The first time I see the Ark Cradle in the sky, I don't even react. I just stand there, staring at it. I feel like it should cause some heavier breathing, maybe my hands would shake, or just something. But nothing. It appeared once before, when Yusei and Bruno returned from wherever we were on that shuttle. They said that only Signers were able to see it. Meaning, I shouldn't be able to see it. I blame the other me that I saw in the Spirit World. The scar she gave twinges whenever I see the Ark Cradle. This time, it doesn't vanish. I don't bring attention to it. That would bring up questions that I can't answer. I don't look up. That's what I do. Keep your eyes to the ground, what's in front of you. It's the only thing I can do until it draws closer.
I take a deep breath before knocking on Kaoru's door. I get no answer. The evening light floods into the landing, shining right in my eyes. I hear Kasumi moving in the kitchen downstairs, she told me to talk to Kaoru. He hasn't come out of his room in hours, at least eight at this point. I knock again. I feel Kaoru's aura inside his room. It's almost completely engulfed by sorrow.
"Hey buddy?" I say through the door in the hopes of getting a response. "It's not your fault." I sigh when he says nothing back. I sat down in the kitchen with Aki and the twins to watch Team Delta's duel against Team New World. Everyone else joined when they heard the name Team New World. The team that is definitely Yliaster and magically showed up when history was changed. Kaoru was first up. His ace monster, Judgement Dragon, isn't a Synchro, so it was a smart choice. In the end, Kaoru ended up decking out before he could even get the dragon out. Only for Shinji and Anako to be taken out in rapid succession. It was a harrowing moment. I realised the gravity of our situation should we win against Team Ragnarok. "Kaoru?"
"Go away." That's all he says.
"No, I'm not going away. I just wanna talk." There's a bit of silence.
Fine. I hear him respond through our mental connection. I almost miss it. We haven't been using as much lately, due to Kaoru being an asshole. I open the door slowly to the pitch dark room. I notice his curtains are fully closed over, with only a small beam of light shining on a sliver of red wall.
"Don't turn on the light." He says.
"Bitch, I can't see." The stream of light widens as Kaoru pulls on the curtains from his spot on the bed. The room is cleaner than I imagined, with only his riding jacket and boots being thrown on the floor. He's lying face down on his bed. His forehead resting on his arms, he turns slightly to look at me. His eyes are rimmed with red. I close the door behind me. I decide not to take a seat on the bed, because ew. I pull over the chair at his deck to sit nearer to him. I sit there silently until he says something.
"Why do I keep fucking up?" He places his forehead back on his arms, not meeting my eyes.
"You're not always fucking up." I pat his arm gently. "It happens to all of us."
"Not in the semifinal of all places." I hear him scoff and burrow his head further into his arms.
"I messed up while dueling Raiden and I got thrown through a wall and had a building collapse on top of me. There are worse things." I smile awkwardly in an attempt to make him laugh. He doesn't even turn to look at me.
"But I messed up in front of a crowd of thousands." I notice scratch marks all over Kaoru's arms. I move my arms into the same formation as Kaoru's. He must have done that while he was lying here.
"I nearly died. We get over it." He turns to face me at that. His light brown bangs, which have grown slightly too long, cover one of his eyes.
"Okay, maybe we're not dead, but I still feel bad." He sighs through his nose, then I realise what's happening. The scratch marks should have tipped me off.
"What do you do to make yourself feel better?"
"I don't know. I just normally lie here until the nauseous feeling goes away." Yep, classic anxiety attack.
"I just attach myself to Yusei until my head stops hurting."
"I don't care." He squints at me. "I don't want to know what you do with your boyfriend." Then I get the idea, taking out my phone. "What are you doing?"
"You'll see." I text a number that's been sitting in my phone, ignored for a while. "So, aside from the thing, how are you doing?"
"Okay, I guess." He squints even harder at me, suspicious.
"Yeah, that's good." I nod, before standing up. "I'm gonna get you some food, you need it."
"No offense, but I don't think I can eat right now."
"I understand the feeling, but I'm going to ignore that." I go into the kitchen, grabbing junk food from the cupboard in the kitchen. Kasumi goes to question me, but decides to just shake her head. I go back upstairs to find our cat, Mrs. Whiskers, curled up on Kaoru's back.
"Get her off me." He says, I throw the junk food near his head to take Mrs. Whiskers in my arms. She sit awkwardly in my lap before trying to escape. I don't let her, holding her to my chest.
"Eat your junk food, dumbass." Kaoru looks down at the pile of food on his pillow, picking a bar of chocolate. "Junk food is what I eat when I'm like that."
"You get like that too?" He asks before taking a bite.
"Yeah." I sigh. "One time, I scratched my arm so hard, it started bleeding. The scars went away after like a week. Don't do that, not a fun time." Kaoru just nods as he chews. "How are things going with Takumi?"
"Good, good." He doesn't meet my eyes. "I don't think we're official yet, but we basically are."
"Cool." My phone buzzes and I go downstairs to open the door. Takumi stands at the door, out of breath and sweating. I take the key, stepping outside so Kasumi can't hear us. "Listen." I point my finger in his face.
"Hey, your boyfriend is sad. Come over and cuddle him or something. I come running. Then, I get you pointing your finger," he moves my finger away, "in my face. Get your message straight, woman." I notice Takumi didn't deny the boyfriend comment.
"I don't care. Listen to me. My brother is upset, and he needs you. He is vulnerable and emotional. If I hear you did something nasty to him that he didn't want, I'm going to chop your balls off. I mean it."
"Oh I know you do." Takumi places a hand on my shoulder, I glare at him until he retracts it. "Well, I wouldn't do anything like that. Unless he asks for it of course, I'm hardly going to say no in that case. I'm not Raiden, y'know." I glare at him again. "Too soon?" I don't say anything.
"Raiden what now?" Both of us freeze, turning to look at Kaoru who opened the front door without us noticing. He looks like he would be blushing if he weren't trying to suppress it.
"Nothing important." I pat Kaoru's arm as I make a beeline for the garage door and my D-Wheel. "Conversation for another day, now go be gay or something."
By the time, I get to Poppo Time, it's pretty late since I stopped to get a burrito. Yusei, not wanting a burrito for some strange reason, told me about their opponents tomorrow. I try to make as little noise as possible, as to not wake Bruno sleeping on my couch.
"Is that you, Yuuka?" I nearly jump when Jack calls out to me as I go for the second set of stairs. I didn't notice him in the chair despite the street light shining through the small window. Yusei also told me what happened earlier. Jack didn't take being used as a pawn well, especially one that didn't achieve anything through his own merit. "I'm assume Yusei told you what happened earlier." I nod, and he sighs. He keeps his voice to a whisper. "I'm sorry about it. I raised my voice way too much back there. I promise to apologise to Rua."
"Don't worry. I'm sure the kid understands."
"I'm ashamed of myself." He leans back in the chair, staring at the ceiling. "My time as King, when I ruled over the top of the dueling world... In the end, it was all just manipulated by Godwin."
"I get what you mean." Jack raises an eyebrow at me. "Thinking back, Raiden lost that duel on purpose. I think he wanted me to go work with Team Liberation so he could take the City in one foul swoop. It won't do us any good to keep looking back on it. We just need to focus on getting stronger, that's what I think."
"But, to think that Dragan was forced by Godwin to lose." He smacks his fist on the arm of the chair. "If I can't defeat him, as long as I live, I won't be able to forgive my pride as a duelist."
"Then prove it." I say. "Between you and Dragan, which one of you would have won that match? Bet on your pride as a duelist."
"Naturally, I was the one who would have won." Jack stands up and passes me to walk up the stairs.
"Yuuka, you should take the chair." Crow stands up once I walk over to the computers in the pits after giving Jack putting the 5D's sticker on his arm. I take the seat without much of a thought. He mightn't be standing for long. That's what my brain comes up with.
"Here, in case you need it." Aki picks up a bucket and gives it to me. "Since the last time-"
"You put them up to this, didn't you?" I interrupt her, turning to Yusei.
"They did that themselves." He shrugs his shoulders.
"We went to the exhibition match." Aki explains. "Dragan's ace monster was giving out some energy when it faced off against Red Daemon's Dragon. We were just worried that it'll affect you."
"Yeah, that happens."
"The first wheelers, Jack and Dragan, have positioned themselves at the start line. The time has come for them to protect their positions!" The MC, thankfully, cuts the conversation short.
"Jack's gonna be okay, isn't he?" Rua asks, turning to Yusei.
"He will." Yusei assures him.
"Duel Mode, on." The computer generated voice drones.
"Here I come, Jack Atlas!" Dragan exclaims. "I plan on beating you this time!"
"Come on, then! If I lost to you, I couldn't call myself Jack Atlas!" Jack scoffs as the countdown starts.
"Riding Duel! Acceleration!" The MC chants before the two dart from the starting line. "Jack Atlas has taken off!" Jack seems to be putting more effort into going faster than his opponent than usual.
"So that's how strong your will is to win this duel, huh?" Dragan hums. "But I won't lose!" He tries to matches Jack's speed, but I think it's too late for that.
"Don't think you can best the machine we spent the last year building!" Jack shouts back at him, taking the first corner.
"And the one to clear the first corner is Jack Atlas!" The crowd cheers.
"Duel!" The chant. They draw their hands. From our little display in the pit, I see shock on their faces, both of them.
"What? These cards…" Jack mutters.
"It's the same hand as before!" Dragan exclaims. Have both of them drawn the same hands as their last duel? The odds of that...
"Unbelievable! My turn!" Jack declares. "I summon Top Runner(ATK:1100)!"
"Top Runner? That's the same monster as before!"
"I set two cards and end my turn! Now bring it, Dragan!" Jack eggs him on. "It's our destiny to finish our previous duel!"
"Let's battle, Jack Atlas! My turn!" Dragan says, bringing their Speed Counters to 1. "I summon Garmr of the Nordic Beasts(ATK:800)!"
"This is the exact same duel as before." Crow mutters, moving closer to the screen.
"Then, I set one card and end my turn!" There's a weird look on both of their faces, but that doesn't affect the intensity of them.
"My turn!" Jack shouts with more ferocity than normal. "I summon Power Breaker(ATK:1900)! Level 4 Top Runner tunes Level 4 Power Breaker! The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:3000)!"
"There's no mistake." Yusei gasps softly.
"What are the chances?" I ask. "It must be one in millions."
"Something like that." Yusei answers.
"So the set card is the same?" Crow looks at us, as if we have the answer.
"Bring it, Dragan! I won't run or hide!" Jack smirks. "Try to defeat me with that set card! Here I go, Dragan! Red Daemon's Dragon attack Garmr of the Nordic Beasts! Absolute Powerforce!"
"I activate my trap, Nordic Relic Brisingamen!" Dragan interrupts Jack's turn.
"There it is!" Rua exclaims.
"That's the card of destiny?" Crow raises his eyebrows as if he expected something flashier.
"You risked your pride with that card! Show me its effect!" Jack's voice contains a hint of arrogance that once filled it in his days as King.
"My monster's attack becomes the same as another monster's original attack points until the End Phase! I select Red Daemon's Dragon(ATK:800-3000)!" Dragan declares. "When Garmr destroys your monster while it's powered up by this effect, you take damage equal to its attack points!"
"What?" Jack exclaims, realising that he has to take 3000 points of damage if he doesn't have a counter.
"So this is what Dragan's set card does." Crow mutters.
"Interesting!" Jack hums. "I'll take you on! Here I do, Dragan! Now begins the real battle where we wager our prides! I activate my Counter Trap, Reaction Summon! When your monster's attack points change, I can Special Summon one Level 4-or-below monster from my graveyard! I Special Summon Top Runner(ATK:1100)! Due to Top Runner's effect, my Synchro Monster gains 600 attack points(ATK:3000-3600)!"
"Alright! It has more attack points than the opponent!" Crow pumps his fist.
"Go, Red Daemon's Dragon! Absolute Powerforce!" Jack's attack leaves Dragan with 3400 life points.
"He did it! He defeated Dragan's trap card!" Rua cheers.
"The previous battle is over!" I hear the enthusiasm in Jack's voice. "Do you know that you can't defeat me?"
"Not good enough, Jack Atlas!" Dragan laughs. "I knew that Garmr would be destroyed. That trap is only the beginning!"
"What?" Jack exclaims.
"I can Special Summon this card from my hand when a monster on my field is destroyed in battle!" Dragan continues. "I Special Summon Tanngnjostr of the Nordic Beasts in defense position(DEF:1100)! Bring it, Jack Atlas! The real battle is just getting started!"
"The trap card wasn't his trump card." Crow gasps.
"Top Runner attacks Tanngnjostr of the Nordic Beasts!" Jack's attack amounts to nothing as they share the same attack and defense points.
"Why did he attack it when he couldn't destroy it?" Ruka asks, turning to us.
"In order to protect Top Runner." Bruno explains. "You see, during the End Phase, Red Daemon's Dragon's effect destroys all monsters on his own field that didn't attack. Get it?" Ruka nods.
"I set one card and end my turn!"
"My turn!" Dragan starts his turn. "I switch Tanngnjostr of the Nordic Beasts from defense to attack position(DEF-ATK:1100-800)! When this card switches from defense to attack position, I can Special Summon one Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts from my deck! Appear, Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts(ATK:1200)! I can Special Summon this card from my hand when a Synchro Monster is on your field! I Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Guldfaxe(ATK:1600)!"
"Tuner Monster?" Aki echoes. "He's planning to summon Thor, Lord of the Aesir. He let Jack destroy Garmr so that he could use the trap card to summon a god." I feel Yusei's hand moving onto my arm as if to keep me in place. I let myself lean ever so slightly back onto him.
"Here I go, Jack Atlas! Level 4 Guldfaxe tunes Level 3 Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr! When the Door to Asgard opens, the Ancient War God will raise up his Magical Hammer! The very earth itself will shake as he appears from a roar of thunder! Synchro Summon! Descend, Thor, Lord of the Aesir(ATK:3500)!" Dragan raises his hand as lightning flashes. A familiar feeling of nausea returns as the monster lowers onto the field from a bright green light overhead.
"It's here!" The MC declares as a rainbow light surrounds the monster. The light brings back unpleasant memories. "Dragan's ace monster! It's Thor, Lord of the Aesir! One of the three Aesir Cards that have the power of the gods!"
"The Aesir have finally appeared!" Jack scoffs. "But Thor, Lord of the Aesir had 3500 attack points. Due to Top Runner's effect, Red Daemon's Dragon has 3600 attack points. Thor, Lord of the Aesir can't destroy Red Daemon's Dragon!"
"You still don't understand. I'll show you the power of a god!" Dragan exclaims. "Thor, Lord of the Aesir's effect activates! Once per turn, this card negates and gains your monster's effect!"
"What?"
"I negate Top Runner's effect and then I use that effect to increase Thor, Lord of the Aesir's attack points by 600(ATK:3500-4100/3600-3000)! Effect Absorber!" He declares. "The moment I activated the trap card Brisingamen, I knew this would happen. You'll find out the power of a god! Thor, Lord of the Aesir attacks Red Daemon's Dragon! Thunder Pyle!" A shock wave spreads as the hammer swings. Jack's life points fall to 2900. I feel Yusei hold me tighter.
"Whoa! He annihilated Jack Atlas's ace monster Red Daemon's Dragon in a single strike!" There's silence in the pit as we realise the strength of the Aesir cards. That attack. Could it have…
"This is the power of a god!" Dragan brags. "I promise to get back the pride that I lost! I set two cards and end my turn!"
"The impact felt like it would tear my body apart!" Jack emerges from the attack looking worse for wear. That attack dealt real damage. I turn to look at Yusei, who's full attention is on the duel. "This is what it's like to fight a god? My turn! I summon the Tuner Monster, Barrier Resonator, in defense position(DEF:800)! Then I switch Top Runner to defense position(ATK-DEF:1100-800). I set one card and end my turn!"
"That's pointless. No defense works against a god! My turn!" Dragan declares. "I activate Thor, Lord of the Aesir's effect! I use Top Runner's effect to increase Thor, Lord of the Aesir's attack points by 600(ATK:3500-4100)!" I spot flashes of lightning around Thor. I feel a burning in my throat, but I suppress it. "I activate the trap, Nordic Relic Mjölnir! My god can battle twice this turn and it deals 1000 points of damage for every monster that it destroys in battle!" Thunder and lightning rain down from the sky. The display images started to flicker. "Thor, Lord of the Aesir attacks Barrier Resonator! Thunder Pyle!" I hear Jack scream over the sound system. The video feed stablises in time for us to see Jack spin out, as his life points drop to 1900.
"Whoa!" The MC screams. "The god's power caused Jack Atlas to lose his balance!"
"What was that impact?" Yusei mutters.
"Did you see that?" Crow turns to Yusei
"Jack took real damage." I answer, everyone looks at me. "The other cards didn't manifest themselves, but Thor did."
"Unbelievable! The god's power has become real?" The MC continues as if he heard me talking.
"What's going on?" Aki asks me, I just shrug my shoulders.
"Thor, Lord of the Aesir attacks Top Runner! Thunder Pyle!" I spot a faint glow from Dragan's eye on the monitor. It must be their Rune Eye. Jack's scream comes over the sound system as his life points drop to 900. He spins out as he is engulfed by a cloud of smoke.
"Did that hurt? The impact swallowed up Jack Atlas!"
"Jack!" Crow exclaims. "What's going on? Jack isn't coming out!"
"Did Jack Atlas crash?" The MC shouts for dramatic effect.
"Crash?" I hear Dragan mutter. The smoke slowly clears, with Jack emerging from it looking very battered by the attack.
"Jack has emerged! He didn't crash!" The MC roars over the sound system.
"That impact was too weak to make Jack Atlas crash!" Jack hums as the crowd begins to cheer.
"Stop making us worry." Crow puts a hand on Aki's shoulder, sighing in relief.
"Jack Atlas, this is why you're an opponent worth defeating!" Dragan smirks. "I won't let you escape by crashing! I'll defeat you by dueling!"
"I'll send those words right back at you! You'll discover Jack Atlas's power!" Jack exclaims. "I activate the trap card, Tuner's Reflect! When two or more of my Tuner Monsters are destroyed this turn, I can Special Summon those two Tuner Monsters(ATK:300/ATK:800). Then, you take damage equal to the Special Summoned Monsters' attack points!" Dragan's life points fall to 2000. "Jack Atlas won't lose against you!"
"Alright!" Rua pumps his fist. "He dealt 1400 points of damage!"
"Since he has two Tuner Monsters, he's planning to summon a new Synchro Monster." Dragan reasons. "But no matter what Synchro Monster you summon, it'll be powerless against a god! I set one card and end my turn(ATK:4100-3500)!"
"Let's fight, Dragan! My turn!" Jack declares. "I activate Speed World 2's effect! By removing 4 Speed Counters, you take 800 points of damage for each Speed Spell in my hand!" Dragan's life points take another fall, leaving him at 1200.
"Since you can't defeat a god, you've changed your strategy to dealing effect damage." Dragan scoffs.
"You're wrong! I always crush my enemy with absolute power! That's how Jack Atlas duels!" Jack exclaims. "I activate my trap, Descending Lost Star. I Special Summon a Synchro Monster from my graveyard in defense position. Resurrect, Red Daemon's Dragon(DEF:2000)! When this effect Special Summons a monster, it loses its effects and 1 Level, has 0 defense points and can't change battle position(LV:8-7/DEF:2000-0)!"
"That's not good enough to be a shield against a god!" Dragan smirks.
"Who said I was going to use it as a shield?" Dragan's face falls at Jack's words. A red energy begins to surround back. I feel my windpipe burn. "Look at this wild fighting spirit surging through my body! I've reached a new stage known as Burning Soul!" Jack's Signer Mark begins to glow. I raise my hands, pressing my fingertips against my temples. "Level 4 Top Runner and Level 1 Barrier Resonator double tune Level 7 Red Daemon's Dragon! The King and The Devil, here and now, shall become as one. A Raging Spirit! Lift up the very cries of Creation itself! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Scarlet Nova Dragon(ATK:3500)!" I hear gasps before the crowd starts to cheer.
"Level 12 and 3500 attack points! Awesome!" Rua cheers before they return into the stadium. The crowd only gets louder as Scarlet Nova Dragon flies overhead.
"Yuuka, are you okay?" Yusei asks me, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"I'll be fine." I answer. I feel Aki put her hand on my arm. I sigh.
"What's that monster?" The MC screams, making my head hurt more. "It's a battle between god and the devil!"
"Yusei, is that card…" Crow turns to Yusei.
"Yeah, that's Jack's new ace monster, Scarlet Nova Dragon." Yusei says as energy begins to surround the two monsters. I shudder as my head throbs.
"Look at that!" Aki exclaims.
"Scarlet Nova Dragon and Thor are resonating." Yusei gasps. I feel his gaze turn to me. "Yuuka, go to the infirmary."
"What?" I turn completely in the chair. The pit goes deadly silent.
"You should go to the infirmary. If you stay here any longer, you're likely to faint again." The duel continues in the background, and everyone else turns their attention to it. "I just want you to be safe."
"I'm fine, Yusei." I say that as another throbbing sensation hits. Yusei reaches out for me on instinct, holding me close to him.
"Yuuka, please." Yusei has this desperation in his eyes.
"I'm okay, really." His face doesn't move, stuck on that expression he knows will break me eventually. I know if I don't go, he's just going to worry about me. That could come back to bite him later should he duel. I sigh. "Fine."
"I'll go with her." Aki stands up, hearing me say that.
"Thank you." Yusei kisses me on the forehead before letting me get up.
"I'm doing this because I love him." I say to Aki as we walk to the infirmary.
"I know." She laughs. "You'd never go willingly." It's not that long of a walk to the infirmary. I joke about it being handy for Yusei. Aki only shakes her head with a smile. The faces of the staff in the infirmary fall when I walk in.
"Oh. You're back." The woman who I assume in charge says.
"Yep." I answer, about as enthusiastic as she is.
"She's feeling faint again, so we've brought her here." Aki explains.
"Well, there's a surprise." The woman frowns. "Just sit on the bed." She points to one of the two beds in the room. I go over and sit, crossing my legs. Aki sits in the chair beside me. She fixes a piece of hair that had fallen into my face.
"You don't have to stay here. I know you want to watch the match." I turn to look at Aki.
"Are you sure?" She asks.
"I know you want to go, it's okay. The staff are here, so I won't die. Again." Aki gives me a scolding look for that comment before standing up.
"Call us if you need anything." Aki puts her hand on my arm again. "If you're still here, I'll come get at the end of the match."
"Right." I nod. "Thank you." She smiles before walking out.
"Do you suffer from low blood pressure?" The nurse walks over to me.
"What?"
"Low blood pressure can cause people to faint, especially if you stand for too long." The nurse rolls her eyes and she talks with a monotone voice.
"Um no, not to my knowledge."
"Do you know why you always feel faint?" I'm starting to feel a bit attacked by this woman's behaviour.
"I don't know, I didn't eat breakfast this morning."
"Breakfast is an important meal that you shouldn't skip." She drones on like she's said it a million times. She brings me over a bottle of water and a small packet of crackers. "Eat these, they should make you feel better."
"Thank you." I say.
"Yeah, yeah. Stand here as long as you need to." She sighs. "I'll be at my station if you need me." I nod but don't say anything else. She goes back to a little desk and resumes her conversation with the nurse who seems just as pissed off as she is. Another wave of nausea hits. Must be another Aesir, I reckon.
Jack walks into the infirmary looking pretty battered, and the head nurse groans. He takes the seat beside me that Aki had vacated.
"So you lost, huh?" I ask.
"I barely won against Dragan, but I got taken out by Brave." He puts his hand up to the nurse as she starts to walk over. "I'm fine." She gives him a plaster for the cut on his face, but he just keeps it in his hands.
"Good for you." I answer. "Got your pride back."
"I have a question." Jack turns to me. His face is completely blank so I can't read it, and his aura is giving me nothing. "Why do you, all of a sudden, feel sick sometimes?" I go to answer, but he keeps talking. "It's always to do with this supernatural stuff. I realised that's what it was when we went to Nazca."
"I don't actually know." I sigh. "Something to do with my ability to sense auras, I'm guessing. That I'm more sensitive to all that supernatural stuff than any of you."
"Seems fair." He says. We sit in silence for a while.
"Did you come down just to ask me that?"
"I did." He nods.
"You could have waited." I shrug my shoulders.
"I didn't because I know you're hiding the fact you see that thing in the sky from the rest of us."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I lie.
"That's a lie." He says. "When you space out, you're always looking in the direction of it."
"That's a coincidence." I say. "I'm not a Signer, I can't see it unless I'm touching one of you. I stand pretty close to Yusei, so I tend to see it a lot."
"I don't believe you." His eyes narrow. "I don't know why you can see it, and you clearly don't either."
"I see it because I'm touching one of you."
"You're hiding something." His gaze turns into a glare. "Don't tell me that you're not. I know you well enough to know that you're lying."
"I'm not this time. I swear." I sigh. There's no guarantee that if I tell Jack, it won't get to Yusei. I'll stick to my story, for now.
"I'll believe you." He scoffs. "For now."
"Thank you."
"Yusei thinks you're lying."
"Does he now?" I sigh. "Well that makes me feel shitty."
"You feel shitty?" Jack raises an eyebrow at me, "Try dealing with the fact that Yusei forgave me despite me being the shitty guy on the planet. I reminded of it everytime I see Stardust, and that's a lot."
"Dude, you stole a D-Wheel and a card," I squint a little at him, "I came back from the dead to try and murder him. If we're gonna compare how shitty we are, let's just calls it quits now and say that I'm officially the shittier human being."
"I guess." He says nothing more. I stare down at my hands as our conversation turns into silence again. I start eating my crackers as an excuse not to talk. If we talk for much longer, inconsistencies might start to appear and that's not what I need right now. A third wave of nausea appears.
"Give me that plaster." I say, taking it off Jack. I put the plaster delicately over the small jagged cut on his face. It probably came from his chipped visor. He mutters a small thank you. My head starts to clear. It's a familiar feeling. This time, I'm able to pin it. I look towards the exit of the infirmary. "Shooting Star Dragon." I mutter.
"What did you say?" Jack asks.
"Yusei summoned Shooting Star Dragon."
"Do you want to go back up into the pit?" I nod. I get up and start walking towards the pit. Jack makes me walk slower than I would have. That big brother instinct of his never really left.
"The winner of the incredible WRGP semifinal battle is Team 5D's!" The MC roars as we make our way back into the center of the stadium. I run into the pit as Yusei and Harald come back into the home stretch. I smile as the crowd start chanting Yusei's name. They pull to a stop in front of us.
"Well done." Harald takes his helmet off. "I lose, Yusei Fudo. I can't believe your goal was to activate Odin's Eye. Your wisdom was greater than the power of the gods." I feel my heartbeat stutter as Harald's Rune Eye shines. "My Rune Eye is telling me that you're our friends. I'm counting on you. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders." I start moving towards them.
"Yeah I know." There's a hint of sarcasm to Yusei's voice, but there's still something genuine to it. I throw my arms around Yusei's neck, surprising him. I smother his face in kisses. He laughs, putting a hand on the top of my head.
"You did it, honey!"
"Yusei!" Everyone else is just coming up to us now.
"Everyone…" Yusei smiles. He just up off his D-Wheel. A member of the staff takes it off the track for him. Everyone starts walking away, but I stay where I am.
"Are you sure it's okay to let them handle this?" A member of Team Ragnarok's pit crew says.
"Yusei Fudo's destiny isn't destruction. He will guide humanity's potential." Harald smiles, before noticing me. "And who are-" I see Team Ragnarok's Rune Eyes activate. I feel my eyes burn orange in response. He gains a lopsided grin.
"Do you know how to stop that thing?" I point to the Ark Cradle in the sky, now that's in my line of vision.
"Unfortunately no." He answers. "But I'm intrigued as to how you can see it. A mere psychic such as yourself shouldn't be able to see it. Even one as powerful as yourself."
"You're a psychic too, I'm guessing." I say without a hint of doubt. His aura is different from his teammates.
"Why yes, that's why I can read your aura." He raises a hand to his face. "Is your power level as a psychic the reason why you can see it? You're one of the strongest psychics I've encountered. It's almost like you have two auras combined together."
"I was hoping you could answer that."
"I'm sorry, my dear. But I don't hold the answers you're looking for."
"Yuuka." Yusei walks over to me, looking between Harald and I. "Come on."
"Okay." I say before walking away, feeling no more satisfied than I did before.