I wanted to kill Raiden Kimura. I promised myself that I would kill him.
Then, I realised. It would make me no better than him. I can't promise a better future if he isn't around to see it. I'm telling him that he can't kill millions of people because he's angry about the past, and kill him for the same reason.
I make another promise to myself then. I will defeat Raiden Kimura, here and now. Make him see the error of his ways. So that, maybe, we could both create a better future for psychics. Then and only then, could I stop the Ark Cradle falling and Yusei's supposed certain death.
"My turn!" I know what card I need. Please. "I draw." I resist the urge to grin. "I activate Pot of Avarice. I target five Monster Cards in my grave and shuffle them into my deck, allowing me to draw two cards. I activate Fabled Kushano's effect from the grave. I can discard one Fabled Monster from my hand to add this card to my hand. I discard The Fabled Cerburrel, whose effect activates! When this card is discarded, I can Special Summon it(ATK:1000)! Now, I summon Kushano. Level 3 Kushano tunes Level 2 Cerburrel and Level 4 Unicore! A frozen spear falls from the heavens and pierces the earth! Usher in a cycle of destruction and rebirth! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier(ATK:2700)!" Tiny ice shards burst into the air. They catch the rainbow light coming from the gears around us, projecting it around us. Trishula roars, raising its three heads. "Trishula's effect activates! I banish one card from your field! I choose Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon!" A pitch black vortex opens behind Raiden's dragon. It's dragged into it, shrieking. "I banish Plaguespreader Zombie from your grave, and a random card from your hand!"
"Yuuka." Raiden says, his voice barely a whisper. For a second, I see that lost boy. Abandoned by his father. Lost in the world. Left with strange powers that destroys everything he touches. Scared and lost. Then, I remember who that boy grew up to become.
"That's it. You're gone from my past, present and future! I don't need you anymore. I refuse to let you control me anymore." My voice shakes slightly as it raises. "You say that psychics can only be happy if the past is rewritten. You're wrong. We are already creating our own futures, for ourselves. Things mightn't be the best right now, but it will get better. The world is becoming kinder to us every day. Aki competed in the WRGP. She wasn't heckled, she wasn't called a witch. People just watched her, and they were content with that! Screw changing history! I know my path. I will carve my future, no, our future with my own hands. That's what I've decided. What will you do?" Raiden stands staring at me with wide eyes. "I activate the Equip Spell, Megamorph and equip it to Trishula! If my life points are lower than yours, Trishula's attack doubles(ATK:2700-5400)." I take a deep breath. My aura quells. "Trishula attacks you directly! Trinity Shard Burst!" Trishula sends a flurry of ice shards towards Raiden. They catch the light of Moment, filling the room with an ambiance. His life points fall to 0, and everything fades away. He remains standing, silent. I walk towards him, while putting my deck back in its holder on my belt.
"I'm sorry." He says. I say nothing in return. I can't say that I forgive him right now, or that I ever will. This man has put me through hell, and I may never come to grips with that fully. Between crafting me into the perfect soldier, and setting me up to overtake the City just to take that away from me. "I used you, I was wrong. I'm sorry. I went too far in my anger. I hope you can forgive me." He looks me in the eyes. There is a real sadness in his violet eyes. I used to fear those eyes. They'd glare me down until I was forced to pick a path that I didn't want to go down. But now, I feel nothing. "You had every motive to hurt me, but you didn't. You're stronger than I'll ever be."
"I wanted to kill you." I answer. He gasps slightly, keeping his eyes fixed on me. I avoid his gaze. "But then I realised it would change nothing. Those scars that you left me would still be there, reminding me of what we had. You don't deserve to die, no one does." I sigh, meeting his eyes again. "That's what I've realised. You can't let millions of people die because you're angry at those who have hurt us before, and may hurt us again."
"I suppose you're right." Raiden has this melancholy smile on his face. "I never gave you enough credit. You're a better person than I'll ever be."
"What? Like it's hard?" I answer. I can tell that it makes him want to groan. "I honestly don't know how you wanted me to react to that."
"I think you're right." He says. "Maybe we do have a future. If the Daedalus Bridge can get built, who knows what we could do."
"It's not going to be perfect right away." I sigh. "But you just gotta have some hope."
We just kinda stare at each other for a few minutes. There's not much more to say. I mean, given that the last time I saw him, he collapsed a building on top of me. He tried to murder me. I wanted to do the same, maybe even be successful this time. But not anymore. Just looking at him brings back glimpses of the past, when I was just that much more naive. He took me under his wing in an attempt to sleep with me and turn me into a warrior for his cause. I know things now that I didn't then. I would never go through that again, but still, I'm grateful for what I've learned. I hated it, but I'm stronger for it.
I hope he has changed, that he saw the light. He was power hungry and cold. He wanted the City and a chance at revenge at those who had oppressed us. He can't continue as he is now. If I have to play a part in that change, then so be it.
I hear the rumble of an engine. I turn around as there's a burst of light. Yusei's D-Wheel bursts out of the light. It skids, before tripping over, throwing Yusei from it.
"Yusei!" I scream as I run over to him. He stands up just as I reach him. I feel my knuckles turn white as I grip his arms. His aura… It's dark, why? What happened? His eyes suddenly widen. There's horror written on his face. I follow his gaze. Bruno's chipped visor lies on the ground. Oh no. I turn back to Yusei. I see tears forming in his eyes. I go to put my hands up to his face, but I stop myself as Yusei screams Bruno's name. His name pours out of his mouth like a river. My hands grip his face. His eyes open as soon as my cold hands touch him. His eyes look around us, freezing where Raiden is. He wipes his eyes and his face hardens. I pull him into a hug, pressing his head into my shoulder. I take a deep breath as his body shakes. He raises his head, pulling away from me.
"Yuuka, who is this?" He looks towards Raiden, who shifts awkwardly in his place.
"Nobody important." I narrow my eyes at Raiden, who stays silent. I don't need Yusei to know that the guy who tried to murder me is here right at this second.
"Okay," Yusei says rather nonchalantly. "Let's just head to the Sun Gear already. I'm tired and I want to go home."
"Let me come with you." Raiden speaks up. "I refuse to let Z-One to go through with his plans, he must be stopped."
"Sure, I guess." Yusei shrugs his shoulders.
"You got your spare helmet?" I ask Yusei, who nods. He goes over to his D-Wheel and heaves it upright. He throws me the helmet from where he's standing. I look back at Raiden. "Take my D-Wheel I guess. Try not to crash it or I'll beat your ass, again." I put my duel disk back with my D-Wheel before moving behind Yusei on his. We drive off towards the Sun Gear in complete silence. I spot everyone else standing at a door as tall as a building. The twins call for Yusei as we pull up.
"Yusei! Yuuka!" Crow comes up to us. His eyes move towards Raiden pulling up on my D-Wheel behind us.
"Everyone, you're okay," Yusei says as he takes off his helmet. Crow's eyes move back to us. I take off Yusei's spare helmet. I feel my hair already becoming tangled, since it's not in a ponytail anymore. I wish I had a spare hair tie, but it's not like I had lots of time to prepare for this.
"Yusei, look at this!" Rua points to a heart-shaped mark on his arm, immediately grabbing our attention. "I'm the sixth Signer! I'm just like Yusei and Jack!"
"That mark..." I mutter. "I've seen it before."
"What?" Rua asks, eyes wide.
"It appeared on your arm before, after your duel with Luciano."
"Huh!?" Rua exclaims. "And you didn't tell me!"
"I wasn't sure if it was real or not." I chuckle nervously. "I didn't want to get your hopes up for nothing."
"My mark didn't stay on my arm the first time it appeared." Yusei adds, a small smile on his face. That smile looks fake, I can see through it in an instant. No one else seems too bothered by it.
"Yusei, I wish you could have seen Rua's duel." Jack smiles in Yusei's direction. "It was quite impressive." Rua blushes, spinning on the spot.
"If it wasn't for Rua, we couldn't have stopped the Yusei Gear." Rua's spinning becomes more frantic with Ruka's words.
"You're exaggerating!" Rua slows down to hide his face in his hands. Yusei puts his hand on Rua's shoulder, stopping him in his place.
"Well done, Rua." Rua's face falls completely before going into a big grin.
"Y-Yusei!" All traces of embarrassment have gone from his face, replaced with shock. I laugh to myself at how exaggerated his expression is.
"Sherry!" Yusei exclaims, bringing my attention to the blonde woman who said she'd murder my boyfriend if she saw him in the Ark Cradle. I disembark Yusei's D-Wheel, ready for a fight.
"I've decided to battle alongside you." Sherry says, ignoring my glares completely. There's a couple of seconds of tense silence as she and Yusei have a staring competition.
"I understand." Yusei finally answers. I give him a strange look. Sometimes I wish I was forgiving as Yusei, then other times, I think he's an idiot. This is one of those times.
"Yusei, where's the guy with the visor?" Aki asks and I gulp. Here we go.
"He's gone." Yusei looks down so that his hair covers his eyes. "He was the guardian of the Yusei Gear. He really was... Bruno." Yusei forces Bruno's name from his lips. It's going to be like this until Yusei lets himself grieve. It hasn't really sunken in that Bruno is dead yet. I know I should feel sad, but my mind isn't comprehending it. I feel like I'm going to return to the garage and Bruno is going to be sitting at the computer, waiting for us.
"Bruno?" Crow echoes.
"Yeah." Yusei answers, avoiding Crow's gaze. When Yusei's upset, he doesn't like to talk. He just wants to sulk until he feels well enough to talk again. This isn't helping him at all.
"What do you mean?" I take a deep breath as more questions are asked. "Why Bruno?"
"Bruno's real name was Antinomy," Yusei explains. "Like Aporia, Z-One sent him here in order to change the future."
"Bruno was Z-One's servant?" Jack raises an eyebrow at us. I avoid his gaze and stay silent, I know just as much as everyone else. Yusei can tell me what he wants to when he's ready.
"Does that mean that Bruno was our enemy?" Ruka mutters.
"No!" Yusei's voice raises just enough that I flinch. "It's true that Z-One sent Bruno. However, Bruno really did want to battle alongside us. That's why Bruno taught me something while he battled me. A new power I need to battle Z-One."
"A new power?" Jack repeats.
"It's called Delta Accel Synchro," Yusei nods. "He sacrificed himself to save me." This gets a gasp from everyone else.
"That means that Bruno is..." Aki's words trail off as the reality of the situation sets in. It doesn't feel real. Bruno is waiting for us at the garage, my mind keeps insisting on it.
"Yeah," Yusei looks down so his hair covers his face. "He entrusted us with the future."
"Bruno..." Crow's fist clenches. "I'll make him pay! How dare he use Bruno to guard the Yusei Gear!"
"Sherry, Z-One is up ahead, right?" Jack asks, to which Sherry nods. "Let's go, Yusei! To get Bruno's revenge. I won't stay quiet after he used my friend as a shield!"
"Yeah!" Yusei looks up, his face steeled into something more Yusei-like.
"Wait, wait." Jack raises his hand before pointing to Raiden who stayed by my D-Wheel the entire time. "Who is that?" Raiden's eyes widen, he moves over to us. He stands in front of Jack, hand stretched out for a handshake.
"I'm Raiden Kimura, nice to meet you. You must be Jack, right?" Everyone's eyes dart to me. I avoid everyone's gaze and pouts into the nothingness around us. Jack's fist flies up, meeting Raiden's jaw. The impact causes Raiden to stagger backwards, before falling to the ground.
"Go fuck yourself." Jack's eyes narrow into a glare. I see Aki take a step forward, but Crow puts a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. Everyone's eyes move to me again, even Raiden's.
"What?" I look back at Raiden. "You deserved it."
"Yuuka, why is he here?" Crow's eyes blink a little too fast. I think he's resisting the urge to jump Raiden on the spot.
"He may have also been working for Z-One." I answer.
"Why didn't you tell me that was Raiden?" Yusei turns to me, looking rather offended.
"I beat his ass in a duel, besides, he's helping us now."
"Listen here." Jack picks up Raiden off the ground by the front of his shirt. Despite the fact that Raiden is a tiny bit taller than Jack, Raiden looks scared shitless. "If you pull any funny business or even think about hurting her-" Jack points to me, "again, I swear to the gods, I'm throwing you off the Ark Cradle myself. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal clear," Raiden nods. Jack lets go off his shirt, and the tension simmers but doesn't go away. Raiden is getting glares thrown at him from every angle.
"Alright, on that slightly soured note," I sigh. "Next stop, Z-One!" We silently go to our D-Wheels, with me sitting behind Yusei on his, and head through the giant door. We arrive at a ramp and starting climbing. The ramp starts spiralling, making me feel slightly dizzy. Gears made of what looks like solid Moment float in the air, spinning.
"What is this place?" Rua asks.
"No idea." I answer. "I just want this done and over it, so I can suppress the memory of it already-"
"Look at that!" Crow points to the centre of the room at what looks to be a tower.
"It's the old Moment." Yusei mutters, just loud enough for me to hear. The Ark Cradle really is the Satellite in Z-One's future. A part of me still doesn't recognise the gravity of the situation. Then, the star-shaped star that the other Yuuka gave me burns and I remember. Why I'm here and what I have to do. Stop Yusei from dying. Simple idea in concept, difficult in execution.
"The old Moment's energy must be powering the Sun Gear," Aki explains. Makes sense if I think about it. Then again, if I start thinking too much, I feel ill. Maybe I should just stop thinking altogether. I spot the end of the tunnel in front of us. It reminds me of my younger days in the Satellite, hunting for shitty cards in junk piles.
Z-One's aura throbs as we drive through the mountains of junk. My chest might as well burst into flames, it feels that hot.
"Over there! I shout, pointing in the direction of his aura. I spot the machine that Z-One inhabits, sitting at the top of a pile of junk. Our D-Wheels all come to a stop. I disembark, walking towards the pile. I nearly fall at the strength of his aura. Yusei catches my arm. I freeze. I stare up at Z-One. His aura. It's been familiar to me for so long. I could never place my finger on it. Mechanical, but somehow, it's almost like I've known it my entire life. I look back at Yusei, and then to Z-One.
I know why that aura is familiar.
Underneath that mechanical disguise, lies Yusei's aura.