?" Jack glares at me.
"So you're the infamous Yuudai, huh?" Crow's eyebrows furrow. "The one who gave Black Flag to? You never gave up gangs in the first place. You lied to us."
"No." I cough. "I mean, yes. But I did it to protect all of you." I take a deep breath before I start to lose the plot. "Gangs here are different from the Satellite. If my identity got leaked, you'd all be in grave danger."
"So you had this planned from the start?" Crow glares at me. I'm reminded of his face when Jack got arrested. There's pain in his eyes. It feels like I've just taken a blow to the stomach.
"I had this planned before the Fortune Cup, okay? Then all that shit happened so it only started after Christmas."
"You could have told us." Crow steps closer to me. "I thought you trusted us!"
"I do." I take a few steps back. "I just don't know-"
"This is an argument best saved for another time." Kenta steps in between Crow and I. "But Yusei Fudo has been kidnapped, and we need to get him back. I suspect we'll get the ransom call soon." The room stays silent for a few moments. Crow refuses to look at me.
"I guess you're right." Crow finally mutters under his breath.
"Do you know who it was?" Jack asks.
"Most likely a gang called Cardinal Dragons. They're the only gang whose territory we haven't conquered." Takumi says. He stares at me. I can almost see the wheels turning in his head.
"You've gotten that far?" Crow asks. I nod.
"There weren't many gangs left after the fall of Black Flag. A huge turf started and about half of them got knocked out."
"Wait a minute." Jack interjects. "I fought the leader of the Cross Syndicate a few weeks ago."
"They were a gang that we knocked out, but we still allowed them to keep doing whatever illegal stuff they were doing and just took their territory." Kaoru answers. "Apparently, they were more known for their illegal stuff rather than being a duel gang."
The room fades back into silence. We wait on a phone call that may or may not ever come. I start pacing again. I don't think anyone minds too much. Not that I'd care in this exact moment. I pass by Takumi, who's phone starts ringing. Everyone's eyes move to us. Takumi hands me the phone he uses specifically for gang stuff. A blocky old phone that looks like it's had better days. It's such an old model that it makes me cringe sometimes. No touch screen, like who would even want that nowadays? I take the phone. I take a deep breath as it vibrates in my hand.
"Hello?" I answer.
"Am I speaking to Yuudai?" The voice asks.
"That's me." I make my voice sound deeper.
"We have Yusei Fudo." I grit my teeth. "If you want him back, then come to our base. We can have a nice chat." The person talking is grinning, I hear it in their voice. "Cardinal Dragons' base, you know where to find us." I go to respond but they hang up. I'm left staring at the phone. The feeling of bile rises in my throat. Takumi pries the phone from my cold hands.
"We were right. It is Cardinal Dragons." Takumi says, putting the phone back in his pocket. "They never specified that you come alone so we'll leave as a team."
"What about us?" Crow asks, stepping forward. "We can help too! Jack and I were in a duel gang before, we can help."
"I can help too. I'm a psychic." Aki steps forward too.
"Where's Bruno?" I ask, realising he was never in the room in the first place.
"Out looking for Yusei. He's been searching for hours at this stage, we need to tell him to come back." I start going up the stairs even before Crow finishes talking.
"Where do you think you're going?" Jack asks.
"Getting changed, I'm bringing the fight to them. We're going to conquer their territory and settle this once and for all." Kenta follows me up the stairs. He grabs my wrist in the kitchen.
"Wait a second."
"Kenta, I don't-" He shushes me, reaching into his backpack.
"Here's a binder." He places the perfectly white binder, folded up, in my hands. "You told me you were using ace bandages, so I got you this so you weren't hurt yourself again. I know that's why you passed out during the thing with Cross Syndicate. I just kinda guessed with your size, might be a bit big."
"Thank you." I manage to smile, despite everything. "I mean it. You didn't have to go to all this effort for me."
"No problem, I needed a new binder too anyway." He avoids my gaze, a little flustered. I chuckle, makes sense. He scratches the back of his head. "Hurry up getting changed." He flicks his wrist at me, silently tell me to move along. He turns around, before quickly flicking his head back. "Oh, you step into inside out and pull it up."
"Thanks." He smiles at me. He chuckles at me when I pull a confused face.
"You look weird with dark hair." Crow tells me.
"I've been told."
We leave Poppo Time while it's still dark out. We all put our wigs on, but decide to leave our masks off until we're nearly there. Crow, Jack and Aki forcefully tag along. Takumi isn't fond of the idea. But then I remind that Yusei is their friend too. He sighs.
It hits me again all of a sudden. Yusei's in danger. They could be doing god knows what to him right now, and I could never know. I start sprinting. Everyone shouts at me, but I don't listen to them. The only thing I can focus on is Yusei.
A strange sensation hits me. My temple throbs. I have to stop in some alleyway a bit away from the base. Where am I? They said she's on her way. An empty room. I feel my eyes trail the walls of the room, going from corner to corner. The sun should be rising soon. I feel the numbness that only comes from bleeding. Where is she? Yuuka.
I zone back into reality. I'm still in that dingy alleyway. It really felt like I was in that room. I feel my heartbeat pounding in my ears. My chest feels warm. Yusei. It was him. I know it. He's in their base, alone and hurt. I feel my blood starting to boil. They hurt him. I clench my fists. I lean against the wall. What do I do? It's then that everyone finds me.
"What are we doing?" Kenta asks me, putting his mask on.
"Splitting up is our best option." I go with the flow. "We should do that before we go in case they're waiting for us."
"What about Yusei?" Jack asks.
"I'll go to find Yusei myself." I exhale. "I should be able to find him the easiest because I can sense his aura." I try focusing now, to find him. I feel it. He's okay. He's not dead. I can tell that much.
"Are you sure?" Kaoru asks me.
"Yeah. They'll be too busy focusing on the rest of you to notice me slipping in."
"Smart strategy." Kenta comments. "Then, you can get Yusei out of there and you three," he gestures to Crow, Jack and Aki, "can leave with Yusei. And then, we'll beat them."
"You leave?" Crow squints a little. "We came to help, not leave."
"My biggest priority right now is getting Yusei out of here and to safety." I sigh. "Can I trust one of you then please?"
"I can do that, Yuuka." Aki volunteers.
"Thank you. Now come on, we're wasting enough time as it is."
"Yuuka, what way are we entering?" Crow asks me as we reach the worn down apartment building. Hasn't been touched in years I reckon. Like Zero Reverse old. Doesn't really seem like it's used even for this gang. I suspect that they actually use a different building altogether.
"You guys go in the front, or split up. I don't care." I've singled out Yusei's aura. Anything else doesn't matter.
"Hey, are we-" I hear Kaoru start. I hop up and grab window ledges until I reach the third floor. "Where's she gone?"
"If you value your sanity, don't look up." I hear Kenta sigh. I kick in a window.
"Oi, get down from there. You'll hurt yourself." I hear Kaoru yell up at me.
"Go in the front!" I shout back, popping my head back out the window. He see scoff and lead everyone away.
I reach out for Yusei's aura. It's nearby. The door falls off its hinges as soon as I touch it. Awfully damp in here, mould creeps on the fading vintage wallpaper. The lights flicker above my head. If they go out, I'm screwed since it's still dark outside. I hear water drip slowly. I stop outside a door at the end of the corridor. I concentrate on his aura again. I see the room again. I feel the burn of restraints on my wrists. I move to open the door. Locked.
"Shit." I curse. Yusei's aura twitches. A sense of fear. I take a deep breath. I knock on the door to the beat of an old song that I used to hum in the Satellite. I feel him calm down. I kick the door once, twice. It doesn't budge. I sigh. I think about using my duel disk, but no. There's a chance I could hurt Yusei, and I can't risk that. Strange, the only thing I can hear is the water drip. I close my eyes. I'm going to have to use my body weight. I touch my back to the opposite door. I sprint the small distance, whacking my shoulder into the door. A solid thud, it's giving away more now. I go again. It creaks under my body weight. The door seems to be standing at an odd angle now. I kick it again. This time, it flies onto the floor with a loud thud.
"Yusei!" I shout. I feel tears gathering behind my mask. I step into the room. This is the room I saw in my vision. Yusei sits, tied to a chair, completely alone in the bare room. I look behind me, out into the corridor, before taking my mask off. "You're okay, you're okay." I can't help but hug him. I feel like a weight has been taken off my shoulders. Then, I notice that he has tape over his mouth. I grimace as I pull the tape off. He curses, which is surprising for him, but given the situation, I let it slide. He sighs.
"You're okay. I was worried for you." I take a break from cutting his restraints with a pocket knife to look him in the eyes.
"You were worried about me? After you literally got kidnapped?" I sigh, shaking my head.
"They told they wouldn't hurt me." Yusei rubs his wrists after I cut them both free. "I didn't know what they had done to you."
"Seems strange. I think they're trying to lure me out in particular."
"I think so too."
"How did they know to kidnap you though?" I close my eyes, having gotten his ankles free. "I think they might know who I am." I stay there, kneeling on the floor.
"There, there." Yusei helps me off the floor. "The first attack might have been the same people, but they saw you protect me so they know that I'm important to you."
"And you are." I add. He smiles, brushing the wig hair off my forehead. He leans forward, placing a light kiss there.
"You are to me too." I notice a cut on Yusei's cheek, I trace my fingers over it. The blood has dried up already.
"They hurt you." I mumble.
"It's just a scratch." He shakes his head. "It was actually an accident, I tripped over a block of concrete." He sighs as the frown still stays on my face. "I'm here to help you." He places his hands on my shoulder. "I don't have my duel disk, but I want you to use this." He reaches into his deck holder, and gives me a card. I flip it over.
"Stardust Dragon!?" I exclaim. "Yusei, I can't take this."
"You can. I believe in you." I sigh in defeat, placing Stardust in my own deck holder. He takes me in his arms, squeezing me tightly.
"Come on." I say despite not wanting to leave his arms. "You need to get out of here."
"Do we really?" Yusei asks. "There's no one in this building, I'm pretty sure." I stumble backwards out of our embrace, eyes wide.
"What?" My eyes flick back and forth. It's true. The only auras in here are the ones I arrived with. "It's a trap." I grab Yusei's wrist, pulling him with me. I start running, grabbing my mask off the ground and putting it on again. I don't bother with doors. We climb down the fire escape. Yusei has no problem keeping up with me, he's a lot fitter than I give him credit for. We start running. I yell at Kaoru inside my head. We run past my old apartment building. I see Yusei's gaze linger on it.
We stumble into the Daimon Area as the sun starts to glimpse over the horizon. I stop to catch my breath. I still haven't adapted to my new binder. It's a lot better than what I was using before, but there's time needed to get used to it. Everyone else runs into the Area a few minutes later.
"It was completely empty." Kaoru says once he reaches us.
"That's why you said it was a trap, wasn't it?" Takumi asks me, I nod in response.
"Why would they leave Yusei completely alone, when it was clear that they're luring us out?" Kenta ponders. I shrug my shoulders. I feel two auras approaching. They split up, following different paths. I fiddle with the pocket knife, still in my hand. I feel one of the auras flare, readying for something. My feet start moving on their own. They know that I'm following them. I manage to corner them in a small alley.
"So you've arrived." A deep, sultry voice calls out to me. Even though he's standing a good distance away from me, I can tell that he towers over me. Slicked dark hair and impressive cheekbones and build, he looks like something straight from the Greek pantheon. "We've waiting for you."
"You were the one who kidnapped Yusei." I deepen my voice.
"Yes, unfortunately, it had to be done. You see, we wanted to lure you out for an honest fight. I'm sure you understand."
"Do I?"
"I'd like to think you do." He walks closer to me. He watches my every move like a hawk. "I'm sure a warrior such as yourself would understand."
"A warrior? You mock me." My tone is flat. I don't have time for these games. I fiddle with the knife in my hand again.
"Have you never been used as one? Strange." My mind flicks back to the time in the Satellite. A warrior chosen by an evil god in an endless cycle of violence. "You have the eyes of a warrior."
"I'm wearing a mask, you can't see my eyes." I stutter out.
"It's in the way you look at me. I can feel it. A psychic should as yourself should know." He moves forward ever so slightly. He's cautious, but not afraid. "You know what else I can feel from you? Regret." He stops again. I tremble slightly from his gaze. I can see his eyes clearly now. Depending on how the light hits them, they're either a blue or a purple. I can't decide which.
"I use the term indigo." He answers.
"I didn't say that outloud." I respond, stumbling back ever so slightly.
"Oh I know." He steps towards me. "I also know you regret something you did in the Satellite." I start shaking my head wildly, stepping back even more. The sunlight hits the back of his head, obscuring his face in shadow, making his dark skin seem almost pitch black. "It involves that boy. That thought of it drives you crazy. It's made you done some terrible things. It makes you-"
"Stop it!" I scream at him. He only laughs.
"What's wrong? Never had someone read your mind before?" He steps closer, so he towers over me. He's taller than Shinji. The top of my head doesn't even reach his shoulder. He leans down, taunting me. I close my eyes as if blocking him out, my whole body trembles. "Making you relive those tortuous few days you spent all alone in the Satellite, wishing for death?" Something inside me snaps. My world starts to turn orange. I feel more powerful than I ever have before. Electricity shoots through my veins. I will silence this man. I move to throw my pocket knife from my left to my right hand. He steps backwards, a knife appearing in his hand. I charge forward, aiming for his ribs. He blocks with his arms. He makes a slash at my face. It tears my wig and cracks my mask. I feel the warm blood starting to trickle on the inside of my mask. I step back and go again. This time, he plunges his knife straight into my torso. I stagger backwards, hitting the wall. He runs off. I grit my teeth, push myself off the wall and follow him. His much longer legs mean that I can't catch up. I feel like I'm on fire. I have only felt this way once before. When I faced Raiden Kimura all those months ago in a collapsing building. No, I feel stronger. Like I could wave my hand and empires would fall to their knees.
The man leads me to the Daimon Area again. He falls in place behind a smaller guy. His friend turns to me, and everyone else backs away. He smirks at me. His aura flares slightly just from being near me, everyone's does. I grit my teeth. This is him. I think. The real leader of the Cardinal Dragons. His posture, his face tells me everything. He stays exactly where he is. He raises his eyebrow, looking at my torso. I pull out the knife, still dug into my abdomen, and hold it in my hand. Blood runs down it and onto my gloved hand.
"Do you want this back, or should I return the favour?" I feel my mask starting to crack more as I talk and move, but I pay no mind to it.
"Well, well, well." This little bitch with his dyed turquoise hair and hideous dark brown roots, has the audacity to smirk at me. "If it isn't the Fabled Queen of Neo Domino herself." My fists clench around the two knives in my hands. My crack in my mask makes its way down to my cheekbone. It reaches the edge before falling to the ground, breaking into two pieces. "Yuuka Sasaki."