Okay! Here we are with the third chapter! Before that, important notes!
1) I have edited the second chapter. Gone is the mess that befell some of the thoughts sentences and also I had to edit some dialogue because I noticed I had made an error regarding the awareness of a certain character.
2) Sorry to tell you this, but you're late. :P I have had this chapter posted a week ago already on my Blog. Just check my profile and follow the 'Homepage' link. The PDF version of this chapter is special looking too. :D
That said, I don't want to keep you anymore. Here's the third chapter of New Thunder! Enjoy!
New Thunder 3
Chapter3: The Trash and the Thunder
"Okay. That's all for today." Manjoume declared as he settled his papers back together and the bell rang, signaling the end of another week of school, much to the relief of most students. The thrill of having an ex-pro as a teacher had quickly died down once Manjoume had revealed himself as a very stern teacher. He pushed everyone as hard as possible, and Rua even more. "Be sure to relax on this weekend, but also don't forget about the test we're gonna have sometime before the golden week starts."
Cue groans from most of the classroom. The Thunder allowed himself a wry smile and a dark chuckle at his subjects' expenses as he settled his material back into his briefcase. He had learned two things from Rua's experience. First, he had to learn how to more subtly push his students to study. Second, subtle threats were much more his style and much more amusing and as effective without risks of psychological breakdowns... Not many.
Also, that was the first day he had done a lesson without miss Maria's presence. He wondered what had been so important to persuade her to leave him alone with the students. "Manjoume-san."
"Ruka." He closed his briefcase and turned to meet a smiling young girl. "How was the lesson?" He had also learned, on miss Maria's suggestion, to take feedback now that he was still an aide. Once he was a real teacher he couldn't allow to show himself unsure. Even if he wasn't.
"It's was easy to follow. Rua actually managed to write down some notes." She chuckled as he laid eyes on the twin who was finishing writing something down before getting up from his seat. "Well... Also, I wanted to wish you a good week-end."
"Thanks. Ah, before I forget..." Manjoume's right hand dove for his right pocket, presenting to the world a mobile phone. "What's your e-mail?"
"E-EH?" Ruka reddened and looked around, noticing that no one had paid any attention to her outburst because of the almost empty classroom and the cacophony that was the corridor. "M-My e-mail?"
"Yeah. I mean, I can't always be around you. If you happen to have any questions about... That thing, you can just e-mail me and I can answer." A few clicks later, his gaze was on the very flustered Ruka again who suddenly found her joined hands and the floor very interesting. "... Well?"
"A-Ah! Yes!" She replied and hastily began to dig for her own phone, while, from the corridor, a trio of close friends observed.
-Break-
"Come in, Manjoume-san. We're just about done." A knock later, Manjoume found himself in the principal's office once again. As he suspected, that was where he found miss Maria, putting away what looked like files of the students.
"I was kind of curious as to what you and the principal have been doing all morning, miss Maria." He closed the door behind him and helped her with half of the pile she had been trying to carry back to a nearby cabinet. "Archive review?"
"Sort of. We were checking for Hikikomori." The principal answered as he turned around in his seat. "Fortunately seems like most of our students are pretty happy and eager to come to school... With a few exceptions."
"Yeah. There's one student in particular from the senior high school section that hasn't been coming to school in months..." Maria sighed as she settled that particular file in the cabinet. "The girl had a serious problem that-Oh!"
"Leave it." A picture had dropped out of the file as miss Maria put it back in place. Manjoume knelt down to pick it up. Red hair, big eyes... He blinked. Her expression... He stood back up. "Here."
"Thanks..." Manjoume put a hand to his chin. He had already seen that kind of expression, of gaze in people's eyes. It never bode well for the person donning it. He suddenly found himself suddenly curious about that student.
-Break-
"Pleasepleasepleaseplease!"
"No, Rua! Settle down!" She knew this was going to happen. Rua had started behaving differently... In front of Manjoume. She was the one who still had the old knuckle-headed one. And while she wouldn't have it any other way, sometimes he really became too much. "I'm not going to give you Manjoume-san's email, and that's final."
"Awww! You're so mean!" Rua declared with a pout, his posture slumped. "Why do only you get to have his email?"
"... Because... I need it in case..." She fidgeted. Rua had always been the one believing her and protecting her because of her 'problem' but she hadn't told him about the little agreement she had with Manjoume. She felt a little guilty because of that. "... Sorry, I can't tell you."
"Huuu? What do you mean you-"
"Oh, god! Then it's true!" The twins snapped their heads back and met the horrified gaze of Patty and the gaping ones of Tenpei and Bob. The girl of the trio suddenly ran to Ruka and grabbed her shoulders. "Ruka, why didn't you tell me?"
"T-T-Tell you what, Patty?" Ruka stuttered, confused as much as her brother.
"That you... You know..." Patty blushed and looked down. Ruka was becoming more confused by the second. Just what was- "That you're in love with Manjoume-san!"
"... WHAAAAAAAAAAT?" Ruka became redder than humanly possible. "PATTY, WHAT THE HELL? WHAT GAVE YOU THAT IDEA?"
"Well, you always blush and fidget near him! You invited him to your home! You just exchanged emails!" Patty continued and Ruka was planning to find out just how she had discovered the second matter. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have advised you!"
"P-Patty, that's not-"
"Then... That's the secret you were talking about?" Ruka snapped her head to the side and flinched when she saw Rua's head downcast. "Of all the things..."
"R-Rua, it's not-"
"Damn, you're the best, sister!" Again, Ruka's brain did a reset. "Do your best! Manjoume-san as my brother-in-law... That would be great!"
"Rua, what are you saying? Think of the age difference! And she's too young to..." Ruka shut herself out from the world, finding her happy place and staying there until they lost their voice or the blood to her face made her lose consciousness. One of the two.
-Break-
"... Yes... Yes... YES!" Manjoume Jun threw his hands in the air, in triumph, holding the trophies that signaled that he had reached yet another goal in life. "It tastes good!"
"Yay! Aniki managed to cook curry rice!" Settling down the chopsticks and the plate filled with rice and curry rice back on the table, eating at a steady pace as his monsters cheered his first successful attempt at cooking something without burning anything.
"Aaah... Blissful freedom, liberty. The shackles of being tied down to servants or precooked food are washing away like the curry down my throat..." Manjoume indulged himself in some poetry... When his eyes suddenly bulged out. "AAAAAH!" Scaring the hell out of all the monster spirits, he suddenly shouted out loud and shot straight for the fridge, retrieving a carton of milk and starting to gulp down its contents. "Aaah!"
"A-Aniki, what happened?"
"I think... I may have exaggerated with the spice." He gasped for air as he settled the milk down on the table. He should have put in some cheese as the recipe suggested. "... Well, can still add it n-" A knock on the door interrupted his line of thought. "... This late? Hope it's not Rua..."
"Manjoume-san?" The voice was female and awfully familiar. He walked to the front door and opened it, revealing as he thought his blue haired acquaintance.
"Saigiri-san. Good evening." He moved to the side to let her come in, which she did with a bow. He closed the door right after. "Quite the unusual time for a visit."
"I know. Think of the rumors if one of your neighbors saw me go in." Now, that he hadn't thought of. He flushed and shook his head from side to side while Mikage looked around. "Well, it isn't as luxurious as I thought your home would be."
"I'm trying to try and live a more... Normal life." The black haired boy answered, banishing those thoughts from his mind. "After graduating, I didn't use any money that I haven't earned myself. I have quite a bit of savings from my tenure as a pro duelist, but I try not to overdo it."
"Hmm. Kitchen, living room, and I bet that door over there leads to the bedroom and bathroom. Quite the bachelor pad." Mikage commented with a smile, which only made Manjoume roll his eyes.
"Saigiri-san, I fancy myself quite the perceptive person. Stop beating around the bush. Also, sit down." He pointed to the small couch in front of the plasma TV. "Can I offer you something to drink?"
"Sorry. And... Maybe some of that milk?" She chuckled and sat down as offered while Manjoume tensed, wondering if he had another carton since he had drunk from that on the table mouth first. Fortune had, he did. "I like to drink some in the evening."
"Ehm, yeah. Me too." He poured her a glass and hoped that she didn't connect the milk with the food. She accepted the offered glass and he noticed that she was wearing the same clothes as last time, in the laundry. Darn, having to meet to give her back her laundry had been embarrassing, especially when an old lady had noticed some black lace poking out of the bag. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the nearby wall. "So, what brings you here?"
"Well... Work, actually." Now, that made him curious. "You remember that I work for Security, right?"
"And for the King. I remember." He added. She smiled, seemingly satisfied by his answer. He sighed in relief. "But what does that have to do with me?"
"Well, first... That was kind of a lie. I don't work for security. I work for an higher spectrum organization. And for the reason, I don't really know the details. My boss, mister Godwin, would like to have a word with you, on this Sunday." She opened her purse and presented to him what looked like a badge or a pass. He took it and observed the object. It was a pass for Security personnel. "We'd like you to show up at the Duel Dome at 8:30."
"The Duel Dome, hm?" That all screamed 'dueling' to him. He knew that Security took care of policing the city and theoretically even Satellite but he didn't really research on their involvement with the dueling circle of the city. I mean, they were a subsidiary of Kaiba Corporation, yes, but why did what was essentially a police force mixed with public administration involve themselves with dueling? All in all, the thing made him curious enough to accept. "Alright. I will be there."
"Really? Thanks." Mikage smiled and gave him a small nod. "Hey, maybe I will be able to make you meet the King!"
"... That would be great?" He really hoped she didn't notice it was a question more than an admission.
-Break-
25th of April
"... I guess this 'King' really knows how to bring people in." Manjoume had done as asked and was now standing in front of the entrance of the Duel Dome at 08:27, and he had noticed that the closer he got to the place the bigger the crowd became. He could honestly say that most pro matches didn't have that big of an attendance. "Either the guy's charismatic or his manager is that good."
As he walked around, he tried to locate a door with a 'personnel only' light, which would probably be the one where Mikage would come out of to pick him up. And just as he found the door and the clock signaled 08:30, out came the blue haired young woman. "Manjoume-san. You're awfully punctual."
"I hate to make people wait." He replied as she let him in, the young man showing his badge to the guards right outside the door before following her inside through a corridor and then to an elevator which started to bring them up. "So... Any idea yet about as to why your boss wants to meet me?"
"No, I'm sorry. He's been very reserved." Mikage shook her head and then stayed silent as much as her guest as the elevator ride continued. Once they arrived, Manjoume found himself staring at the stadium itself through the enormous glass window that made up most of the confinement of that floor. "Mister Godwin. This is Manjoume Jun."
"Punctual. I wouldn't have expected anything else." He noticed the three men in the room, all of different ages, clothing and attitude. "I'm Godwin, head of the Public Maintenance Bureau."
The one that first jumped to his eyes was the jester. He couldn't call him anything else but that. Make up and all.
Then came the one who was probably Godwin. Well dressed, an aura of importance and mannerism and also the only one of the two others left old enough to occupy such an important position.
That though left the young boy, who wasn't without a certain stern charisma himself, to be the one Mikage worshiped and revered. And that was the first time he thought something bad about the blue haired woman, since the blonde boy sitting in the room couldn't be more than seventeen. Saigiri herself wasn't that much older, but he was still underage.
"Mister Godwin. And... I guess you must be the King." Manjoume observed, his gaze moving slowly from the oldest man to the youngest one. He liked his style, but he absolutely abhorred white. "Saigiri-san talked a lot about you."
"... Good job, Mikage." The blonde haired young man stood up and walked in front of Manjoume, revealing him to be taller than him. He was one of the tallest people he had ever met, actually. He was no shortie, he had reached a noble 180 cm, but the boy stood even taller, around 190. "Indeed, I am the King. I have been waiting for you to appear before me... Opponent."
"... You didn't even bother to look up my name, did you? Also, you didn't care to notice that Mikage has just uttered it." He sighed, rolling his eyes. This guy's attitude was so familiar that he almost facepalmed. Then he went over his words. "Opponent, huh? So you want to organize a match between me and the King, here?"
"... In a sense." Godwin admitted, and Jack turned to look at him with satisfaction expressed in his eyes. The silver haired man motion for Mikage to approach them as he lead the way to nearby couches. Manjoume took a seat beside Jack while Godwin sat in front of them. Mikage and the jester stood. "I guess it's a good time as any to tell you about this too, Jack. We're organizing a special event for the Golden Week."
"... What kind of event?"
"We're going to call it the Duel of Fortune Cup." The clown guy -he doubted he would ever call it anything else in his mind- continued for his boss. "We've selected a number of skilled duelists for a small tournament which holds as a prize a chance to challenge the King for his very title."
"... Don't I get challenged for that every week or so? What's the point in a tournament?" Jack commented, not liking the idea very much, it seemed.
"It will be a competition set to find the ultimate opponent for you, King. We will be sure that this time, the title match will be pure entertainment." Godwin used the right words to stroke Jack's ego and appease him, at least for the moment, since he chose silence.
"Let me guess... There's an invite with my name on it." Manjoume smiled smugly, leaning back on the couch with his back and extending his arms on it, bent at the elbow, just to bump into another arm as he did so. He turned to his right just as Jack turned to his left. A small staring contest ensued as they realized they had acquired the same pose at the same identical moment.
"As I was saying..." Broken only by Gowin's voice, which presented a list to Manjoume. A short lists of names and titles belonging to duelists. "Yes, we would like you to accept the invite and to participate in the cup. It's an unique occasion, since the rules prohibit us from including any official pros of the Dueling League."
"So, you want to spice the show up with some real talent and experience among the many showmen." Manjoume chuckled darkly before quitting his laid pack position and shooting forward with his upper body. "Well, the real question is: why should I want to compete for the opportunity to become the next poster boy for Security? I still don't get why you're the ones taking care of this. It's not like I need the money. I have a real job."
"M-Manjoume-san!" Mikage was probably more outraged for the indirect offense to Jack than the direct one to Security.
"A good question. Well, we can't offer you anything else that the opportunity to fight strong opponents. I thought that would appeal to you..."
"There's only one person that I long for to fight against, director, and he's not going to participate in this. Although..." There was a name in the list that made him really wary of the whole thing. Ruka was a really good student but just how the hell did she end up in a list of people personally invited by security to participate in that freakshow of a tournament? NowthatIthinkaboutit,she'sneverusedherownpersonaldeckinclass.Wassheholdingoutonmeor... "... I'll think about it. Picture me interested."
-Break-
29th of April, start of the Golden Week
"Aaaah! First day of vacation! No studying for an entire week! This is awesome!" Rua declared as he put away the plates in the dishwasher, a good dinner having been consumed that evening. "Although... A week without seeing Manjoume-san... Hmm, this sucks."
"I guess..." Even if he had to wonder just what was with Ruka. After speaking with said teacher aide on the last day of school, she had been very often lost in thought. Maybe she had confessed? … Nah, his sister wasn't that brave yet. She had even tried to deny to the death that she was infatuated with their teacher. So sweet.
Ruka's mind though wasn't in the gutter like her brother's. She and Manjoume had had an unusual conversation, yes, but about something else entirely. And she still couldn't understand what it had been about.
"Ruka... Everything's okay?"
"Eh?" Ruka suddenly blushed and started fidgeting. Maybe he had noticed her uneasiness around him ever since Patty and the others had misunderstood everything and threw her mind for a loop? "Ehm... Yeah. Everything's okay."
"... You sure?" He insisted, bringing his face at the same level as her one to look at her in the eyes, which caused her to blush even more. "... Okay." He suddenly recovered his phone and after a few seconds, her own trembled, signaling an incoming email. "That's my private number."
"... Really?" Oh, god. Patty and Rua would have a field day with this.
"If anything strange happens, I want you to call me immediately." His face and tone was deadly serious, though. "If you see anything strange, if you meet anyone strange, hell, if you get unusual mail. I want you to call me. Alright?"
"Huh... Alright. But-Ah!" She got interrupted by a small smile and a pat on her head.
"Good girl."
"... Rua, by the way, did any mail arrive, this morning?"
"Ah, yeah! I put it in the usual place!" Which meant on the furniture near the entrance door. She stood up from the couch and approached the bunch of letters. Two were advertising. Another one was about some growing girls magazine. She sighed and discarded them in the trash. The last one... It was addressed to her. She opened it and revealed a neatly written letter with a ticket. The subject was... "Invite to Duel of Fortune Cup?"
"Huh? Fortune what?" Rua peeked from behind her shoulder as she read through the letter and then gasped at the same time as her eyes went wide. "WOOOOW! A TOURNAMENT? AN OPPORTUNITY TO DUEL THE KING? THAT'S SO COOL! SISTER, YOU'RE SO LUCKY!"
"... Was this what he meant? But how did he know?" Ruka didn't notice the enthusiasm -well, marginally, since he still was that damn loud- as she started to understand what the deal had been with Manjoume and his being worried about mail, of all things. He knew that this letter was to arrive. "This is really weird."
"Still, it's awesome! Right? Right?" Rua didn't have an head cool enough nor the perception to understand everything that was weird and not awesome with the letter.
"Rua, can you get me my-Ah!" Suddenly, an image flashed in front of her eyes. She dropped the letter. The image repeated. Someone riding a D-Wheel getting attacked by a bunch of members of security with stun-batons. Another flash. He crashed into the garbage removal point that was in the alley right behind the ground floor of their skyscraper. She didn't understand what had happened but the spirits... A voice that she felt so familiar... She was saying 'Help him'. Not bothering to pick the card up again, she dove for the front door.
"Eh? R-Ruka! What's wrong? Ruka!"
-Break-
"Kuu... Huu..." It had been hard, painful. He had kept on going as long as possible but he was quickly reaching his limit.
After breaking out of the prison, there had been the matter of getting his D-Wheel back from a security storage. Breaking out had been another matter entirely. Getting away from that Security Guard and his numerous colleagues had been almost impossible. He had only managed it thanks to the unexpected but welcomed help of Saiga and he still had gotten electrocuted many times as he sped away from the warehouse.
He had managed to get away in the end but now he was losing consciousness after impacting against a bunch of garbage. In the end, his eyes closed as his ears caught the sound of approaching footsteps. Too light to be guards...
"R-Ruka, this person..."
-Break-
"Boss... Been a while since I saw you like this."
"What do you mean, Zaloog?" Manjoume asked while not raising his gaze from the bunch of cards on the desk in front of him and in his hands as the spirit floated right behind him, arms and legs crossed in mid-air.
"Focused, cards on display... Are you creating a new deck?"
"... Not just one, actually." Manjoume admitted as he settled to the side the Warrior type monster he had been looking over. That made Don Zaloog even more interested.
"Oooh. So, is there a possibility to see some action?"
"Yeah. There is. I have this feeling that I'm gonna need to duel again, and I mean really duel, very soon." The young duelist leaned back on his chair and stretched his arms, smiling. "So, I thought that it would be a good occasion to make you guys stretch a little. Better to be always prepared."
"Hahahaha! Wait till I tell the other guys! They're gonna party like there's no tomorrow!" He bet they would. It was a good thing not all the cards he possessed had spirits or he would never be able to get any-His cellphone started ringing.
"Just a moment, Don. Moshi moshi?"
"M-Manjoume-niisan..." He instinctively stood from the chair.
"Ruka. What's wrong?"
"A strange letter arrived." He had seen right, then. "Also... Something else happened. The spirits... They..."
"The spirits? What did the spirits do?" Manjoume asked, and he could hear something in the background. It sounded like Rua lamenting about having to drag something heavy on his own. Just what happened? "Ruka, I'm coming right now."
"...Thank you. Please do." Closing the call, he grabbed one of the decks on the table and his coat on the way out.
-Break-
"I really... Need to get some kind of means of personal transportation..." Manjoume declared as he panted, having had to run all the way there because of trains not running anymore that late and not knowing anything about buses. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and entered the skyscraper, taking the elevator. In a couple minutes he was in front of the door to the twins' apartment, opening it in a flash. "Ruka! Rua!"
"Manjoume-san! Look what we found!" Usually a child used that wording when he talked about a puppy or some other kind of animal or a small treasure, like a card or deck someone had carelessly thrown away.
"... What the hell?" What he had just laid eyes on was a guy covered in a blanket taking a nap on their couch and what looked like a weird motorcycle in the middle of their living room. "Rua, what did you do this time?"
"I did nothing! It's Ruka who ran out and said something about the spirits saying... Huuu, I'm confused..." He 'tsk-ed'. He had lost his cool for a few seconds. He breathed deeply to calm himself and turned to Ruka who was kneeling by the couch, observing the stranger as he slept.
"... Ruka." He walked and knelt beside her, observing the stranger sleeping on the couch, of whom he could only see the face. Black hair in a curved spiky hairdo, black and gold. He seemed to be no older than the 'King' and he had a strange gold tattoo on his face. He had read something about those tattoos but he couldn't for the life of him remember what they meant. "Who is this man?"
"I don't know." Ruka admitted, gripping her fists into her lap. "We found him passed out in the alley behind the building."
"How did you know he was there? You mentioned the spirits." Manjoume inquired further. Ruka gripped her hands even further.
"I... I saw what happened to him. I had a vision... Of him getting attacked and passing out... And then I heard a voice." Ruka stared at her hands, shaken by the fact. "I don't know... It sounded awfully familiar but I couldn't put a name on it. She told me to help him. That's... That's not normal, is it?"
"... No." Seeing card spirits was one thing. Having visions and hearing voices... That was another matter entirely. "... Ruka. There's something I think you should know."
"W-What is it?" The young girl asked meekly and Rua distracted himself from the D-Wheel as well.
"I don't think that seeing spirits is the root of the problem, here. Or better, I don't think you're a normal 'Spirit Seer' like I am." The girl's eyes went wide and she gripped her hands so much that it hurt. "I think that something happened the day you fell into a coma. After all, it happened... Suddenly. Without any violent incident or anything. I think that while you were in coma, something happened to you and that you being able to see card spirits is just one of the side-effects."
"I... I can't... I don't..." Again, she found a hand on top of her head and she relaxed. Manjoume may had found himself in that position by chance but damn it if he wasn't going to do the best job he could at that as well.
"Calm down. It's nothing wrong yet. After all, you aren't 'seeing things'. You found him where your vision told you to find him. And as for the voice telling you to help him... I think this guy is connected to you someway. Maybe he doesn't even know it himself." Manjoume doubted they would get much out of him but he needed to at least try. He stood up. "Okay. Tonight, I'm sleeping here. Before that, though..." That declaration seemed to calm down Ruka even more and to excite Rua, as foretold. "I'll need to use your shower. Also, can I borrow some sleeping wear?"
"S-S-Shower?" Ruka's mind wasn't completely out of the gutter, it seemed. Damn friends.
-Break-
His head didn't hurt as badly as he thought it would. Also, the road was unusually soft, on that street. Also, garbage was really soft and... His mind rebooted as he opened his eyes and a soft light hit him. He wasn't on the road covered in garbage, he was on a couch covered with a blanket. He sat up and looked around, his eyes stopping on a black haired person sitting on a couch in front of him wearing gray long sleeved pajamas. "Good morning."
"... Who are you?" He asked, wary of his surroundings since last time he was awake he was being chased by police.
"Manjoume Jun. That's Manjoume-san for you, though." He stood up from the couch and walked around his own one. He followed him with his gaze. "Mind some coffee? You look like someone who has had a rough night. When the kids found you, you were covered in bruises and even a couple burns. I'd say stun-batons."
"Kids?" He ignored the offer but Manjoume still started making coffee. It was too easy. The whole thing was automatized.
"Yeah, twins. They found you collapsed outside. They also brought with them your D-Wheeler, don't ask me how they did it. That's a mystery to me too." Manjoume had understood that the man was probably on his guard, more than him, that was for sure. He chose silence till the coffee was ready. For someone with headache, it was the ultimate peace offering. "Do you have a name or do I have to keep calling you 'you'?"
The younger man stared at the offered cup for a few seconds before slowly accepting it. They had had all the time in the world to turn him in, after all. "Yusei."
"Good. Now, Yusei... Why were you being chased by Security?" He wasn't on his guard as before but he still didn't reply. "Ruka says that mark is applied to criminals but she also said that you're not one." She had said that his deck was treated very well. For that he had one point on his side as well.
"It's better if you don't know." He didn't want to cause trouble. Another point to his favor. Seems like Ruka's mysterious voice wasn't misleading.
"Well, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it." He then turned his head in the direction of the corridor. "Just come out, you two. He's okay."
"Seriously?" The first one was Rua, revealing that the two had already changed into their everyday clothes. Ruka followed a few seconds later. She was still wary of the stranger, nonetheless. "You're finally awake! We were so surprised when we found you!"
"They're Rua and Ruka. This is Yusei, but I bet you were listening in on us." Manjoume introduced them for him. Yusei nodded in acknowledgment and finished his coffee, removing the blanket right after.
"Thanks for the help, but it's better if I go, now."
"Why the rush?" Manjoume put down his own cup as Yusei put on his jacket.
"I don't want to cause you trouble. As you said..." He pointed at the marker on his face.
"I understand that, but this is Tops. Highest point in Neo Domino City and the place where all the rich and wealthy live. Not even Security can get in here without an authorization. So, for now, you're safe." Manjoume continued, standing up again. "If you're worried about your motorcycle, it's behind that angle there." Yusei followed the direction Manjoume pointed at with his head.
"Still..."
"If you want to leave, do it when it's night and no one can see you leaving. If you leave now, you could cause trouble for these two. It's their home, after all." Yusei turned around to face him again, thinking about his words. He nodded after a few seconds. "Good. Rua, Ruka, I'm gonna go change."
"Ooookay!" Rua shot back eager. "Hey! Are you a duelist? You must be, you have a D-Wheel!"
-Break-
"Hmm... I should have brought a change." Manjoume sniffed his shirt as he put it on. "Ruka! Can I borrow your father's clothes while I put mine in the washer?"
"H-How did you know I was behind the door?" Ruka squeaked from outside the room. The Thunder rolled his eyes.
"You still don't feel comfortable enough to be left alone with Yusei, even if I told you it's okay. I just guessed you would be there. So? Clothes."
"Uhm, go ahead." Manjoume opened the wardrobe. Good thing the man had more or less his same size. "... Manjoume-niisan?"
"Yeah?"
"How did you know that letter would arrive?" Now, there was the question.
"... I've been invited to participate in the Cup as well. Ruka, answer this truthfully." Manjoume continued dressing himself, as he found a pair of jeans and a shirt that he liked. "Just how strong of a duelist are you?"
"Uhm... The truth?" She couldn't see him nod of course but he had already asked for the truth. "I'm strong. Really, really strong. I think I could give even you a nice match, Manjoume-nii."
"Nii-san. So, I guess that's why they invited you. You're strong enough to challenge for the title of King." He finished dressing himself and opened the door. "Still, there's something weird about this whole thing. What do you plan to do?"
"... I don't want to go, to tell the truth. I don't really care for the title of King... Well, Queen, I guess." She chuckled at her mishap. "Rua doesn't approve, of course."
"I guess he would jump at the opportunity." Manjoume put a hand on Ruka's back and nudged her forward, walking by her side. "But you're the one who got the invite, so he will have no choice but-"
"That's why I will dress as Ruka and duel instead of her!" Manjoume almost lost his footing.
-Break-
All in all, it had been a fairly normal day... For a psycho. Manjoume flopped onto the couch exhausted as both Rua and Ruka had finally been put to sleep, the male twin having been even more energetic than usual. It remembered him of the first time they had met. Seemed that making new acquaintances did that to him.
After having to explain to him why cross-dressing was unacceptable, Yusei had accepted to duel Rua. It ended like foreseeable. Rua was getting better with his strategies but he was still too focused on looking cool and too less on actually winning the match. Yusei surprised him by noticing that and actually being able to reprimand him without offending him. "... Not my style."
"What is?" Yusei's voice echoed over the sound of tinkering. He was modifying the twins' duel disks so that they could actually wear them.
"... Being patient, understanding, gentle. Like you did this morning with Rua. I'm always been a no-nonsense kind of guy. Always will be." He sighed and turned around. "You're probably good with kids, huh?"
"You are too." That comment surprised him. "You're their teacher but you came running when they called for a problem in the middle of the night."
"Well... That's because..." Manjoume struggled to find the right words. "They're living all alone. No parents nor tutors. Also Rua's a hothead and Ruka may be more rational but she's still a child, with lots of insecurities. I can't just leave them alone, no matter how annoying the situation may be."
"Do you really think everyone would do that?" Yusei asked him and he thought about it for a while.
"No." He groaned as he scratched the back of his head. "Guess I really softened up along the way."
"That's our boss. Cool like few but the kindest person alive." Zaloog commented as he appeared in the living room. He had kept guard around the apartment all day. And even if he passed in front of and talked near Yusei all day...
Hedidn'tnoticeZaloog. So he couldn't see spirits like Ruka. So whatever connected him to Ruka was something else. "How much more till you're done with those?"
"Done." Yusei answered almost immediately, standing up. Manjoume nodded and mimicked him, gathering his coat.
"Time for us to go, then." As he said that, Yusei looked at him strangely. "You don't want to get me involved, I know. I'm just going to walk with you to the entrance of this thing."
"... Alright." Yusei headed for his D-Wheel and then from the door. Ruka had given Manjoume a spare key for the house. More gossip would be abound with Patty and her entourage. In the elevator, Manjoume also began to think of something else he had seen during Yusei's short lived duel with Rua.
"Hey. When you summoned those... Synchro monsters, right?"
"Yes." He nodded. The duel had been educative for him as well, on the use and summoning of Synchro Monsters. Seemed like in a few years, those new kind of monsters had started spreading in Domino City. Shortly after the incident that destroyed it, actually. They had only recently started getting sold outside of it. Tuners and Synchro monsters. Maybe it was time to buy some booster packs again? It was from the time of the academy that he didn't do that. "Just curious about what the hell was with that sentence you said out loud when you summoned it."
"... What sentence?"
"Something about clustering stars. What's the deal with that?" Yusei just stared at him strangely. "... Nevermind."
-Break-
"Well, this is where we part ways." Manjoume declared as they got out of Tops, handing back to Yusei the spare helmet. He had cut off on a lot of road by getting a lift. Like the previous night, it was too late for the metro or any other means of public transport. "Try not to get caught, this time."
"I'll be more careful. Thanks for the help." The young man from satellite then put his D-Wheel in gear and sprinted off, leaving an evaluating Manjoume to observe his disappearing form.
"Hmm... And here I am without any answers for Ruka." He groaned. With so little time, there was nothing he could have done less of asking him 'Hey, Ruka hears voices and sees monsters. Do you do too or did the voice get drunk on airwaves?'. Yeah, that would have gone reaaal well. "And who knows when... Huh."
A strong blue and red light distracted him as he saw a motorcycle speed in the direction Yusei had disappeared towards. "... Security." Now, what to do? "... Damn it. I can't let him get caught." Trying to catch up to them on foot. Another run, for that evening.
-Break-
"Argh... Aaah... Gotta... Get... A car! Or something!" He wheezed as his body threatened to give out on him. He leaned on a wall and turned an angle... And sighed in relief, trying to catch his breath. He had caught up to him and that Security guy... But someone else did as well if the limo parked in front of the two was any indication. "... What is he doing here?"
Not very easy to forget such a peculiar guy. The clown, Godwin's second. "This would be it." The short man walked to Yusei and presented him a very familiar envelope and something else, a piece of paper or a photograph. He didn't miss Yusei's eyes going wide. "We would like you to attend the Duel of Fortune Cup. If you should refuse, we guarantee the ones displayed in this photo will experience pain beyond imagination. Understand?"
"... The hell?" After saying those words, the clown boarded his car again and in a few seconds disappeared into the night. That was a bona fide threat. A menace. A promise of torture for someone that, if the expression was any indication, Yusei knew really well. All to make him take part in that damn tournament? "... Yusei!"
"... Manjoume-san?" His voice was enough to break him out of his thoughts, it seemed. Or maybe it was the rage, seeing the poor end of the now empty envelope. The glare he sent his way-wait, his way? "Do you have anything to do with this?"
"Eh? What are you-" He calmed down and thought about the circumstances. He had followed him, he had an interest in him not getting caught by security... Yeah. He could see were Yusei was coming from. He shook his head. "No, I'm not with the clown. I'm just a teacher aide. But..." He looked at the letter, the invite for the cup, which he had no doubt have gotten as well by now. No doubts about it. "I've received an invite to this thing as well. Ruka did too, if you remember."
"... What is going on?" Yusei mused out loud. Manjoume shook his head again.
"I don't know. Not yet... Geez, this is a mess." The ex-pro scratched the back of his head. "I think we need to talk. Exchange information, at least. Do you know somewhere where-"
"Yusei!" The two black haired youths turned to the right to see another newcomer to the scene, a man with brown hair wearing mostly green. "Are you alright?"
"Saiga." Yusei stated the man's name, confirming that he knew him.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" And then the air got broken by the frustrated scream of the Security man. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"
"... Seems like we're really in for some fun, boss." Manjoume groaned at Zaloog's comment. They really were in for something. He didn't know if it would be fun, though.
-Break-
"You can stay here until the Fortune Cup begins." In the end, after introductions, Saiga had brought Yusei and by collateral Manjoume, to a warehouse turned into hideout. "Although there isn't much furniture, all your basic essentials are. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
"It's enough. Sorry."
"The one who should be saying sorry is me."
"No, I'm the one who should say 'Sorry' and then add 'there's still the matter of your blackmail'." Manjoume interrupted. Now that they had gotten somewhere private, he just wanted to get everything out of the way. He slumped down on the nearby couch. He had been doing that a lot in the last 48 hours. "Just why the hell would they do something like that? Threaten someone you know to make you participate?"
"... Probably because they knew that I wouldn't participate otherwise." Yusei parked his D-Wheel and then turned to talk face to face with Manjoume. "I don't have any interest in the title of King... Although, I have some unfinished business to take care of with Jack."
"... Are they serious?" Would they have done this with him as well if he hadn't said that he would think about it? And what about Ruka? "Are they really that desperate to turn this into such a big show? At the point to go to such means to do it?"
"Hmm... The point is, they own this city. There isn't really anyone able to tell them what they can or cannot do... Maybe only Seto Kaiba himself, but he's long since transferred overseas." After the disaster of Domino City, the principal headquarters of the Kaiba Corporation had transferred to another place, of course, and seeing how Neo Domino City had developed, the corporation had found no economically profitable reason to transfer back there, even if they still held control over pretty much the whole city.
"But only that? For the sake of entertainment they would go to these lengths There were six other people on that list I saw, did they blackmail each and everyone of them?" Manjoume, biting his finger, didn't notice Yusei protectively shift his left hand to his right forearm. No,there'ssomethingelse...Somethingtyingtogetherallthisbehindthescenes.MaybeithastodowithRuka'sconditionaswell? "... Seems like we have no choice but to all take part in this tournament. I'll have to talk with Ruka too."
"... You said there were other people on a list? You mean to say that you spoke to Godwin personally?" Manjoume nodded at Saiga's question. "Do you happen to remember any of the names? I may be able to look up some information about them."
"Hmm... I remember a couple. One was called... Boomer, if I remember correctly. And another one... Huh." The other name that had stuck to his memory from his quick read-over other than the first which was just that strange, was a name that he had already read somewhere else. He stood up in a flash. "The hikikomori?"
"That's a strange name."
"NO, YOU IDIOT! IT'S NOT A NAME! IT'S... Darn it." He rubbed his head through his hair in exasperation. Things were getting more and more confusing. He thought he had had enough of these kind of messes when he studied at the academy. Let's just hope I don't end up for another round of the wheel with the destiny of the world as a prize.
-Break-
1 of May
"So, I've decided to accept. I will be there." As he had foretold, when he had come back home, there was a letter waiting for him along with a business card. Mikage's one. After some sleep, the morning after he had two things to do set in his mind. First, call Mikage to accept. Secondly, go talk to Rua and Ruka.
"That's a relief to hear. I'm sure Atlas-sama will be very happy t-"
"What? That's completely unacceptable!"
"A-Atlas-sama?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. Troubled sleep, lots of problems and unsolved mysteries, and now the 'King' butting in on a private conversation. What the hell did he want? "I just realized! Mikage! I said that I wanted you to organize a duel between that man and me! But instead he ended up in the Cup! If he loses, how am I going to fight him?"
"B-But that's director Godwin's orders. I-"
"Useless. If you're my secretary, you sh-"
"WILL YOU SHUT UP?" He was happy to being in an elevator where no one could hear him scream. He hoped he didn't burst Mikage's eardrum. That's what how he treated her? Damn it. More and more similar by the day. And he hated it. "Mikage, just tell that idiot that I will fight him whenever he wants after the cup if he just SHUTS UP!"
"M-Manjoume-san! Why are you so rude?" He couldn't believe his own ears. "... Is director Godwin there, by any chance?"
"Huh? Yes."
"Pass the phone." A few seconds of rustling later... "Manjoume-san?" "Director, I have an offer if only to make that damned idiot shut up. An extra duel in the cup. A Tag Team Duel."
"... Continue."
"We choose two people from the crowd and then fight a Tag Team Battle. He can fight me even if I lose in the first round and if he loses he can blame it all on his partner. Happy with the arrangement?" The director chose silence for a few seconds and then a low chuckle could be heard through the phone. "You really are a pro. The proposal is interesting. We'll try and organize the matter. It will probably take place on the last day of the cup."
"Good. Have a good day." That said he closed the call and then leaned his forehead against the door of the elevator. "He yells at her and I'M the rude one? … Maybe I did shout in her ear." He straightened his clothes as he got out of the elevator, knocking on the door of the twins' apartment. The sounds of approaching footsteps and then the door opened, revealing a head adorned by two pigtails.
"Manjoume-niisan. Good morning." She opened the door and let him in. "I was worried when I didn't see you when we woke up."
"Things have gotten a bit more complicated, I fear... Where's Rua? He needs to listen to this as well." Manjoume looked around for the male twin but found no one else in the house.
"He's out with Tenpei. They said something about finding and defeating the Black Rose Witch." She sighed, shaking her head. "Honestly, boys..."
"Spoken like a true older sister." He rolled his eyes and turned around. "And what's this about a witch? Some kind of bedtime story?"
"No. It's a rumor that's been circulating recently." Ruka explained, putting a hand to her lips. "It says that there's a duelist, a woman dressed like a witch that... Well, can do magic when she duels."
That made him raise an eyebrow. "Magic? What do you mean?"
"Well, they say that she's been killing people during duels." Ruka was distracted so she couldn't see Manjoume pale in the face. "They say that when she attacks with a monster, 'the earth really shakes' and that when she plays a magic or trap card they become real. Honestly, th-"
"Where?" In a flash Manjoume was in front of Ruka, grabbing her shoulders with a bewildered face. "Ruka, where did they go?"
"E-Eh? I-I think near the old Daimon Arena! Manjoume-niisan, what-" Before she could finish her sentence, Manjoume was out the door and in the elevator again.
-Break-
"Shitshitshitshitshit!" Let it be just a rumor, let it be just a rumor! Manjoume was cursing the bad luck that seemed to have befallen that city. Kids hearing voices, organizations threatening people to get them to participate in duels, and now... "The last thing I need is someone who plays Duels of Darkness in the mix!"
-Break-
"The Protecting Star will make the light of our Dragon Star much stronger." Somewhere else, in a reconstruction of a somewhat aztec-looking temple, looking at a computer generated sky, stood Godwin. The preparations were all set. "You all have sworn our souls to us Yliaster. In order to serve the power of the stars, you Duel Assassins have been assembled."
He wasn't alone in the room, where last time he had brought Jack and explained to him about the Red Dragon. He was accompanied by his second in command, and five figures all wearing long brown cloaks. "Feed your power to the stars, and locate the ones holding the Dragon's Birthmark."
The five cloaked men nodded as one, while Godwin kept on praying to the stars, focusing on a particularly bright, red one which seemed to shine right above a stone altar. "All of which is for the coming time."
-Break-
Idon'tthinkI'veranmoreinthelastfewdaysthaninthelastfewyears! It wasn't entirely true but it was certain that once again Manjoume had to break into a crazy run even if this time he had the necessary help of public transportation. "Damn... Idiot..." The witch had mostly appeared in one of the 'bad' neighborhoods of the city, far from Rua's and Ruka's place. Fortunately he knew the way since it was near the place where Yusei's current hideout was. He headed for the spot where the local dueling ring was supposed to be. "Even if he couldn't suspect such a story to be true, coming to a place like this..."
In the end he had reached his destination. He could tell from the large number of people circled around two towering solid visions. Now he only hoped he could find...
"Yusei!" The familiar voice made him turn to the side and indeed, there he was. Yusei was present too, along with a few new faces.
"This isn't a place for children. What are you doing here?" Yusei commented with a stern behavior... Well, he thought it was. The boy's facial expression didn't change.
"Well said, Yusei." He let out through gritted teeth. His voice was low but he was heard nonetheless.
"Wah! M-Manjoume-sensei!" Tenpei let out in a squeak as he observed a pretty irate ex-pro walk in their direction.
"Just Manjoume-san. Not a sensei yet, but..." His forehead twitched as he stopped in front of the duo. Rua whined and plugged his ears. He knew what was coming. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOUR HEAD?"
"AAAAH!" Poor Tenpei didn't have the same wisdom.
"COMING TO A PLACE LIKE THIS ALONE TO TRY AND FIGHT A 'WITCH'? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Manjoume berated the two children while the adults had made good with Rua's example and plugged their ears.
"Damn, you're loud..." Saiga commented as he cringed, the fingers not enough to buffer all the decibels.
"Yusei, who the hell is this?" The bulky guy accompanying Yusei shouted back, not really amused, while the old man just covered each ear with the whole hand.
"He... Helped me when I was being chased by Security." Yusei was the first to recover, mostly because Manjoume had to catch his breath. "Also, he's going to participate into the Fortune Cup as well."
"Huh? As well?" Just then, Rua noticed what Yusei was holding in his right hand. "Waaah! Yusei, you got an invite too! See, Tenpei? Yusei is such an awesome duelist that he got selected to fight in the Fortune Cup!" The boy then acquired a standoffish posture and pointed his left index finger at the man from satellite. "I won't lose this time, Yu-Erk." He stopped abruptly when he recalled Manjoume's reaction to his proposal. "Well... Maybe not..."
"... Actually, I changed my mind on that." Rua blinked and Yusei's eyes slightly widened, expressing his surprise. "Go ahead and do it, if you want to."
"... YATTA! I LOVE YOU, MANJOUME-SAN!"
"ACK! LET GO OF MY NECK, YOU IDIOT!" Yusei was there when Manjoume had threatened Rua to avoid making him masquerade as Ruka to duel in the cup. He had been adamant. So...
"Ah." He got it. Whatever Goldwin wanted, the invite was sent to Ruka, not Rua. If Rua dueled instead of his twin sister, they would solve two problems: avoid getting Ruka into the bunk of things and also take her out of the game very soon, since Rua would probably lose if he fought anyone of their level.
"You made this boy so happy! You're the best, aniki!" To make matters worse, he had brought the Ojama brothers with him that day.
"Three hooray for aniki!"
"Huh... Brothers, not to be a joy-killer but..." Yellow, strangely, wasn't joining in. That was enough to give even Manjoume pause. "But I feel something... Bad."
"Something bad?" Green was the next. "H-Hey, it's true!"
"Hey, ain't this like... Last time?"
"... What do you..." Manjoume had managed to get Rua off him but suddenly Yusei winced and fell on one knee to the ground. "Yusei!"
"What the... Ah!" To top it off, the ground suddenly started shaking as Saiga abruptly noticed. "An earthquake?"
"The witch!"
"Run away!" Manjoume's eyes widened while Rua's enthusiasm quickly died down as the ground shook some more and suddenly dark purple spiked tendrils shot through the air, crashing against nearby buildings and one broke through the asphalt right in front of them, sending them all flying.
"Argh!" Manjoume fell hard on his side, the blow disorienting him. When he recovered he could see Yusei had landed on his feet and was staring up at a huge creature clouded in dust. He cursed. "I hoped to be wrong... But seems like I won't get what I wish for so easily."
"S-Sonny, the mark!" Manjoume followed the jeezer's gaze... To the glowing mark of red light on Yusei's forearm. "This is the mark of a signer! The Dragon's Birthmark!"
"Dragon... Birthmark?" Manjoume mouthed as he got back on his feet only to have to shield his eyes as a blinding light shone from the inside the cloud of dust. When he removed the hand, he witnessed Yusei running into the cloud of dust followed suit by Rua. "Wait! Stop!"
Following after the two of them, he found them a few meters inside observing a figure wearing a long, wavy cloak and a porcelain mask, a duel disk on an arm and strands of long red hair flowing out of the hood. "That's... The witch?" Rua murmured while slowly advancing. Manjoume gripped his shoulder to hold him back while at the same time Yusei put his left arm in the boy's way.
"Rua, stay back." Manjoume advanced till he was standing beside Yusei while the cloud dust dissipated alongside the monster. The other components of their ragtag group approached as well.
"The Black Rose Witch... So it really exists." Saiga said out loud. Manjoume didn't take his eyes off the 'witch'. She jerked her head. Something had upset her.
"You too?" Who was she talking to?
"You too?" Yusei parrotted. Sounded a lot like Rua's earlier exchange... Something hit him. Maybe she was referring to the mark? He was broke out of his thoughts as Yusei suddenly started approaching her. "H-Hey! Yusei!"
"Wretched mark!" The witch suddenly put a card on her duel disk and strong gales of wind started blowing in their direction while a pillar of light hid her from sight. When they reopened their eyes, she was gone. Also, Yusei's mark had stopped glowing.
"... Seems like your mark startled her. We were lucky." The ex-pro commented as he started connecting the dots. The Ojamas being startled. 'Last time'. Red light. Dragon birthmarks. "Yusei. Did you happen to duel someone at the Duel Dome a few nights ago?"
"... Yes." Yusei admitted, before lowering his head and closing his eyes. "I'm sure the witch also has one." As the other adults were surprised by his words, Manjoume 'tsk-ed' and crossed his arms.
"I don't know what's the matter with these birthmarks of yours, but I do know one thing. Look around." The group's eyes observed their surroundings. People injured, asphalt split in two, buildings damaged. "That wasn't simple Solid Vision. That monster's attack actually hurt people and things. And that magic blasted us away."
"H-How is this possible? How did she do that?" The old man exclaimed, and Manjoume...
"I don't know." The damage became real, just like during a Duel of Darkness, but it didn't have the same feeling. Hopefully that meant that one wouldn't risk their souls as well fighting her, but... "I say this to you. If you want to duel her, you must be prepared to risk your life." Neo Domino City was in for a rough ride if experience had taught him anything.
To be continued
In the next chapter...
The duel cup gets underway and after some shocking revelations, Manjoume will be in for one hip of trouble as he takes on his first Rising Duel ever! Stay tuned!