A/N: Quick update because work is boring and trying to kill me so I'm writing there as well. A lovely new chapie for you. Rio and Kaito are hanging out. Ryoga's being surprisingly focused and we learn more about Hibiki and our transfer students. A little at least. What do we think? Can we trust Ken or Hibiki? Or are they out to cause trouble? Anyway... thank you for reading, reviews would be appreciated and please enjoy.
"There's nothing here either," Rio said with a sigh.
They'd be walking all day to investigate the spots where the duels had happened. Rio was still worrying about Ryoga. If something was wrong, he'd usually talk to her. It was strange for him to keep things bottled up, from her at least. He'd always let it out somehow.
The lack of anything at the sites didn't help. It all seemed absolutely normal. Nothing was out of place or strange. It was just another park. Like the last location was just a car park. Kaito seemed to be getting frustrated by it too. How could souls go missing and there be nothing to show? It was frustrating if nothing else.
"I don't see any point in keeping you any longer," Kaito said finally. "Will you be alright on your own or wold you prefer me to walk you home?"
Rio scowled at him, hands going to her hips before she sighed. "I'd prefer the company, thank you."
"Of course, your brother would hardly approve of me leaving you on the streets."
"I doubt he'd approve of you walking me home either." Kaito smirked and Rio smiled. "He told me about you, you know?"
"Really?" Suddenly he looked rather wary, almost nervous. "What exactly did he tell you?"
"Don't look so worried," Rio laughed softly. "He said you were an honest, honourable duellist. And from what I've seen, I think I agree. He also said you're little brother is sick."
Kaito nodded. "Haruto. He's… he's not a as weak as he was, he's getting better, sort of. And you? How are you recovering? There don't seem to be any adverse effects from your time in hospital."
Rio smiled. He seemed a little awkward being in a social situation. It was almost adorable. When he was arguing with Ryoga or being terribly condescending to Yuma, Kaito seemed confident and self-assured, now they were alone he seemed like he had no idea how to make normal conversation. Not that she wasn't used to it. Ryoga hardly brought the best conversationalists into her life.
"Sometimes I still get a little tired," Rio admitted. "After being in bed for so long, exercising for long periods is hard. And I have to catch up with a lot of school work. But I won't let it get to me."
"You're trying to be strong," Kaito said, nodding slightly.
"I am strong," she snapped. "I will never let anyone use me against Ryoga again and I won't let him worry."
"I see. Haruto tries not to let me worry too. I think he's too young know sometimes it worries me more." She laughed and nodded. "Your brother's a good duellist. Are you the same?"
"He usually wins," she huffed. "But that's only because I'm out of practice."
"I'm sure."
"Don't mock me."
"I wasn't. Honestly, I wasn't. I will have to duel you some time, perhaps I can help you shake off the rust and beat Ryoga. He needs a defeat every now and again to stop him being so arrogant."
Rio almost snorted. Arrogant? Coming from Kaito? Still, she couldn't disagree. "His face is so funny when he loses. Like it's impossible."
"I know," Kaito said. Rio could almost hear a hint of laughter in his voice and a smile was tugging at the corners of his lips. "When we duelled he rushed in recklessly and took control of a monster he didn't understand the effects of. It was his undoing."
"He's always like that," she sighed. "Everything he does is act first and think later."
Kaito, Rio noted, was a lot more comfortable now they were talking about duelling. It seemed the boys had no life other than duelling. No… that wasn't quite true. Kaito had his brother and those computers. And Ryoga had his guitar- which he played at ridiculous times- and his bike- and Rio couldn't figure out how he'd talked their parents into letting him keep it but they were never around to bring it up with.
They chatted quietly as they walked back towards the Kamishiro household. It wasn't much. A small three bed apartment. Just big enough for the family. As they rode up the elevator, Rio noticed Kaito looking curiously around. Rio knew Kaito had a huge home, Yuma's was hardly small. Their home was tiny in comparison. Suddenly, Rio was incredibly self-conscious.
After her injury and Ryoga's disqualification, money had become tight. Hospital care wasn't cheap. And while both their parents were constantly working and money was coming in, it was nothing compared to the money Ryoga had brought in competing in tournaments. The prizes for even a quarter finalist were impressive. Rio still remembered when Ryoga telling her that they were moving and a lot of their stuff was going to have to go. The guilt had torn through her. It was irrational, she knew that, but it didn't stop the feeling.
The door was already unlocked, hopefully meaning Ryoga was already home. She smiled as she opened the door, inviting Kaito in quietly. She hadn't actually expected him to accept, but he nodded, slightly awkwardly, and followed her in.
Ryoga was definitely in. His bass was turned up way too loud and he was playing what seemed to be pretty random notes. But he did that sometimes. When something was bugging him and he didn't have Yuma or Rio to talk to. He'd always done it when he was younger. He'd just pick up his guitar, even when it was bigger than he was, and would play randomly to help him think.
"Ryoga!" she called, popping her head around the door frame. "Kaito's here. Come and be sociable." She frowned and glanced around the papers scattered around his D-Pad on his bed. "And clean this mess up."
"It's not mess," Ryoga snapped back. "It's research."
"Research?" Kaito said, appearing next to Rio. "Into what?"
"It's… complicated," he said, glancing away.
"We'll help, right, Kaito?" Rio said, sitting on the bed without even asking for permission. Well, she didn't need permission. She was his twin sister. Kaito nodded slightly and pulled over the chair from the desk. "You said you had a weird feeling. Is it about that?"
"Yeah," Ryoga said after a moment.
For heaven's sake, why couldn't Ryoga just stop acting so tough for five minutes? They were trying to help him. The Ryoga she knew before the incident had been kind and soft and willing to take help. She knew he hadn't changed inside, but he just put up these barriers these days.
Kaito picked up one of the papers Ryoga had been looking over while Ryoga was putting away his guitar. Ryoga looked rather annoyed by his boldness but didn't say anything, just sat back on the bed, ignoring her glare. So she took some paper too.
"This is about your tournaments?" she said. Ryoga nodded. "What's wrong? What are you looking for?"
"I'm not even sure," Ryoga said, picking up his D-Pad. "Since those transfer students appeared I've been having strange dreams. And every time I see Miki I get the feeling I've seen her before. I have flashes and strange feelings. I'm trying to figure out what's going on."
"And you think your tournament days are the answer?" Kaito said.
"It must have been after Rio was put in hospital or she'd remember too."
"Makes sense," he said, nodding slightly. "I assume we're looking for Miki or someone similar to her then?"
"Yeah," Ryoga said. "I think. It's always hard to tell. The only thing I've got any clarity on was earlier. It was a girl with blonde hair, a blue dress and a hat. She was laughing. And… Hibiki. I keep hearing the name Hibiki."
"That's not much to go on," Rio said with a sigh. "It'd be useful if we knew more about Miki too. Or any of them."
"You're suspicious too?" Ryoga muttered, not lifting his gaze from his D-Pad.
"There was something strange going on earlier, that's for sure," Kaito said. "I'll have Orbital run some data, see if we can find anything in my databases."
Ryoga nodded, still not looking up. Rio was starting to get concerned. It was obviously bothering her brother not knowing where these feelings were coming from. It would bug her too. She had strange feelings sometimes, but Rio at least knew they were somewhat Barian related. Ryoga seemed to be describing a distant memory though. That was very different from alien forces.
They sat working through the information Ryoga had gathered for a few hours. There was very little chatter between them but the silence wasn't awkward. It was comfortable and friendly. Again, Kaito seemed to be in his element. Apparently research suited him. Ryoga not so much. He ended up picking his guitar again, playing absently as he read. For a few moments it seemed Kaito would object to the noise, but he didn't.
"I'm not finding anything, Ryoga," Rio sighed, lying down her sheets and getting up. It was dark but Ryoga and Kaito seemed focused still. "I'm going to get drinks. Do you two want anything?" They both shook their heads. "Shouldn't you get home to Haruto, Kaito?"
Kaito's head snapped up. "Yes, of course." He glanced at the clock. "I should get going or I won't make it in time."
"It was good of you to help while you could," Rio said. "Right, Ryoga?" Ryoga grunted and nodded slightly. Rio sighed. He was so focused when he wanted something. "You could try to be a little more communicative."
Ryoga just shrugged. She shook her head and went out to follow Kaito to find him finishing talking to Haruto. He looked rather awkward but turned to her slowly. Rio smiled, trying to be reassuring.
"Apparently Haruto is so pleasure I finally have friends he wants me to stay and help," Kaito explain slowly.
Rio laughed softly and Ryoga snorted from the other room. "They get bossier the older they get. This one runs my life. Or at least she thinks she does."
"Ryoga," Rio snapped, glaring at the door. "We'd love your help, Kaito."
"He's eighteen, Rio."
"Ryoga!" She smiled, turning her attention back to Kaito, her cheeks heating up as he raised an eyebrow. "Ignore him. He's just being an idiot."
"Nothing unusual there then."
Rio couldn't help laughing softly and nodding. She'd long since accepted that Ryoga was suspicious of almost any male she spoke too- Yuma was pretty much the only exception because neither was sure Yuma understood attraction or romance or love or anything like that. He would tease her mercilessly and still get protective and hostile. Rio supposed that was a boy thing.
They joined Ryoga in the bedroom once more. He still seemed focused on his research. Rio nearly sighed. It must have been bugging him more than he let on if he was this focused. And if it was that important to Ryoga, she'd help him not matter what if took.
"This is all for my sister." The room was lighter than before. It was familiar. Clean and comfortable and light. Under Hibiki's hat, her face was still hidden in darkness, all except her smile. And Ryoga still couldn't help smiling back. She had this calming energy. "I can't wait to see you duel. Don't be nervous. You'll be fantastic I'm sure."
"Hibiki-"
"Hush." As always with this dream, she pressed a finger to his lips to silence him as she laughed gently. "Just be quiet and win."
He nodded slightly and Hibiki drew her finger away. "I won't let you down, Hibiki. I'll meet you in the finals."
And then he was running. His footsteps echoing around him and his blood pumping through his ears. It was raining. He was soaked to the bone but he just kept running until he stumbled on the slick concrete and hit the ground, the world slowly going dark.
"Hibiki!"
Ryoga jolted awake, panting heavily. Rio and Kaito were sitting up staring at him. He seemed to have woken them up. Not that he cared. He was busy trying to catch his breath and slow his racing heart. And he was shaking. Now he was a little more bothered by Rio and Kaito staring at him.
"Ryoga?" Rio whispered.
"I- I need to get some air," he said.
He got up and, without waiting for them to say anything, hurried from the room and out into the halls. He didn't care that he was still in the same clothes he'd been wearing yesterday and fallen asleep in. He just needed to get out of there.
It was dark outside, still early morning. He hadn't even checked what time it was when he ran out of the apartment block. Why was he seeing all these things? If he'd forgotten them, it was for a reason, right? He opened up the garage and stepped in, picking up his helmet and swinging up onto his motorbike. He just needed to get away and think. And much as he didn't like leave Rio with Kaito, there were certainly worse people to leave her in the care of.
As Ryoga tore down the almost deserted streets he puzzled over the situation. Miki's coldness, Akina's sudden withdrawal from duelling, Ken's hesitance to talk to them and Hiro interfering. It wasn't normal at all, was it?
Something caught his eye and Ryoga skidded to a halt, spinning his motorbike and staring up at the figure in the moonlight. On the roof of one of the buildings was a girl with hair blowing around her face, almost silvery in the pale light, her hat bowed over her head as she held it against the wind and her long skirt billowing around her legs. Was it possible? Was it Hibiki right there in front of him?
Without hesitating, Ryoga parked up and hurried around the building to find a way to the roof. He ended up climbing up the fire escape. After a long moment catching his breath, Ryoga lifted his head. There was a dread in his stomach, the idea that maybe he'd seen things and when he lifted his gaze he'd find nothing but an empty roof weighed heavily on his mind.
But there she was.
Ryoga smiled, sliding open the French doors to the balcony. Hibiki was leaning on the railing, blonde hair blowing in the breeze. She was laughing as she held her hat in place and her blue dress was moving in the breeze. His smile softened and he cleared his throat.
"Ryoga?" Hibiki laughed, tilting her head to gaze at him. "You're here early." He nodded slightly. "How is she?"
"She's going to make a full recovery… eventually."
"Good morning, Ryoga."
Her voice was as soft and warm as always. He frowned and took a step forwards. Was this really her? Really the girl that he needed to remember?
"Hibiki?"
"Tsukikage Hibiki," she replied. "You remember, Ryoga?"
Ryoga didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure what to think. She was there. She was right there. The girl who'd been in his dreams. Something terrible had happened to her, hadn't it? Or else why would anyone scream like that? Or… had she done something awful?
"You don't remember it all yet?" she murmured.
"No. Why did I forget?" he snapped. "What happened to me?"
"Sometimes it's easier not to remember," Hibiki replied. "You'll figure it out soon. You need to help them."
"Who? Why are you just turning up now? What happened?!" Ryoga yelled.
Hibiki laughed softly and shook her head. "The moon's full tonight."
"And?" he snapped. "Hibiki, answer me. Why did I forget you? Why are you here now? What's going on?"
"You need to figure out a little more before I can fill in the gaps, I think," Hibiki replied. "But the moon is full. It will be for another two nights."
Ryoga was lost. Why did she keep talking about the moon? Why was that important? He took a step forwards and sat on the railings. For the first time that night, Ryoga saw her smiling like she used to, even if her hat still shadowed the rest of her face. He frowned and she laughed.
"Save her for me, Ryoga?"
"Who?!" Ryoga called. Hibiki laughed and dropped back over the rails. "Hibiki!"
He ran to the rails and stared over the edge. Hibiki was wandering down the street leisurely, as if nothing had happened. As if sensing his gaze, she waved and pointed over at the park on the other side of the street. Ryoga followed her direction and found Ken leaning against a tree.
He climbed down from the roof again and ran across to Ken, who didn't even acknowledge his presence beyond opening his eyes. Ryoga scowled and folded his arms.
"Why are you out here at this time in the morning?" Ken asked quietly.
"I couldn't sleep," Ryoga replied. "I went for a ride. You?"
"Akina… is having nightmares," he muttered. "Mother won't allow us to help her and Miki… I wanted to get away. Sometimes I think about not going but… Mother…"
"Can you talk about what happened now? Hiro isn't here to interrupt this time?"
Ken sighed and nodded. Despite Ryoga's general distrust of the family in general, Ken seemed honestly concerned by what had happened. He genuinely seemed to want to help, but was afraid for some reason.
"Akina lost a duel," Ken said. Ryoga nodded. "Now she won't even look at her deck. I tried to get her to duel me and she just froze up. She couldn't do anything."
"And Miki?"
"Miki?" His eyes darkened and he shook his head. "Leave Miki out of this."
"She shows the same symptoms as all the others who lost their souls," Ryoga snapped. "If Akina lost her soul than you must know they're acting the same way."
"You don't know anything about either of them!"
"I know that you lot have something to do with Hibiki and Miki's at the centre of it. And Yuma's going to insist on saving you all so you're stuck with us."
Ken looked like he'd seen a ghost and Ryoga was about to snap and him when he shook his head again. "What's Hibiki got to do with this?"
"You know Hibiki?" Ryoga said, blinking in confusion. Again Ken hesitated. Ryoga was getting sick of his reluctance to talk. "Tell me about what happened to Hibiki!"
Ken pushed off the tree and met his gaze for a moment. "You stay away from Miki and my family. Mother doesn't like people interfering."
Ryoga let him go, glaring after him. Was he just protecting his family? His sister? Or was that something more. The family was connected to Hibiki… No wonder Miki reminded him of Hibiki. No wonder she set off his memories. Well, now he knew he had to investigate them further. Maybe Miki was who Hibiki asked him to save.
Either way, they knew something, and he had to find out what.
In the Next Chapter: Yuma and Kaito are searching for Shark when they come across Fate, one of the duellists stealing souls.
Yuma Vs Fate, Master of the Prophecy
