Just a disclaimer to say, that Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't belong to me. All characters are owned by others. I'm merely using them in this fanfic for fun.
Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – A Second Rose – Chapter Three
Sakura stood looking at Akiza with her mouth making an 'o' shape. Her eyes started to widen to the size of saucers as she realised that it really was her big sister in front of her. Akiza stood in shock, not knowing how to react to being caught just as she was about to leave. The younger sister's eyes dropped noticing that Konami had stopped Akiza from leaving by grabbing her hand. Her face went bright red as she finally realised that the boy was present.
"O-Oh! I didn't notice you were with your boyfriend…" She exclaimed awkwardly.
"Actually-" Konami started, letting go of her hand.
"There's no chance we'd ever be dating!" Akiza snapped. Her eyes widen as she realised the first thing she had said to her sister in years was so harsh.
There was a small crowd of students still nearby. Konami scanned the crowd to see if there was anyone likely to cause a scene – well, more of a scene anyway. Most of the students looked on silently before turning away when they saw Konami looking at them. The former Slifer had to rub his eyes as he saw someone who could pass as Inspector Gadget hiding behind a lamppost at the corner of the street. When he opened his eyes again, the man was gone. Konami cursed himself for going so long without sleep. He must be delirious at this stage.
"O-Of course. My mistake…" Sakura weakly said, looking rather downtrodden.
"S-Sorry," Akiza said, shuffling rather uncomfortably on the spot, "I didn't mean for that to be so harsh. It's good to see you again, Sakura."
The young girl smiled softly at that. "I-I've missed you, Big Sis. Mama and Papa do too."
Akiza immediately tensed up at the mention of her parents. Konami quickly intervened before she could say something she would regret. He leaned in closer and whispered, "Forget about them. This is about Sakura."
The Arcadia member nodded her head and she exhaled air to try keep her composure. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, but circumstances weren't kind to me."
Sakura's smile faded as she thought back to their childhood. "Y-Yeah, I know. It's just it was hard… without you…"
The sisters fell into an awkward silence as Konami glanced at both of their faces. It was clear that they both had some things they wanted to say to each other, but they weren't sure how. Akiza's departure years ago had severed their sisterly bond, making communicating to each other awkward. The two weren't used to talking to each other. They were supposed to be close, but they interacted as if they were complete strangers. In a way, they were. People can change in a few years, especially if they go through everything that Akiza did.
Sakura was easy for Konami to read. While she was happy to see her sister again, she clearly had no idea what to do. He could see exactly what Akiza had meant by "reserved". She looked shy and unsure of herself. Not holding eye contact for long, always shifting her focus when someone looked directly at her. Akiza was clearly too socially stunted to lead the conversation and say what needed to be said.
Luckily for them, years of partnering up with Jaden left Konami knowing exactly what to do. "If you guys have things to say to each other that you can't say with words, let your dueling do the talking for you!"
Akiza and Sakura both looked at Red Hat with differing expressions. Sakura glanced over at Akiza with cautious optimism, while Akiza glared at Konami.
"What are you doing?" She muttered under her breath, low enough so that only Konami could hear her. "I'll wipe the floor with her. You know this!"
"Really?" Konami replied. "You said she's meant to be an exceptional duelist. If that's true, let her prove herself against you. Younger siblings always want to prove themselves to their big brothers and sisters. Sakura never got the chance to face you before. Try make up for the memories she missed out on in your absence."
"I-I'd like to duel you…"Sakura said, looking down at the ground.
"What?" Akiza asked, whipping her head around to check that it was actually her sister who spoke.
"I-I want to duel you." Sakura repeated, more confidently this time.
Konami leaned in closer to Akiza. "If nothing else," he whispered, "think of it as a warm-up for the Fortune Cup."
Akiza glared at Konami before sighing, "Fine. I'll accept your delusional idea."
After she heard this, Sakura started smiling despite her best efforts to put on a poker face. She wanted her sister to take her seriously and see her as more than just her little sister. She wanted her to see her as a capable duelist as well. They made their way over to a nearby duel field in the park. Akiza merely walked a few steps away to leave enough distance between the two to duel, while Konami stayed out of their way and stood on the sideline.
Konami couldn't help, but shake a strange feeling that someone was watching them. Glancing around, there appeared to be no one in sight. He shook his head to try get rid of this feeling. Years of having lunatics chase after him must have left him paranoid. Red Hat turned his attention back to the sisters on the duel field. "Come on!" He yelled. "Let your dueling do the talking!"
AKIZA 4000LP VS SAKURA 4000LP
"I'll start things off." Akiza said, drawing her card. "I'll begin by summoning Evil Thorn in Attack Mode." (ATK: 300). A creepy, depressing looking plant appeared on the field. "Next I'll activate my monster's effect. I'll tribute it to inflict 300 points of damage to you." The thorn exploded, sending small pins at Sakura. The young girl raised her hands to block the attack. (Sakura LP: 3700). "Next, per the effect of Evil Thorn, I can summon two more of it from my deck in Attack Mode, but they can't use their effect. I'll end my turn with two face downs."
"Not bad." Konami thought to himself, looking on at the duel. "Akiza inflicted damage, bulked up her defence and got some cards in her back row on her first turn."
"Sir," Marauding Captain said interrupting the boy's thoughts, "I hope that you're aware that there's an unusual presence around this duel."
"I know, MC, but there's not a lot I can do." Konami whispered to his partner. "I can't see whoever it is, so I'm going to have to wait them out."
"M-My turn." Sakura murmured. "I'll send my Rose Paladin to the Graveyard to add a level 7 or higher Plant-Type monster from my deck to my hand. The monster I pick is Queen Angel of Roses. Next I'll summon Rose Lover in Attack Mode." (ATK: 800). A stunningly beautiful blonde woman appeared on the field.
Konami couldn't help but think about how at home it would be in Blair's deck and how Syrus would drool all over the card. It may even knock Dark Magician Girl off his top spot.
"I'll have my Rose Lover attack your Evil Thorn." The maiden quickly destroyed the plant as Akiza didn't even flinch from the damage. (Akiza's LP: 3500). "I'll end my turn with a face down."
"She dealt with that quite well." Konami observed. "She didn't let Akiza overawe her and she set up a good strategy as well."
"Sir, I must say there is a weird energy around here, it is rather unsettling."
Konami glanced around the duel field again. Whoever was causing this strange aura didn't want to be seen. It worried Red Hat that whoever this person was, they had enough power to affect even duel spirits.
"Nicely done, but it's my turn now." Akiza drew her card. "I'll summon Lord Poison in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1500). A horrific, mangled monster appeared on Akiza's side of the field. "Now I'll activate my spell card Mark of the Rose. This card allows me to take control of one monster of yours every turn. I'll equip it to your Rose Lover." A rose mark appeared on the woman's face as she turned her back on Sakura and joined Akiza on her side of the field. "I'll attack directly with my three monsters." Sakura was blown backwards as the monsters all attacked en masse. (Sakura's LP: 1100). "I'll end my turn by equipping Rose Lover with Vengeful Servant. When control of this card is changed, the new owner of the card takes damage equal to its original Attack." Rose Lover made her way back to Sakura's side of the field. As she turned back to face Akiza, she whipped her head back, slamming Sakura with her hair. (Sakura's LP: 300).
"Why did Akiza go to such lengths to take control of Rose Lover?" Marauding Captain asked. "She could have easily destroyed it with Lord Poison."
"She knows its effect. She'd be put at a massive disadvantage if Sakura had it in the Graveyard."
"D-Draw. I'll activate Tribute to the Doomed. I'll send Revival Rose to the Graveyard to destroy my Rose Lover." The fair maiden was dragged underground by a mummy in a scene that wouldn't look out of place in a horror movie.
"Guess Akiza's not the only one with a bit of an edge to her. Sakura's not just about pretty cards." Konami muttered under his breath.
"Now I'll activate Rose Lover's effect. By removing it from play in my Graveyard, I can special summon a Plant-Type monster from my hand. And the one I'll summon is the Queen Angel of Roses!" A majestic, winged monster descended from the light, carrying a lance. (ATK: 2400). "Now I'll attack your Evil Thorn with Queen Angel." The Queen cut through the thorn with ease, sending shards of pixels at Akiza. This time even she had to raise her arms to block. (Akiza's LP: 1400). "I'll set one monster face down and end my turn."
Konami could shake the feeling that the way Sakura dueled would have been how Akiza would have dueled if it wasn't for…. Red Hat was caught up in the duel as Sakura appeared to be far more confident now. That may have been misplaced in his mind. Akiza drew her card as Konami looked on. Straight away he knew that Sakura's decision to inflict more damage instead of destroying cards that Akiza could use later on would cost her.
"I'll summon Twilight Rose Knight in Attack Mode." (ATK: 1000). The familiar monster appeared on the field. "Next, I'll tune it with my Lord Poison. Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!"
A storm blew around the duelists, sending rose petals flying about the place. Konami lifted his arms to protect himself. He quickly dropped them when he realised that they didn't hurt. Akiza was reigning in her powers against her sister. He couldn't help by smile as he saw the drop of concentration on Akiza's forehead.
"Now I'll activate my Black Rose's effect. By removing from play one of the Evil Thorns in my Graveyard, I can turn one of your monsters to Attack Mode and turn its attack to zero." Sakura's Rose Fairy was grabbed by vines as she was turned into Attack Mode. "Now I'll attack your Rose Fairy with Black Rose Dragon." The dragon's vines crushed the fairy as Sakura's LPs hit zero.
AKIZA 1400LP (WIN) VS SAKURA 0000LP (LOSE)
Suddenly a pink light flashed from out of the shadows, underneath the overpass. Akiza started glowing pink as her hair roll fell out. The hologram of her dragon didn't fade away. Instead it let out a roar. Whatever that light was, Konami thought, it's hurting the Black Rose Dragon.
The dragon had lost complete control and even Akiza couldn't stop it. The vines from the dragon started trashing about. The whips smashed around the duel field, knocking over a nearby basketball net and football goalposts. Sakura started retreating slowly, a look of fear evident on her face. Her eyes went as wide as saucers, as tears started to form in her eyes.
"N-No…" Akiza yelled, "Stop! The duel's over!"
Konami quickly dodged a stray vine that smashed the ground where he had been standing seconds beforehand. He glanced at Akiza and saw that she didn't know what to do. She looked horrified as her monster refused to yield. Red Hat still couldn't shake this feeling that there was someone else there.
"Ah!" He yelled in frustration. "No time for being paranoid. Think!"
Unfortunately as he said that, the situation worsened. One of Black Rose Dragon's vines shot out once again. It was aimed right at Sakura. The young girl was paralyzed by fear and didn't know how to react. She stood there as the vine came ever closer to hitting her.
Without thinking, Konami ran from the sideline and threw himself in front of Sakura. He pulled her into a hug to protect her from the vine and braced himself for the impact. Konami sensed the Marauding Captain do his best to push them out of the way of the attack, but it was in vain. The vine whipped Konami on his back, sending him flying across the duel field. He held Sakura close to make sure that she didn't get hurt. He, however, was not so lucky.
The boy's legs started to spasm in pain as he tried sitting up. A sharp pain cut through his entire body as he fell back down. "Ah! That's fairly brisk." He muttered as he put his hand on his back.
"Konami…" Sakura murmured in shock about what had happened. She was still too stunned to try help him.
"Red Hat!" Akiza rushed over to try check on him. Thankfully the shock of Konami's actions seemed to stop her powers from overflowing. She reached down to help him sit up, leaning him up against the wall. His face was pale from the pain, but he didn't seem to have any bleeding. The Black Rose duelist felt relieved that the boy was largely unharmed.
"Ah…. Not gonna lie, Konami said with a forced attempt at his goofy smile, "that really hurt…"
"T-Thank you." Sakura replied, smiling sadly. "If it wasn't for you, I'd have been in trouble…"
An awkward silence hung over the three as the situation fully sunk in. Konami turned his attention away from Sakura to Akiza. The relief in her eyes was quickly replaced by a look of fear and pain. She rose to her feet and ran off before either Konami or Sakura could get a word in. Konami quickly stumbled to his feet as well. He went to follow after her, before he turned to face Sakura.
"Look, it was nice to meet you. Wish it would have ended better, but oh well. Try to go easy on Akiza. She didn't mean it and she cares a lot about you. I'll talk to her and try to get her to see reason. I'm sure she'll be back if you allow it."
Sakura nodded her head. "I'd like that. Thank you again, Konami."
Konami hobbled off as fast as he could after Akiza. Sakura stood there looking at the young man run. He was trying to move in as convincing a manner as possible, but it was clear that he was hurt. He could barely breathe without being in pain, she suspected. If it didn't know why he was running like that she would almost have found his run to be rather funny, like a badly drawn cartoon character. She had to admire his toughness.
Konami chased after Akiza until he finally saw her turn at a corner. Once again, Konami knew she led herself down a dead-end. The girl still didn't know where to go besides a few places close to the Arcadia Movement. The girl couldn't function without the "Sayer" she spoke of. On this occasion though, Konami wasn't complaining. It meant he could stop running and lean up on the wall for support.
"G-Go away!" Akiza yelled her voice breaking as she spoke. "I know what you're going to say. That I'm a monster. That I'm a witch. I've heard it before and I don't care!"
The sun was setting as the sky turned orange, casting shadows down on Akiza in the alleyway. The sun was still shining down on Konami as looked at the girl. He sighed heavily as the feeling of guilt weighed heavily upon him. He plastered a forced, reassuring smile onto his face as he moved a few steps closer to Akiza.
"Listen, Akiza. What happened isn't your fault. You're not a monster. A monster wouldn't have tried so hard to hold back against Sakura as you did. A monster wouldn't fell concern for someone else like you clearly do. A monster wouldn't feel remorse like you do. Anyone who thinks you're a monster is an idiot. You just need to learn to control your powers. "
"I thought I could!" She snapped back. "I don't understand why that happened. It hasn't happened since…."
"I know it's not the same, but one of my friends back at Duel Academy had skills similar to yours. He could make monsters become real. I didn't real understand it. I still don't to be honest, but the fact is that he was able to control it. I helped him practise with his powers back then and I'll help you practise now."
"Help? Like anyone would ever help me." Akiza spat bitterly.
"Please listen to me, Akiza. Believe me when I say that I want to help you. I want to be your friend if you'll let me. You can doubt my motives all you want; you can accuse me of being a fraud or whatever you want. But the fact of the matter is I am not going to stop trying to help you. For both your sake and Sakura's, I promise that I will do everything in my power to help. All I'm asking you to do is trust me and give me the chance to help you."
The pair locked eyes as Konami stared at Akiza's golden eyes that had a shade of pink to them from the crying. Slowly, he extended his hand towards her. He held it there for several moments as she stared at it, unsure of what she should do. The psychic staggered towards him, uncertain whether to trust him or not. The closer she got the more decisive her steps became, as she left the shadows of the alley behind.
Akiza made the final push as she extended out her hand. Konami took hold of it as he pulled her out into the sunlight. His resolve was ironclad. There would be no way that he'd fail either sister. He would not allow that to happen.
Sayer sank into the seat behind his desk. He slid a USB stick into the computer in front of him as he looked at the charts on the screen as a video of Akiza's rampage played out before his eyes. His experiment yielded interesting results. He never expected the first trial run to ramp up Akiza's powers to such a high level. Even when she wanted to she couldn't stop them.
The minor annoyance of Akiza's concern for her sister was bothersome, but not unsolvable. There were many ways to deal with such matters. The same went for the annoying boy who insisted in getting in the way of things. If he hadn't interfered, Akiza would have taken care of one of the problems and given him another vice to further bring her under his control. He would have to keep an eye on that "Red Hat".
Even then, he would only prove to be a minor speed bump. For no one could stop, Sayer's plans from coming to fruition.
{A/N}
Sorry that this one was a bit more delayed than I intended. I was extremely busy with charity and voluntary work in recent weeks. I'll be busy with college now as well, so I'll have to see how often I can upload. Thanks for everyone who read, favourite, followed or reviewed this story. Much appreciated.