Yusei and I are alone in the garage once we get back. Jack's gone for his far too expensive coffee now that he's allowed it again. Bruno decided to go on a walk. He likes taking the beach route, he's said before. Don't blame him. So, we decided to just throw ourselves on their couch, limbs entangled. It's nice just to sit there without a care in the world. I'm meeting Takumi in a few hours, it might be serious or Takumi could just be over dramatic like normal.
"Hey Yusei." I say. He hums, playing with my hair. "You never told me how you figured out that you liked me."
"Have I not?" His brows furrow a little. "Could have sworn we have."
"Maybe you didn't realise that you weren't talking out loud." I answer.
"That's always a reasonable explanation."
"Tell me though." I link my fingers with his. He's taken off his gloves for once, which makes me happy.
"Fine." He sighs. We move so we're lying down on the couch. It's a tight fit, but I will never complain. Can never be too close to Yusei, that's my motto. "It was back while both of us were on Team Satisfaction. We were on patrol one day, you insisted on going with me. It started lashing rain. I tried to go find shelter. But you wouldn't come with me. You wanted to dance in the rain." He chuckles. I remember that. "You dragged me out into the rain, and made me dance with you. I just started thinking. You had this big smile on your face. You found such happiness in a small thing like that even though we were in the Satellite. It's then I realised. You made me feel the same way." He smiles, turning to look at me. I start laughing, nearly falling off the couch in the process. "What?"
"That is the cheesiest thing I've ever heard." I wipe a tear away from my eye. "I've watched some cheesy rom-coms in my time, but that beats all of them."
"When did you realise then?" Yusei shakes his head at me, smiling.
"I was just staring at you one day. We were stargazing and talking, even though we couldn't see any through the smog, and it just… hit me." I smile, remembering all those feelings. "Then, I just started cursing in a big long stream."
"Oh, so that's what that was." He says as he squints slightly. Almost as if he was remembering the specific feelings of confusion he felt then.
"Your story's cute though." I look up at him. "Beautiful even." Yusei smiles before kissing me.
"Don't forget that I live here too!" Jack shouts as he bursts through the door. "Disgusting."
"Get used to it." I roll my eyes. "We hid this for months. Let me cuddle my boyfriend on the couch in peace, dammit."
Takumi calls us to the gazebo in the park where Team Liberation started its journey so long ago. We need to talk. He texted me just a few hours ago out of the blue. That thought made my stomach sink. Those four words are never a good thing.
Kenta and I arrive together. Kaoru stands in the center of the gazebo, while Takumi stands on the opposite side of the gazebo, overlooking the pond. The view is nice as the last light of dusk shines on the water. He doesn't turn around even when we go up the steps into the gazebo. I get a sense of deja vu. This image was drilled into my mind the last time we were where. I look at Kenta, he bites his lip.
"Takumi." I say. He finally turns around, leaning on the railings. "What is this about?"
"I'm sorry to have called you here, with the WRGP starting and all." He smiles, but there's a fakeness to it. "But we have urgent business to attend to."
"Then, get on with it." Kenta scowls. Takumi seems taken aback.
"Well, we thought we were finished." He starts pacing. I lean on a pillar of the gazebo. Kenta makes me move over so he can lean on the same pillar. "But." He turns, facing Kenta and I. "Ben got a phonecall. Raiden Kimura." I get a shiver down my spine. "He threatened to take our territory and come for Yuuka personally." I knew this is what Takumi was talking about. No one has brought this up since then, or at least around me. "We need to determine if this is actually a real threat-"
"It is." Kenta answers, gritting his teeth. "We're talking about Raiden here."
"That's true." Takumi continues pacing. "What are we going to do?"
"How about after the WRGP is over, I go into an underground bunker and come out once everything's blown over?" I suggest. I'll do anything to avoid facing Raiden again, literally.
"I would suggest having someone with you, twenty four-seven." Kenta furrows his brows slightly. "With that person preferably being a psychic. I mean any of your friends are also good choices, especially Izayoi."
"You're right there." Takumi says. "But what are we going to do about our territory? That's the most important thing here. Especially after we worked so hard for it." I look to Kenta, offended that Takumi would put our territory before me, his friend.
"More important than Yuuka?" Kenta scowls. "If Raiden gets to her, he might very well murder her. But no, you think our territory is more important."
"That's not what I meant." Takumi throws his hands up. "I believe in Yuuka's ability to not get murdered. She survived last time pretty well."
"Barely." Kenta counters. "From what she's said, that's only because she went berserk then which accelerated her healing factor. Meaning she was mostly healed by the time she got to hospital."
"What?" I mutter.
"The feelings you described when you fought Ben and Jasper, and the other time you fought Raiden. They're the same. The same feelings of electricity and your eyes burning. My guess is that you went berserk that time too, you just didn't realise it. Considering your emotional state during both, and it's a sound argument."
"Not that." I answer. Kenta tilts his head. "You called me Yuuka. You've never called me that before, you've always just called me Sasaki."
"Uh yeah." Kenta's eyes refuse to meet mine. "We're friends, aren't we? Wait, I have called you Yuuka before. You were berserk at the time so I don't think you remember."
"That's true." I chuckle. "Most of that time is a blur, so it makes sense."
"Back to business." Takumi says definitively. "How will defend the territory? We can't let months of work go to waste." We all stay silent, not looking at each other. "Guys." There's a desperation in Takumi's voice.
"Wait until Raiden shows up." I say. "We don't how know or when it's going to happen. He'll come for me first, I can almost guarantee that. My plan is to fight him straight on. Don't even let him come near our territory. This is my fight alone."
"Seems fair." Takumi answers. "But what if you fail? You always need a backup plan, you know that."
"I fail, I die. Simple as." I sigh. It's a terrible thought, but it's true. I have fought tooth and nail since that day when my world crumbled around me. I will not lose.
"You won't die." Takumi tries to convince me otherwise. "But your idea of intercepting Raiden before he can do anything is an interesting idea." He turns to Kaoru, who's been silent the entire time. "What do you think?"
"Getting rid of Raiden is my first priority right now." Kaoru says bluntly.
"I agree." Kenta says. "Our territory comes after that."
"I guess." Takumi huffs.
There's silence again. Takumi keeps pacing. The wheels in his head keep turning. Kenta is unusually tense. He keeps saying that something is wrong here. Is this what he's talking about? Could he have been talking about Takumi this entire time?
"What do you suggest we do?" I ask.
"I have an idea." He mutters. "I haven't fully thought it through yet. Keep coming up with ideas until I've got this planned out."
"Aren't we supposed to be doing nothing with our territory though? Now that we've conquered it all." Kenta says. There's a strange look in his eyes. Almost like he's purposefully riling Takumi up. Takumi's eyes darken, like he's caught onto this.
"Technically yes, but if we don't want it to be taken off us, we have to take care of it." He leans on the railings of the gazebo.
"Seems tedious." Kenta huffs. Takumi becomes more and more irritated.
"That's a sacrifice we're going to have to make."
"What's this idea of yours?" All eyes turn to me. "What do you think we should do?"
"Well." Takumi hums. "Increase patrols. Tighten our defenses. I want to be ready when he strikes."
"And after that?" I prompt. There's something else, that Takumi isn't as willing to share.
"We take him down, once and for all."
"No. I mean, after that." I say. Panic flashes into his eyes for a split second.
"I thought about increasing our power." Takumi turns his back to us, looking out over the pond again. "Taking the fight to where it really needs to go."
"Takumi." Kenta grits his teeth.
"This City isn't the utopia it claims to be." Takumi continues, ignoring Kenta. "It mistreats its citizens. Isolating and discriminating against psychics and Satellites alike. That's why gangs are such a big thing here. I want to get back at this City. Get to the root of the problem and get rid of it. Only then can we be free."
"You can't be serious." My brows furrow. "That can't fix this problem. There's no way we can solve this with violence."
"Yuuka, don't be silly." Takumi huffs. "You think words can solve this? This City has never listened to us. I had some hope that it would change with the unification with the Satellite, but it's solved nothing. Satellites and psychics are still treated like second-class citizens. The only way to fix this is through force. Make them see that they can't treat us like this."
"Takumi, that's not an option." Kenta pipes up before I have the chance to. "Using violence is only going to make them crack down harder on us. We need to hold marches and demonstrations. Sign petitions, go on strike. Not fight a system that's already punished us enough with more violence."
"What after that?" I ask. Takumi's composure breaks for a split second. "What if we fail? What if we succeed?"
"We keep going." He answers. "We can't stop until psychics and Satellites are treated the same as everyone else. Everywhere."
"Everywhere?" I know.
"Why stop at this City alone?" Takumi's eyes grow wide as if a new world has opened up to him. "This problem exists everywhere in the world. I can't sit back and watch this happen."
"Takumi!" My fists clench. "What are you thinking?" I move off the pillar, and stand in front of him. "You told us Cardinal Dragons was the end. You lied to us." Takumi backs away from me. "Unless." He gulps. "This was your plan along." He stays silent, not meeting my gaze. "Takumi."
"This is not your fight." Kenta pushes himself off the column. "You are neither a psychic or a Satellite. You have no place making this decision."
"I do." Takumi says. "I am neither so I have the loudest voice. No one would listen to you otherwise."
"You're gaining power from our plight." My body starts shaking. I feel my aura flare. "You're not helping us, Takumi. You're using us. All you gain from this is power."
"That's not true!" Takumi shouts back at me. "My boyfriend is a psychic. Most of friends are psychics. You're from the Satellite. I can't stand and watch all of you get mistreated anymore. I have to do something."
"This is not the answer!" I step right up to him. His back bends back slightly. His feet don't move, he stands his ground. "Our answer was to conquer gangs peacefully. I stand by that. If you want to cause a revolution like that, I won't have any part of it." I take a few steps back. Takumi exhales loudly. Kaoru refuses to meet my eyes.
"Then, you're turning your back on your people." Takumi glares at me. "There is no revolution without force. Once a revolutions starts, it will never end."
Something inside of me snaps. Everything's a blur as my feet moves by themselves.
"Yuuka." Kenta holds his arm out. My fist freezes in midair, only milliseconds away from punching Takumi in the face. Takumi's eyes open slowly, he was ready for impact. With a flick of his wrist, Kenta converts my boiling rage to a calm, collected one. I lower my fist, slowly. Takumi flinches. I take a few steps back.
"You want a fight then?" Takumi asks.
"If that's the only thing that will make you come to your senses, then yes." I answer, and take a deep breath.
"I won't duel you." Takumi says. "Kenta manipulating your emotions will only last so long. Once that's over, you'll use your powers to beat me to a pulp."
"Then what?" I scoff. "Hand to hand?"
"Not that either." He shakes his head. "You're stronger than me and we both know that." I squint. Takumi is quite muscular, though in a leaner way than Shinji. We used to go the gym together a lot. Why he refuses to fight me now is a mystery.
"You scared?" It's the only explanation that comes to mind.
"No. You're thinking that there's not that big of a power gap between us, aren't you?" Takumi smiles like he knows he's right, and he is. "I imagine your aura's flaring right now, judging by Kenta. You're always stronger when you're like that."
"You're right about that." Kenta answers.
"So, you won't fight me? That's what I'm hearing."
"That's right." Takumi turns his back on me again. "Kenta already lost a duel to me. There's nothing you two can do to change my mind."
"What if we leave?" The words drip from my lips like venom. "Don't doubt me, Takumi. You know I will."
"Kenta won't." Takumi turns back to me, a fire in his eyes. "I can just find someone to replace you."
"You're wrong." Kenta moves to stand beside me. "You won't find anyone out there like us. Move on."
"Kenta." Takumi mutters, eyes wide.
"Kaoru." I turn to my brother. "Join us. Don't let him convince you that this is a good idea." He refuses to meet my eyes. "Kaoru." He refuses to say anything.
Why won't you say anything? I try talking to him mentally. Are you siding with him? Why? Kaoru, please answer me. He looks towards to the pond, instead of at the ground. His eyes are closed.
"Kaoru!" Kenta shouts. Kaoru still remains silent.
"I see how it is." My fists clench.
"See Yuuka." Takumi shakes his head. "Kaoru can see the sense in what I'm saying, isn't that right?" Kaoru remains silent, not answering Takumi either. What is wrong with him?
"He's not taking a side." Kenta says, sighing.
"But Yuuka…" Takumi trails off, looking to the side. "If you're not with me, you're against me. You do realise that?"
"If you're sacrificing our friendship because I won't follow you, then so be it." I glare at him, as if my stares could drill some sense into him. He merely raises his eyebrows at me.
"Then, I guess this is it." Takumi walks past me, stopping at the bottom of the steps into the gazebo. "You're on your own now, Yuuka. I hope you realise that." He moves his gaze to Kaoru. "Come on. We're done here."
Kaoru pushes himself off the pillar with his foot. His shoulder brushes mine as he goes to walk down the steps. I gasp, turning around. I follow them down the steps, watching them walk away. Kenta follows me, standing slightly behind me.
"Kaoru. You've betrayed me." The venom starts flowing from my lips. "I hope you know that. You're going against everything we've fought for. You're going against me." Tears start burning at my eyes. I think about the last few months, nearly a year, with Kaoru by my side. Helping through my depression, joining Team Liberation to protect me. Vowing to not let Raiden Kimura get away with what's he done. Me helping him get his D-Wheel licence. All our inside jokes. Talking at three in the morning about nothing at all, just inside our heads. I thought he cared for me. I really thought he did. I guess I was wrong. "I just wish I had let you rot. Turned you away when you needed help. Because that's what you had done to me." For a second, I swear I see him turn back. I blink, and he just keeps walking. He only gets further and further away from me. Walking side-by-side with Takumi. He's betrayed me. I feel our mental connection snap. For the first time in a long time, my mind is completely quiet.
"Yuuka." I hear Kenta mutter beside me. He places a hand on my back. I fall to my knees. Sobs shake my entire being. My fists bang on the ground. Stones cut my skin. He's gone. He abandoned me. Everything burns. My eyes, my heart. The last of dusk's light disappears. No more tears fall. My body shakes. Kenta helps me stand up again. He's long gone. I know he is. He turned his back on me. Everything we fought for.
Fire shoots up to my temples. I feel it sear across my chest and head. I try to take a deep breath, but it catches in my throat.
When I open my eyes, everything is pitch black. A swirl of rainbow light appears in front of me. The spiral of buildings falling from the sky sits just a bit in front of me. Falling gradually until it's doomed to crash. A machine appears in the middle of the twinkling light. The strange shape has returned. It's the strange comma-shaped machine that appeared before us in the Security headquarters. Something about it is achingly familiar. Something inside me makes me reach out for it. The rainbow light making patterns on its white body. It turns slowly towards me. It's almost looks like a D-Wheel, like… I feel its eyes on me. It calls out for me. Both of my hands reach out for it. I blink. The machine disappears. The rainbow light keeps shining. It reflects on Yusei's helmet which has made its way into my hands. Blood drips from the helmet onto the pitch dark floor. The blood pools around me, turning the floor into a beach. The spiral of buildings, now further away, crashes into the sea. The waves crash all around me. I see Yusei's D-Wheel race past me in the tide. I stay completely still in the water. Aki. Jack. Crow. Ruka. Rua. Their dead bodies float past me one by one. My hands start turning the helmet in my hands. The blood runs onto my hands and soak my sleeves. There's suddenly a weight to the helmet. I face it towards me. Eyes closed like in death. Yusei Fudo's severed head lies in the helmet.
ACT II CONSEQUENCE END