Chapter 17: Confrontation and Accusation

"This is ridiculous! I was at the arena most the the evening yesterday watching the Fortune Cup. I haven't even looked at my runner in the past four days since I last dueled with it." I stood and emptied my pockets, "I even left the keys at home!"

I was spending my evening the last place I thought I'd be spending it, in an interrogation room at the Securities station. Surveillance placed my runner at the scene of an accident likely caused by the powers of a psychic duelist. Of course, it just so happened I was supposedly developed similar powers, but the police didn't know that. They were simply basing their arrest on my runner. My dad reached over and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down before my anger implicated me.

The officer in charge of questioning had steely and professional demeanor, "I understand your frustration, Miss, but you too must understand our need to question you in this matter. Your runner was at the scene, and the primary target was apparently someone who was quite sharp with a high school friend of yours."

"I haven't spoken to her in three years. We parted on bad terms. She nearly killed my brother by Christ's sake! Why would I punish some guy that was mean to her?"

"Do you have any idea who may have had access to your garage?"

"No. I have the key to that on me. Nobody other than me knows where the spare is." I lied.

Actually it could be either truth or lie, seeing how Koyou knew where the spare key was kept before his accident. The amnesia most likely removed that knowledge from his mind. Either way I wasn't exactly going to rat out my brother, even if he had motive and more apparent destructive power than me. Plus, he technically wasn't accounted for during the time of the attack. I had my suspicions, but tossed them aside. Koyou was never a violent person, thought the accident could have changed him.

Suddenly, my father buckled over, seized by pain. I grabbed him in the kind of abject terror instilled by losing someone important before, "Dad! What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" he winced, "Old condition. Flares up once in a while, nothing to be concerned about."

I'd never seen any of these flare-ups before... if he wasn't lying then what the hell was he talking about? Of course, the cop was concerned, "Mr. Kou, do you need a doctor?"

He sat up, still visibly in pain, though he mostly concealed it, "No, it's passing already. Sorry for the distraction. You can continue interrogating my daughter without her attorney present without any concern for my condition or the possibility of a law suit." It was hard to tell if he was joking or threatening him.

"Sir, it's not my intention to accus-"

Suddenly there was a knock and another officer stepped in. He moved over to the interrogator and whispered, though I was close enough to actually hear what was being said, "Sir, we just got a call in from Peters, the ambulance with Kinomiya inside was destroyed in front of him just moments ago."

"Who or what did it?"

"He doesn't know, just like last time there was strange fire and suddenly the area started being torn apart by blades of flame. Like a card effect or something. Five dead, twelve missing from the surrounding area."

"Was the runner sighted?"

"Yes, sir. It's the same one."

I smacked the table to draw heir attention, "Are we done here? It's clear someone made off with my duel runner. I'm sitting right in front of you, I can't attack ambulances from here can I?"

The interrogating officer clasped his hands together, "I'll let you go for the time being so you can perhaps make it to see your brother in the tournament. I'm not heartless. However I must ask you not to leave town, we may have further questions for you."

My father stood, lifting me from my chair, "Understood. Let's go, Mei."

He kept a firm grip on me as we were let out and walked me with gentle force straight out of the station and to the car. The behavior was strange, "What's going on, Dad? You only pull me like that when I've done something wrong. I didn't do it. It's obvious."

"I know. You were with me the whole time both incidents happened."

"Then what's up?"

He moved around to his side, climbed in, and started the engine, "I just got a really bad feeling, that's all."

Koyou's Perspective

"I said... Koyou KOU!" the announcer repeated as I hurried into the area beneath the stadium, apparently having missed my cue to ascend.

A staff member yelled at me, "Where were you? Get on your mark!"

"Sorry, I was zoning out." I stood on the little glow-in-the-dark mark that told me where to stand and was immediately lifted in a cloud of smoke to the field. Aki was already in place.

The announcer, relieved, continued, "It's the Black Rose Witch vs the Gemini Hero! Duel start!"

We activated our duel disks, "Duel!"

Koyou: 8000 vs Aki: 8000

In quite possibly the worst possible twist of fate, the system gave Aki the first turn. With the first turn, she could deploy a Black Garden and cut my ability to play in half. I'd been spending the hour long intermission wracking my brain thinking of how to win against that field spell. The field spell that was quite possibly the hugest bane to my deck I had seen since waking in Satellite. Even more so than Stardust Dragon.

"It's my turn! I draw." Aki stated, coldly drawing a card.

I smiled, "You know, I was looking forward to this. Now we can talk with out any interruptions. Well, other than the vicious monster attacks tearing my to pieces every once in a while."

"Don't make nice with me. I know why you're really here." Aki played a monster, a small bulb that shot off a single tiny firework as it appeared. For some reason, even though I didn't know the effect, the 500 attack point monster terrified me.

"Why do you think I want to duel you?"

"You have the same cursed mark. That foul mark! You've come back from the grave to end me!"

"Don't be stupid! I don't hold the accident against you!"

"I'll take your lies and shove them back in your face. You're family is nothing but liars."

"Aki?"
She was already furious, having to confront a friend that she had killed was clearly too painful for her, "You make me feel welcome and at home. You act like your my friends! Then you do nothing but use me to make yourselves feel better!"

And there was that amnesia problem again. I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Then, when I make a mistake... when I slip and hurt one of you... you cast me out! Those friendly eyes turn into the same persecuting eyes I see every day of my life!"

"Aki, that's-"
"Enough! I summoned Lonefire Blossom! I'll take all the gifts I was given, all the lessons I learned, and shove them right back at you! I activate Lonefire Blossom's effect. Once per turn I can tribute a plant-type monster on the field." she tributed the Lonefire itself, "to summon any plant monster from my deck. I summon Gigaplant!"

A huge monstrous swamp creature with a red, crocodile-like head erupted from the seeds sown by Lonefire Blossom. I knew that card... and I immediately knew this was going to be the most difficult duel I had been in yet, "You... you're playing a gemini?"

"Equip spell card!" the monster suddenly burst into flame as Aki played a spell.

Shit! SHIT! I cursed my luck, knowing exactly what was happening.

"Supervise! This can only be equipped to a gemini monster, and that monster is treated as an effect monster! I activate Gigaplant's special ability." Gigaplant drove it's tentacles into the ground next to it, pulling up Lonefire Blossom from the grave, "Once per turn I may special summon a plant of insect-type monster from my graveyard or my hand. I special summon Lonefire Blossom!" the monster was instantly sent back to the grave, "I tribute Lonefire again, to summon another face you should recognize. Your manipulative sister gave it to me remember? I summon Cruel Angel – Queen of Rose!"

My heart nearly stopped beating and my head throbbed as a large rose appeared and bloomed into a beautiful angel with rose-petal wings. It wore a mask that looked like the mask of the Black Rose Witch, and wearing clothes much like Aki's, except for the beautiful and incredibly ornate rose skirt. It bore a huge broadsword and the same attack as Gigaplant: 2400.

The announcer was dumbfounded, "Oh my god! Two monsters to the field at once with 2400 each! Neither of which have been seen in the tournament until now! Izayoi takes a strong early lead!"

I remembered... Images... faces... voices.

"Hey, Koyou, why did you suddenly change your costume to Celtic Guardian?"

"It's all the shop had left."

"Weren't you making one?"

"I spent so much time making the mask and failing I didn't have time."

"Really? Are you sure you weren't really making that mask for Aki from the start? It looks exactly like the mask she was trying to make for her costume."

"D-don't be stupid!"

I called to her, "Aki! You don't understand! They don't hold it against you! Of course they were mad, but they've all forgiven you! My parents never hated you!"

Aki ignored me, "I play, Black Garden."

The death knell of my deck grew from the ground, locking the entire field in an organic coliseum of death. She had two monsters with 2400 already out. Even bringing out my strongest monster wouldn't produce anything strong enough to win against them. Even if I set the monsters to avoid the effect, my monsters didn't have the defense to repel any monster that wasn't weakened by Black Garden. Each turn, even if I somehow keep a defense up, she could use Gigaplant to spawn a token in attack mode on my field and get straight to my life points. Worse still, looking at my hand, I lacked any of the cards that could get it off the field. I was boned. Completely, perfectly, and absolutely boned.

"Turn end."

I drew... and was still boned, "Aki, please just listen to me. You can come back to us and live with us like a normal family. Dad can still help you work on control."

"I said it already. I don't need you anymore, I have Divine."

"The guy who let's you wander around venting your rage by terrorizing people, making sure everyone fears and despises you?"

"At least he doesn't treat me like a leper! I can duel anymore I like! He accepts me for what I am! With Divine I don't have to change!"

"Are you happy right now with who you are? Because you don't seem happy!"
The crowd got rowdy, "Shut and beat that murdering witches' ass!"

Another, "Yeah, stop trying to get in her pants and win already!"

I turned and yelled at them, "Mind you own business!"

Suddenly I felt a bit dizzy, m body tingled. Turning back to the duel I played stupidly, "I summon Future Samurai!" he warrior was instantly bound by Black Garden, it's attack going down to 800 and summoning an 800 attack rose token to her field, "I always thought I should give you flowers, but this isn't quite what I had in mind, I chuckled, then placed two face downs, "Turn end."

I she attacked, I could turn this around with my set Power Frame. That would boost my attack to 2400, enough to hold my ground at least. That was my plan, and it fell apart completely when Aki drew.

"My turn. I draw. During my stand-by phase, Cruel Angel – Queen of Rose destroys the weakest monster on the field. If it's a tie, I pick between them. I destroy Future Samurai!" Queen of Rose flew over and cleaved my monster (and my strategy) in two, "Gigaplant! Direct attack!"

Tentacles shot forward, slamming into my gut and sending me flying backwards. Disturbingly, I felt my insides grow slightly even more squishy than usual, "Gaaaah!" I started coughing, the wind having been knocked out of me. Moments later, I realized I was already bleeding a bit from my mouth.

"Queen of Rose! Direct attack!" the cruel angel charged, slashing a huge tear across my chest.

"GaaaHAHA!" bleeding badly, tears flowed out of my eyes from the sheer pain of the blow.

Koyou: 3200 vs Akiza: 8000

The announcer roared, "My lord! The dominant force of last round has been rendered helpless by the witch's incredible power. In this kind of situation, can Kou do anything at all?"

I fell over, realizing how prefect her field was. While those monsters remained on her field, Queen of Rose would destroy anything I could summon, before I could have any chance of summoning something big enough to avoid Queen of Rose's effect. Those tokens that came to her field protected her two big monsters from being destroyed. Meanwhile, even if I got rid of Queen of Rose, Gigaplant would bring it right back. In summoning face up and trying to use Power Frame, I'd jut put down the final component in giving her that protective token. What a field!

Summoned in the crowd said, "If this keeps up, he might die right here!"

Another person, "Serves him right for trying to tame that monster."

I struggled to stand, "Such a field... it's beautiful. That technique is freakin' amazing! I walked right into it!"

Someone in the audience, "Do you think he has a concussion?"

Another, "Shut up stupid, he didn't get hit in the head!"

I got all the way to my field, smiling like a moron, "That's good stuff! I'm in such a bad situation right now! You might have me beat already!"

"You sound happy." Aki gave me a strange look.

"Of course I am. You're so strong and you're my friend. Why wouldn't I be?"

She went a little wide-eyed.

"If I lose, what a way to go out! I mean DAMN! I'm getting so completely crushed! If I win, look at what kind of situation I got out of!"

"You're crazy!" Aki teared up a little, "You could die! Don't you understand that? I could kill you! I already did once!"

I extended my arms to my side, "Kill me then. Apparently I'll just coming back."

"Don't make fun of me!"

I smiled, "I know you're hurting, Aki. I feel the same way as I did back then. If you're in pain, come to me. Give me all your pain. Kill me a thousand times and I'll say the same thing every time. As long as you don't mind waiting three years and giving me amnesia every time. I'll get back to you."

Aki hesitated, shaking a little, she started to cry a little, then the shouts of the crowd demanding her head seeped into it, "Lies! Nobody cares about me but Divine! You just want to change me, Divine will just accet me for who I am!"

"You can't expect me to believe you like being like this!"

"I told you!" she looked at me as if I'd betrayed her, "You can't accept a monster! You never will! I attack directly with Rose Token!"

The token shot out a single bullet-like seed. "Gah!"

Koyou: 2400 vs Akiza: 8000

"Then I end my turn!"

The crowd got even worse, their ignorance seeping into my tried patience, it felt like the building anger inside me was going to lit me on fire, "Shut up you assholes! You don't understand, so just shut your traps!"

The crowd fell silent.

I put my hand to my deck, "I'll beat you Aki, maybe through this duel I will be able to make you believe the truth! MY DRAW!" Bingo, "I activate Polymerization! I send Dawnbreak Gardna and Tuned Magician to the grave to fusion summon Superalloy Beast Raptinus in defense mode." it's 2200 attack was halved by Black Garden, but it's defense remained at 2200. Akiza gained a token, "Trap card: Birthright! I summon Future Samurai in attack!" It's attack was halved and Akiza gained a token. "Thanks to Raptinus, Future Samurai gains it's effect, I use it to destroy Queen of Rose!"

My samurai returned the earlier destruction and I paid the cost by removing the Dawnbreak Gardna in my grave from the game. I looked to my drawn card, and considered my options. If I destroyed Black Garden, my main problem would be gone. But if I took out Gigaplant, even though Supervise would revive it, it would take up Aki's normal summon to regain it's effect to return Queen of Rose. With Black Garden on the field their attacks would be halved, taking both to 1200. I would also get a draw.

"I activate Gemini Spark!" raising sword to the sky, Future Samurai transformed into lightning and struck down on Gigaplant, "By tributing a monster I destroy one card on your side of the field and then draw a card."

"Supervise activates in the graveyard, special summoning Gigaplant to the field!" Black Garden halved its attack and gave me a token.

I placed my hand to me deck, the anger and determination that was still building up seemed to flow into my hand, "I draw!" I drew with all my might, suddenly, to my amazement, the drawing motion burst in to flame, leaving a flaming gash at Aki's feet.

Someone in the crowd screamed, someone else shouted, "FREAK! HE'S A FREAK JUST LIKE HER!"

I activated the card, almost entirely on instinct, "Immediate spell: Burning Draw!"

Aki went wide-eyed, glancing up from the flames, "Immediate spell?"
'An immediate spell is a kind of spell so fast that it activates the very same instant you draw it. I activate The effect of Bruning Draw, revealing the top card of my deck. If it's a level 4 or lower monster, it's special summoned to my field." I flipped the card, "Blazewing Butterfly is special summoned to my field." its attack was halved and Aki got yet another token. "thanks to Raptinus, Blazewing has his effect. I use that effect to tribute it, and revive Future Samurai with its own effect activated." Future Samurai returned, wreathed in fire. It suffer halved attack and another token appeared. Aki's field was clogged with tokens, preventing Queen of Rose's return. "The second effect of Burning Draw activates. Since Blazewing was use as material for a special summon, it's original attack is added to Future Samurai's attack points, raising them to 2100."

Aki stayed silent.

"Future Samurai's effect! I remove Tuned Magician from play to destroy Gigaplant." The monster was slashed in half. "I attack the Rose Token next to it with Future Samurai!"

The attack went through, cutting into Aki's life points. But when a shard of the slain flower flew up and literally cut into Aki, I was flabbergasted. Her hairband falling to the ground and blood flowing from a cut on her forehead.

Koyou: 2400 vs Aki: 6700

Aki touched the blood and looked at it in shock. Then looked to me with an expression probably very similar to that of Julius Caesar when he was stabbed by his friends. I was dumbstruck, uncertain of how I'd inflicted real damage, "I'm sorry, Aki... I... I didn't mean it! I-"

"Y-you're just like papa!" An aura of wrathful power surrounded her, her Signer marks glowing almost blindingly bright. My arm ached as well, the mark appeared, glowing ferociously. It was over. She was going for her dragon, "It's my turn. I draw! I summon Twilight Rose Knight! Now I'm tuning my level three Twilight Rose Knight to two level two Rose Tokens. Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon! It's effect activates, destroying all cards on the field! Black Rose Gale!" A massive tornado arose, blowing so hard that I had to retreat two steps. Sections of the duel track surrounding the field shattered. Pieces of the field tore loose and pelted me. Finally, every card on the field shattered.

Aki lifted a single card from her hand, "Monster Reborn. I revive Queen of Rose from the graveyard in attack mode." She glared at me with hatred burning in her eyes.

"Aki... I'd never hurt you on purpose! I lo-"

"Direct attack!"

The rose angel dashed forwards, cutting off my words with a sword strike that sent me flying backwards. I could see only blood for a moment, then when that was out of the way I saw I was falling towards the edge of the duel field. My shoulder can down hard on it, dislocating as I fell completely of the platform. I caught a brief glimpse of a horrified and guilty expression on Aki's face.

The announcer shouted as my world went black. "We have an outcome! Aki Izayoi proceeds to the finals to face Yusei Fudo! We need the medics in here! Hurry it up!"

Some time passed, I'm not sure how much, as I drifted in and out of consciousness. I heard Yusei's voice, fearful for me, "Koyou!"

I swallowed the blood in my throat, choking a little, and forced words out of my mouth, "Yusei... save her..."

I was pretty sure I was being rolled on a stretcher, and some voices around me saying something about calling in another ambulance and keeping me stable until it got there. I drifted out again, Yusei's words being some comfort, "I swear, Koyou, I will. No matter what it takes."

Next Chapter: Sorrow and Loss

Set in stone events: Yusei vs Aki, insanely huge plot development on par with the "point of no return" event in RPG games. (Random Reader: You mean the star of the fic getting put in critical condition is not as huge as this coming event?, Me: Nope, the next development is even bigger.)

A/N: This fic is ending soon alongside the Fortune Cup, but will continue in another fic that will be rated M. The title of which will be revealed in the last chapter of this.

Countdown to the end (not set in stone yet): 3