Trigger warning: Suicide mention
"It's a pleasure to have you here, Miss Sasaki." This little shit still smirks at me. He has the audacity to kidnap my boyfriend, lure me out here and have his right-hand man stab me. He is going to get it.
"Is that what the kids are calling me these days? The Fabled Queen of Neo Domino? It has a nice ring to it." I kick my broken mask out of the way as I start walking towards him. I throw my torn wig off, strands of dark brown plastic flying everywhere. Some of my actual hair falls into my face but I don't move it away.
"Jasper." He turns to the man, the one who stabbed me and was generally an unpleasant asshole, beside him. "Make sure they don't interfere." He turns back, a grin on his tanned face. "What's a Queen without her King?" He tilts his head. "You're nothing without him."
"Him?" I ask. Blood trickles down my face from the cut on my forehead. I have to squint my right eye, but I could not care less in this exact moment. I stop walking. His aura relaxes a little.
"You know who I'm talking about."
"Do I?" I feel my eyes burning in their sockets. My powers are about to break loose again.
"You should." Something twinkles in his eyes. "After all, you should feel bad after ignoring his advice."
"What do you mean?" I shake a little. Despite the small size of this guy, his aura is nothing to be underestimated.
"You went to the Satellite, all alone." Don't. "You went looking for something that was important to you." He takes a step forward and I take one back. "But something happened." He tilts his head. "I don't want what, but it broke you. You were never the same, were you?" My entire body shakes. The burning in my eyes flickers. "Countless empty bottles surrounding you. You thought you could drink the pain away, but no." He shrugs his shoulders. "It was all too much for you. You wanted out, to end your suffering. So what did you do? You tried to hang yourself." My breath quickens. The air feels so thin. Black spots start to appear in my vision. I blink away the tears threatening to fall. "But that didn't work, did it?"
"Enough!" Shinji's voice cuts through, appearing from seemingly nowhere. He stands between the little bitch and I.
"So, he had to help you, didn't he?" He keeps talking. "And guess what had to be done? Someone had to get your precious little Yusei involved, didn't they?" He turns to where everyone is standing with shocked expressions, I don't meet their eyes. "Why else would he have contacted you? To stop Little Miss Guilty from finishing the job? It was hard hiding the bruises, wasn't it? Because that's when your dear old brother showed up, if I'm remembering right? Something about his psychic powers. Don't they come from a traumatic event? But he didn't have one, isn't that right?" He turns back to Kaoru.
"What is he talking about, Yuuka?" He screams at me. I can't answer. I can barely breathe.
"When did you get your powers? Enlighten us!" His sadistic smile only grows bigger.
"A few days after the Fortune Cup." Kaoru answers, I feel his eyes on me. I feel everyone's eyes on me. I start trembling more. My vision clouds even more.
"A few days after the Fortune Cup…" He repeats. "Wasn't that when you went to the Satellite? Could it be that your traumatic experience was so bad that it triggered his powers and that's why you can hear each other's thoughts?"
"No!" I scream. I start shaking uncontrollably. I stumble backwards. "No! No! No! No!" I keep screaming. Shinji catches me as I go to fall. The world starts fading around me. Tears roll down my face freely.
"Yuuka!" I hear Yusei scream.
"Ben, that's enough." I hear Jasper scold.
"I'm just doing what I was told." Ben answers.
"Doing what you're told? Please. You're a monster, that's what you are!" A voice shouts from the other side of the courtyard. Ben turns around, so I'm able to get a glimpse. I swear I'm seeing double. It looks like myself. That's not possible.
"Jasper, they have the same aura! What's going on?" I hear Ben shout.
I start crying more. I lean into Shinji beside me. What would Raiden do? That echoes in my head. What would he do if he was standing here right now?
What would Raiden do?
My hand reaches forward by itself.
What would he say if he was right in front of me?
My fingers curl inwards and my wrist flicks. I feel Ben's aura almost like it was in my reach. My hand contorts more and more, twisting his aura in my hands. Coughs splutter from his mouth. His body starts trembling, his head twists up. This is my doing. I am so powerful. I could bring the world to its knees and let it perish in fire if I so wished. His hand reaches for his throat.
A sudden weight knocks me off my centre of gravity. I lose my grasp on Ben's aura, the air suddenly doesn't feel as thick. Kenta strikes my shoulder, and it goes numb. Another strike, my other arm goes numb.
"What are you doing?" I scream at him.
"Yuuka, stop!" He screams back. "Can't you see what you're doing?"
"Kenta, I need to do this. He needs to feel my pain!" Kenta's hand strikes my face.
"Stop it Yuuka!"
"No!" I look back to Ben. I can't move my hands. I stare him down. I imagine twisting his aura, taking it in my grasp and wringing it out to dry. This time, he falls to his knees. I hear shouting. I can't make out what they're saying. Jasper stands between Ben and I. He stares me down. I let go of Ben's aura and cling onto Jasper's. I do the same thing, I imagine the same motions. He falls to his knees faster. Blood dribbles down his chin. I see fear in his eyes. I hear his thoughts clearly in that moment. He doesn't worry for his own life. He only cares about Ben, the so-called love of his life. He'd miss those tender moments together, cuddling on the sofa, warm kisses goodnight. The soft, sensitive side that only he gets to see. I fall to my knees. My breath comes out in shaky puffs. I know how that feels. To be there. Only caring about that someone who makes your life worth living. Yusei.
I lose my grasp of Jasper's aura. He catches himself on the ground before he falls. I feel the world slipping away from me. Everything slows down. I feel both Kenta's and Shinji's hands firmly on my back.
"Hey, get us out of here!" I hear Kaoru scream. I look over. A cage made of some type of black smoky material traps my friends. Something conjured by Jasper, no doubt. He uses Dark End Dragon. He was the one that attacked Yusei and Aki, the one who attacked Saitama and I that day in the Daimon Area. Where I am right now.
"Not now!" My doppelganger screams back.
"You came for me, did you? Help us!" Kaoru shouts.
"No! I came for her!" They sprint towards me. "I love her! I told you that!" What's going on? My doppelganger kneels down in front of me. They delicately touch my face. "Are you okay?" They ask as if they didn't witness what just happened.
"Who are you?" I manage to spit out. They hesitate before taking off their mask. "Anako!" I start coughing again.
"It's okay." She cooes, rubbing my back. She helps me sit down on the ground. My mind is racing. How could he know? How could Ben know so much about me? About that time, what I did. I look up to Shinji, his eyes twitch. I realise.
"Where is he?" I immediately rise to my feet. Ben's aura quivers, but he sighs to hide it.
"You need to be more specific."
"Where is Raiden Kimura?" I scream, eliciting a gasp from everyone. "You know where he is. He's the one who told you everything."
"So what? I don't know where he is. Last thing he told me, he was in Singapore." He scoffs. "He orchestrated this whole thing, y'know. He told me exactly who to attack, where to attack. He even told me who everyone on Team Liberation would be, with one exception, but I figured that one on my own." He sighs. "Don't blame me, honey. I'm just doing what he told me. Follow this step-by-step guide and Team Liberation will not be able to beat us. And it's working, isn't it? Raiden told me what you did."
"Ben." Jasper interjects. "He lied."
"What?" Ben exclaims.
"I heard her thoughts. Raiden is to blame." Ben's eyes shift left to right. "Her actions when Black Flag fell were justified."
"What? What am I supposed to do now then?" Ben sighs. A sense of calm washes over me. I look at Kenta, his hands seems to hold a grasp of something that isn't there. That explains it. I stand up, walking closer to Ben. I stop just short a few paces of him. "What do you want? Haven't you caused enough pain already?"
"I have." I nod. "But I'm setting that right. I won't fight you."
"Then, how are you going to claim our territory?" I can feel him trying to egg me on. I feel nothing because of this false sense of calm.
"My name is Yuuka Sasaki." I sigh. "I barely survived in the Satellite. As I was approaching death's door, I was saved by a woman who had lost her own family in the Zero Reverse. Everything led me to witness the formation of Team Satisfaction, the greatest duel gang to ever grace the Satellite. They had one goal, unifying the Satellite. Our existence was poor, at best. They thought, if we couldn't escape it, why not make it better? That's exactly what they did. I carry their legacy on my shoulders, I want to do the same."
"I didn't ask for your life story." Ben rolls his eyes. "Besides, how do you know this will make the City a better place? Where's your proof?"
"You've already seen it yourself. The endless cycle of hatred and revenge is nearly broken." I step forward. "We haven't solved this through violence. We've made people see our way of thinking. This violence doesn't have to continue!" Ben merely just stares at me, unentertained. I stare at Jasper, who stays at Ben's side. "You don't have to stay here. We can leave this all behind and move on, have a normal life, settle down. Isn't that what you want, Jasper?" Ben gasps, turning to look at his boyfriend who avoids his gaze. "Am I right?"
Jasper sighs, walking slowly to stand behind me.
"I'm with her." He says calmly.
"Jasper, how could you?" There's a pain in Ben's bright red eyes.
"You've said it yourself, Ben. You've thought about leaving for a while."
"Yes, and giving the gang to someone else! Not give it up entirely!" He screams back.
"Why would we not take this chance?" Jasper pleads. "I believe in what she's doing."
Ben looks like he's going to give up. He looks around us, his eyes trail the top of the buildings. I feel auras moving closer. The people who live around here are starting to wake up, I think. Then, I realise. No. Here come the Cardinal Dragons. He sighs.
"If we give up here." Ben turns to Jasper. "Our own gang will attack us, beating us and someone will take our place." He starts walking towards me. He's not that much shorter than me, I realise. "If you can fend these off, I'll give you our territory." He smiles for once.
"Understood." There's a crash behind us. A monster I don't recognise, which must belong to Anako, breaks the case trapping my friends.
"Yuuka!" I hear them call. Yusei reaches me first, placing a hand gently on my arm. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." I answer. I need a plan.
"Are you sure?" I hear the doubt in Kaoru's voice. "You didn't seem like that a minute ago."
"You doubt her." Jasper comments. "You can hear her thoughts, can't you?"
"How do you know that?" Kaoru squints back at him.
"I can hear your thoughts in her head. Not that she pays much mind to them." Kaoru scoffs at the answer.
"Yuuka?" Crow pipes up. "Your eyes… They're orange."
"It's cause she went berserk just there." Jasper explains. "I don't know if you saw it. Her entire eye, including the whites, glowed orange. Once she snapped out of it, only her iris was orange."
"It's happened before, powers were a bit too much for me."
"It's a miracle you're still standing." Shinji raises his hand to his mouth. I know what he's about to say, I glare at him and he says nothing. My hand moves to my stab wound in order to quell the bleeding.
"What are we doing now?" Takumi asks.
"Fending off everyone who's coming to attack us now." I answer. "I just need a plan." I just need to do what I always do. I fought my way out of everything I've faced so far. The Satellite, Raiden, every gang that I've come across, the demons that dwell inside me.
"Form a line here or move out, that's the question." Takumi hums. Shinji. It feels weird to be working with Shinji on gang stuff again. Shinji. That faint twinge of an aura that feel so much like Raiden's. Wait.
"Yuuka, are you okay?" Yusei asks, beside me. I turn to him. My eyes dart from side to side, his try to match mine. I feel a plan emerging from the dark place inside my mind. I see it.
"Shinji." I turn to him, everyone looks at me. "One last time?" I put my hand out for a fistbump. His eyes meet mine. I see a sliver of hesitation, before he smiles.
"One last time." His fist meets mine. I see him flinch at the blood that smears onto his fingers from my wet glove.
"Kenta! I need a favour." I jump, starting to pace as the plan becomes clearer in my head.
"Sure."
"Okay." I take my backpack off Takumi. I take out the hooks I had nabbed from The Jackals, all that time ago. I throw them on the ground. "Most of them are coming from that direction." I point over the largest entrance to the Arena. "I'll take that side with Shinji and Kenta." Shinji turns to me confused. "Anyone who wants to fight can. I recommend taking one of these. They are a lot of psychics out there, be careful." I sigh.
"Yusei, take my duel disk." Shinji hands his duel disk to Yusei, confusing everyone. "I don't think I need my duel disk, do I?" He turns to me.
"You don't." I know Jasper's inside my head again so I reach out to him. He throws me a card, I keep the front to my eyes only. I smile. This is going to work. Anako is currently using her disguise and her ability to manipulate her own aura in order to masquerade as me. Her and Kaoru on the front line will form a good distraction until my plan is put into action.
"Okay, come on, we're moving out." Shinji and Kenta following me. I feel Yusei's gaze on my back. I turn around to look at him.
"Do you trust me?" I raise my eyebrow at him.
"Of course I do." I notice my old cloak in his hands, something I had packed into my bag once in a fit of panic. "Take this. You don't have your mask, so you'll need it."
"If you insist."
"What do you want me to do?" Kenta asks once we're out of earshot of everyone.
"Shinji's aura."
"It feels like Raiden's, yes?"
"Yep, almost exactly, but weaker."
"You want me to amp it up, gotcha." Kenta take a deep breath. I feel it flare up. Despite the ache in my bones, I manage to do the same to mine. I inhale deeply. I place the first card on my duel disk. Dark End Dragon. The card Jasper lent me. Raiden Kimura's ace card. This along with Shinji's enhanced aura will scare some people away. Second card. Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. My trump card. The card who defines who I am. Along with Raiden's card, they make a terrifying combo. Third. Stardust Dragon. Yusei's card. A thing of beauty. A symbol of freedom and all it brings.
The dragons roar above me. They circle overhead. Suddenly, everything starts to change. The advancing auras thin out. Only a few remain, charging towards us. The dragons attack on their own. I feel the world changing around me. I catch a glimpse of the new world waiting for me. My heart beats loudly in my ear. My throat burns. I fall to my knees. Blood spurts from my mouth, forming a puddle on the ground. Shinji catches me before I fall further. The dragons continue to roar as they attack. The last aura runs away. I did it… I grip my abdomen, my leather gloves slip on the fresh blood. My vision fades. My world starts turning black.
"Most of the bleeding seems to have stopped." I hear Nico's voice above me. "Though, she might be out for a while with all that blood loss." I feel a pressure lifting from my wound. My body aches. I'm lying on the hard concrete, which doesn't help. I try to move, respond, do anything. But I have no luck, my body won't respond.
"I believe a congratulations is in order." I hear Shinji say. A faint panic appears in Yusei's aura.
"What do you mean?" Kaoru asks.
"When I was carrying her back here, she was muttering about her boyfriend." Oh no. "I know Yuuka. That could only mean one person." The faint panic in Yusei's aura escalates quickly. Meanwhile, Kaoru's aura flares. I can feel his eyes glaring at me.
I hear Spanish being spoken above me. I try to make out what they're saying. Hospital. Bleeding. In that moment, I'm grateful that I spend at least some time in Duel Academy. I push myself up on one arm.
"I'm not going to the hospital." I lower myself back onto the ground. I don't open my eyes, I'm too tired for that. Everyone sounds really confused.
"She said she's not going to the hospital." I hear Nico explain.
"Didn't know she knew Spanish." I hear Ben say. He was the one just speaking in Spanish, I know that now.
"Me neither." I hear Miguel speak. I'm confused, when did he get here? He was also speaking Spanish just there.
"She learnt it in Duel Academy." Kaoru sounds angry, and very close to me. "Yuuka." He calls out to me, I turn my head in the opposite direction. "I know you can hear me." I turn on my side away from him, scared of what he's going to say.
"Yuuka, don't lay on that side. If your stab wound opens again, I swear to the gods, I'm leaving." I hear Nico sigh.
"Yuuka, why didn't you tell you have a boyfriend?" I jump up, nearly hitting Kaoru's forehead in the process. "Yuuka." His tone is stern. Fuck.
"I thought you might try to murder him, so I just didn't?"
"She looks like she's crying." I hear Takumi whisper. Both he and Shinji are trying not to laugh.
"Who is it, Yuuka?" Kaoru forcefully pulls my arm, making me stand up.
"Who do you think it is?" I feel a bead of sweat run down my forehead. I brush the hair that's fallen into my face back. The bun on my head has nearly fallen down.
"Him?" I glance towards Yusei subtly. I bite my lip. I see Yusei trying to avoid Kaoru's eyes. He looks at me with wide eyes, though everything else about him looks completely calm.
"Kaoru, how'd you not know they were dating?" Shinji laughs.
"Dude, I don't even think he noticed that Kenta and I have been dating the entire time?" Takumi howls with laughter. I see Kenta shaking his head.
"What?" Kaoru's entire disposition changes. He looks completely confused. There's a hint of disbelief, and a little bit of betrayal? What's that about? I look at Anako who avoids my gaze and shrugs her shoulders. I freeze, remembering what she said. She told me that she loves me in front of everyone, only to find out that I'm dating Yusei. I feel sorry for her. I thought she liked Kaoru all this time. How could I have missed this? I feel a hand on my shoulder.
"Here." Ben offers me his hand. I shake it. I have to blink away the tears. I did it. I conquered the entire City. No, we did it as a team. A smile breaks out on Kaoru's face. He's forgotten about that, for now. I spot Felix standing beside Miguel. What even happened while I was out? Why would the former leaders of the Red Serpents and the Phantom Riders be here? Takumi throws his arm around my shoulders, grabbing Kenta with his other arm.
"We did it, guys." Takumi says.
"We did good." Kaoru adds.
"I think you mean great." Kenta corrects. We all laugh. We did it. That's all that runs through my mind. So many doubts, so much trouble. It's been a long road to get here. But we got here with our own blood, sweat and tears. And it was worth every second of it.
Suddenly, Ben's phone starts ringing and my stomach drops. Is that who I think it is? Ben, in disbelief, looks between the phone and my face rapidly.
"Hello?" His voice shakes, answering the call. "Yes." He gulps. "She did." The world seems to slow down. That voice. No. "Put you on speaker, sure." Ben looks right in my eyes with an expression that tells me he's sorry.
"Yuuka!" No. Raiden's voice sounds muffled through the speaker. This isn't possible. "Congratulations on conquering the entire City. You really surprised us all." There's clear sarcasm in his voice. "What comes next, huh?" I stumble backwards. "You have the entire City in your hands. What will you do to lead it? Because you're on your own now." He laughs more to himself than anything else. "Guess I'll have to come and snatch it back. Cause remember we were going to do that together? You little bitch." He curses. "Until next time then, cause I'm coming for you." The line goes dead. There's pure silence as everyone stares at me.
It sets in. What Raiden Kimura has done. He lured me into this world, make me into a warrior for his own cause, let me destroy the system once I had grown too powerful, only to try and steal it back, accomplishing his goal and getting rid of me in one foul swoop. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I unclip the cape around my shoulders. I fold it up in my arms. The first person strolls into the Daimon Area. I feel the auras of everyone here come alive. The world is waking up. I walk silently to what remains of my mask. I pick the two pieces with a clean cut separating them. I turn around and take another deep breath. I stare at the mask and cape in my hands. Shinji stands so close to me that my shoulder brushes off his arm. He hands me a lighter. I throw what's in my hands onto the ground. The fabric of the cape billows. The mask falls with a clatter. I take another deep breath. I kneel and catch the flame of the lighter in the fabric. The fire starts small. It grows, its warmth rising into the air. This is what I'm leaving behind today. I refuse to let Raiden Kimura control my life. This sense of fear that's always there. When will he come for me? I don't know. Shinji makes me stand back from the fire. Anako stands on the other side of me. She takes the mask that matches mine and throws it onto the fire. She stands next to me as the plastic melts. I sigh. I watch it burn. The last of what Raiden Kimura left behind. He will influence me no longer. No decision I make now, or ever again, will be a result of him. I will meet him without fear. He's coming for me. I don't know when, I don't know how. There is only one thing I'm certain of. After all that he's done, Raiden Kimura will not come out of it alive.
A/N: Tomorrow (22nd July) marks the one year anniversary of me uploading the first chapter of Waking Up Normal. I just want to thank everyone reading this chapter, you guys are what inspire me to keep writing. Special shoutout to EibonVirgo and Puppylove7 who leave great reviews every week, you're the real MVPs here (and my super supporting GF, she's the best). Here's to another year of the adventures and bad decisions of Yuuka Sasaki!