Jaden cast an uncertain glance toward his phone, as the confusion clouded his normally clear gaze. His fingers wrapped tightly around the fragile pen, the plethora of calculus problems easily escaping his attention. With one hand beneath his cheek, he flickers his empty orbs up to the front of the classroom, at the rambling teacher, who has since then started ranting about his "good-for-nothing" ex-wife, who, not surprisingly, managed to win a custody battle for their son/daughter/fetus.

He stole a glance at Alexis, who was sitting just two rows in front of him. As usual, she kept eyeing the slow hands of the clock up ahead, and the door, her fingers rapping impatiently along the lines of her desk. Even with her back turned to him, he could still see her fidgeting in her seat, desperately trying to remain calm until the final bell rang. When she leaned toward the side, he could see her doodles scribbled across her notebook, some skillful, most childish. The slightest trace of ink dotted her hands as she picked up her pen once again, and began bidding her time elsewhere.

He turned toward the window, the disinterest evident on his expression. Buildings and buildings piled up on his vision, with the bustling streets noisily resounding down below. The bright, grey skies glared down at those people, the humidity bringing forth familiar rains. Large, glass windows reflected back the once lively atmosphere; if he squinted he could make out just a few people from within the crowds, the meticulous details already slipping past him. Some were pulling out their big, black umbrellas, ready for the storms to arrive, while others simply hurried by, holding their briefcases on top of their heads as they did.

It'd been about a week since the fires at the hospital. Although it's been all over the news, and the hospital director did say something about a leak in the gas pipe, both Sector Security and the reporters were still investigating the explosions. Honestly, with a half-assed excuse like that, Jaden couldn't blame them; hundreds of people died that night, and if the director was going to blame it on something, at the very least he should've had the decency to lie about it. Say the incident was caused by the mall hijackers, or some madman who escaped from a faraway asylum, anything at all. Because if some accident was the only reason why this tragedy was taking place, there should be no reason why any of this should be happening. And besides which, if the director keeps going with that excuse, the city might even be liable to place the man on trial. There'd be no settlement; throw him in prison, execute him, do whatever it takes to make him regret that one, simplistic mistake.

Much to Jaden's surprise, Raines never showed up to cover the fire. He's heard her complain enough times about how she was never taken seriously, so this was strange, to say the least. Then again, she's been doing a lot of strange things lately. There was that time, when she interrogated Alexis, asking her about names they've supposedly forgotten, along with a background they couldn't recall. The fact that she hasn't called him once in the past few days was also a bit of an anomaly. Did she find something? Was she being fired from the station? Did she finally get the story she was aiming for? Was she being taken more seriously?

And then he would always grumble to himself. Who knows what was going on in that woman's head anyways?

But despite that, he still kept pondering on those questions, as did Alexis. The more they thought on it, the more distraught they became. Time and time again, he got the feeling that neither he nor Alexis were supposed to be here, that they had something more urgent they needed to take care of, before they could even begin to rest. An odd restlessness would always remain in the pit of their stomachs, and all the while, they would stare out to the outside, to the shadows lingering by, to the corrupted daylight lingering near the corners of their eyes. It was just a feeling, but all the same.

And yet, what was even more abnormal was the fact that neither Yusei nor Akiza cared to call them at all. Akiza did text him that she was going to the hospital, to visit Yusei, but after that, nothing. Yusei was never in the garage, and throughout the week, Akiza just kept skipping class. It was eerie, how silent those two were. It made him wonder what'd happened in that hospital, if they were apart o the fires. Was the tension too much for them? Were they just tired?

Though Jaden kept saying to himself that Yusei was busy preparing for the WRGP, even that excuse was beginning to wear thin. There was too much going on for him to just be focusing on that tournament anymore. And since Akiza was, in fact, one of the hostages, back at the mall crisis, this might be just another Signer fight. They might just be getting ready to take down a new set of bad guys, so they needed time to prepare.

But even that, however, didn't sit well with him. The whole Signer concept was just a bit too foreign to him. It was too predictable, too…too unrealistic. The only time a hero saves the world was if they wanted something, whether it be money, or fame, or power; though they always say they wanted to protect their loved ones, in the end Jaden knew that was almost never the case. The hero was still human, after all. So when it came to the Signers, it sounded like those old superhero comics Alexis used to to read, those fairytales the girl kept getting herself wrapped up in. The idea was frightening, rushed, and even the concept of the villains was a bit vague; innocent victims taken over by evil immortals, who wanted nothing more than to destroy the world that abandoned them.

If they'd won, those villains, wouldn't humans have won as well? Those immortals were constructed through the darkness of human hearts. And a shadow cannot exist without the fading light bearing down upon it; nothing can exist in complete darkness alone. So then, why defeat the Dark signers? The world abides by duality, contradictions, juxtapositions, and even irony; there's no strict moral guidelines to follow, no black or white, only shades of distinctive gray to follow within a lost world.

Yusei once showed Jaden and Alexis his mark. Of course, he might not even remember that, considering how long it was ago. In hindsight, the mark looked painful, like it was seared onto his flesh. Though Alexis kept bouncing all over it, trying to get a closer look, to Jaden, it seemed like nothing more than a simple pattern carved into the arm of some strange man. There was nothing special about it, at least, in Jaden's opinion. And it was the same with Akiza.

He bit the inside of his cheek. Tomorrow night, they were going to the cemetery, just he and Alexis. He needed to see who this Drevis person was, and what the Black Rose was all about. It's more than clear they weren't talking about Akiza; perhaps it's just some random duel gang that got in way over their heads. Or just some of Akiza's random fans playing a occult prank; she's gotten a lot of weird requests from those guys.

Then again, if that were the case, he wouldn't even be doing this.

"Yuuki!"

Slowly, Jaden turned back. Mr. Monroe was a big teacher, with a fat, protruding belly that kept bouncing up and down, so much so it made Alexis laugh every time she saw it. He had a long, gray beard, and small, beady eyes, eyes Jaden couldn't help but cringe from. A sullied, white shirt barely covered his torso, and the very fact that his blue blazer was lying on the ground in front of his desk was a bit melodramatic. Jaden stared at the man for a while, as he took in the angry sweat beads coursing down his forehead.

Jaden raised an amused eyebrow. "Yes?"

He crossed both arms in front of his chest. "I asked you a question."

Jaden blinked, before looking up at the board. "Oh."

"Oh?"

"So what?"

He slammed his fist against the chalkboard, causing everyone to jump in their seats. "This," he sneered. "Can you answer this?"

Jaden squinted his eyes. What was that? Was that, like, some kind of heart or something? It looked like a triangle with a mad face on it. Monroe's sweaty palms, of course, didn't help.

"Hey kid."

Oh, a derivative sign.

"Answer the damn question."

It looks like they were doing something on slopes.

Monroe gritted his teeth. "You...you Slifer Slacker-"

"23."

"What the hell-?"

"You got the denominator wrong," Jaden explained, before turning away, the scene pounding against his skull. "And there isn't a negative sign in front of the 5. Also, you don't use antiderivatives here; it's a tangent line."

The man was about to say something, before he looked back at the board. At an instant, his face turned beet red, and from the corner of his eyes, Jaden could see him nod slowly, as he realized the depths of his own humiliation. Still, he wouldn't let his shattered pride leave. "Boy-"

"You remind me of someone," Jaden murmured.

"What?"

"That's right," he said aimlessly, the nostalgia embedded on his face. "He wasn't nearly as stupid as you. Nor was he a damn jackass about it."

The lively atmosphere surrounded Akiza, with tiny shreds of light diffusing through the busy scenes. People passed by, the streets already packed with colorful banners signaling spring's official return. Laughter crossed through the air, the conversations lazily drifting through the comfortable cafe, with no room for the tense quiet. Tables were filled with children and adults alike spread across from her, as families tried deciding what they wanted to order, what kinds of foods it'd take to silence their bustling charges. She couldn't help but gaze at them for a while, their peaceful smiles casting away whatever worries had happened the day before. Akiza sighed then, before returning to her own, empty thoughts.

She sat at the table, with a small, white coffee cup in front of her. Her hand lay next to the cup, twitching worriedly as she kept looking around for anything at all, anything that seemed. But when she did, her searches failed, and once more, she'd only gaze ahead, staring ahead at the crowds nearby. Before long, her golden orbs flickered toward the clock. Huh, already two. Jaden and Alexis should be getting out by now, shouldn't they?

She closed her eyes. Sayer's words kept echoing from the back of her mind, along with Yusei's cool, melodic voice, the one that shielded her from the flames. She replayed both conversations throughout her brain for seconds, minutes, before shoving the two away.

She wasn't getting anywhere, at least, not like this. Even though the mall hijacking was old news, so many times reporters kept dropping by her house, trying to get an interview with her about how she handled the crises. There were phone calls too, about how she was supposedly one of the only few victims who were able to stand up to the hijackers. It'd gotten so bad she's had to go to this cafe for at least a week now, since she couldn't get any rest at home. And if that was happening there, she didn't even want to think about school.

But those predicaments were only minor burdens. The creature, who almost shot her, as well as the monsters back at the hospital, was all she could think about these days. How exactly Sayer fit into all of this, she'd no idea. And what about Yusei? Was he capable of doing things like that? She doubted it, considering the fact that he wasn't the type to pick a fight to begin with. Still, why Yusei was even there, at that hospital, was a complete mystery to her. She'd already accepted the fact that Sayer could be lying to her, but even so…

She clenched her teeth. It was scary, how calm she was when those monsters attacked. Though she was frightened, in the end, somehow she managed to carry on, as if there was nothing wrong, with anything. She fought them, without losing focus. She lived, without using her powers, or the power of the Crimson Dragon. She did it on her own, without anyone's help. At least, before she got caught up in the flames.

That was another thing; the explosion came from nowhere. Even if you lit up the entire fusebox, there was no way it could've caused a fire that big, at least, not without something to spread the flames. Maybe the director was right, that there was a gas leak, though she didn't smell anything. And how she even managed to survive that…Akiza probably just got lucky. And the fact that Yusei was there, at the same time she was, to help her out…

"Akiza?"

She saw Yusei standing there, right in front of her.

He was holding his toolbox in one hand, with the other shoved in his pockets. His amiable expression met hers, and though she smiled back, she tensed. She fought the urge to look away, knowing full well how suspicious that'd seem. "Hey," she said awkwardly. "W-what're you-?"

"I should be asking you that," he replied easily. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"I ah…I didn't feel like going," she admitted sheepishly.

"You're going to get left behind."

"Yeah, I know. So, how is everything?" she asked, as he sat in front of her, placing the toolbox down on the ground. After a moment of silence, she chuckled lightly. "The air conditioner guy again?"

"You know it."

"Did he end up getting a new one?"

Yusei shook his head. "Nope. Got me to fix the old one."

"You think he's going to call you again tomorrow?"

"Probably. But never mind that; is everything okay?"

Akiza blinked. "What?"

"You were in the hospital, remember? What were you doing there anyways?"

Akiza gathered her words, as she gripped the cup's handle. "Crow and Jack said you were admitted…"

He settled back in his chair, the concerned light still in his eyes. He paused for a brief second, before nodding. "Oh, that."

"Mind telling me why?"

"A duel gang stopped by," he answered. "They wanted me to join their team. I said no, and we fought a little. When we were evacuated, one of the officers saw me, and told me to go to the hospital." He sighed frustratedly, as he cast a far off look towards the streets. "They wouldn't let me leave for some reason. Something about keeping me for observation…?"

She felt herself relax, her cautiousness fading away. But the hesitation still lingered, the scene at the garage not even beginning to describe some simple fight. No, those marks were more primitive, feral, the dried splatters of blood engrained in her mind.

Still, she shrugged, and turned around. She waved a waiter over. "So they wanted you to join their team for the WRGP, huh?"

"Right. That reminds me; where were you?"

"Where was I…?"

Yusei narrowed his eyes. "During the evacuation. It was just a drill, but you still had everyone worried."

The waiter came then. He stole an uneven look at Yusei, before turning to Akiza, who simply smiled. She asked for another refill, and watched as the worker whisked the cup away, who stole yet another gaze to the Satellite. She turned to Yusei, the smile vanishing from her face. "Sorry; my phone wasn't working. I was…actually looking for you guys."

"…Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she lied. "I just didn't get the memo is all."

"Aki."

"Really Yusei; it's fine."

"You sure?"

She nodded reluctantly. From the corner of her eyes, she could see the waiter hurriedly coming back, his hands already filled with orders from already anxious customers. He surveyed the onlookers for a while, before his eyes finally settled on Akiza. Quickly, he ran over, and gently placed the cup in front of her carefully. Before she could say anything, he scurried back, and tended to the other customers. He never even bothered asking Yusei what he wanted; seems there's still a bit of prejudice left towards Satellite residents.

But she brushed the notion aside, and watched her hazy reflection within the cup. If she tilted it, at just the right angle, she could see Yusei's face, staring out at the bystanders happily walking by. She could see him scrutinizing the peace in their faces, the comfortable silence they've grown perfectly at ease with. And with that, she saw a tiny frown etched upon his face, as he examined them, like he always did.

"Yusei," she suddenly called.

He looked back. "What is it?"

"I was…in a car accident, right?"

"Yes."

She gripped the cup tightly. "Was it bad?"

"Well, it put you in the hospital, so…"

Her lips parted. She remembered Crow's enthusiastic praises, about how both she and Yusei handled the situation. She could recall every meticulous detail on the news, could recall the roses wrapped around the hijackers' throats. That creature, from the evacuation…had the same rose on him.

And though she said those exact words to Yusei, though she told him the same story, Akiza couldn't believe him. "It was a car accident that put me in the hospital," she repeated.

"Aki, seriously, what's going on?"

Why?

Why was he lying?

Yes, she realized it before, but Akiza figured that if she pressed him, he would tell her everything that'd happened. He would've, at the very least, told her not to worry about it, that he, along with the gang, will be there for her, that she wouldn't have to deal with it alone.

But he didn't.

She knew she couldn't ask him again. He'd probably just keep saying the same thing over and over again. Carefully, she lifted the cup to her lips, and drank the coffee, the warm liquid coating her tongue. It tasted different somehow, a bit sweeter. "Nothing," she murmured. "Guess I'm just studying too hard."

Yusei stared at her for the longest time. "Does it have something to do with what'd happened at the hospital?"

Her eyes widened. Automatically she looked up, only to see Yusei's concerned face. She placed the cup down, a solemn expression coating her face. "A lot of people died," she muttered.

"It wasn't your fault."

"But-"

"Aki, you're still alive. That's what counts, right?"

Cold.

He was cold.

"I was asleep, when it all started. By the time I woke up, those things were wandering around, and everyone was dead. We were lucky to get out of there alive, so you shouldn't be too hard on yourself."

He was at the hospital…for an entire week. And even before then, he was either working on the duel runners for the WRGP, or fixing machines, or even making sure Crow and Jack don't rip each other's throats out. There was no way he and Sayer could've met; Yusei was just too busy.

But she kept Sayer's words to heart. "Sorry." she said then.

He blinked. "What?"

"Actually…something did happen, during the day of the evacuation."

He narrowed his eyes. "What happened?"

Should she be telling him this? What would happen if she did? Would those things come again? Did this even involve her?

And yet, despite that she couldn't just forget about it, not after what she'd seen. "I was in my house, during the evacuation. I never got any of your messages. Not yours, or Jaden's, or Alexis's-"

"Aki-"

"Something came into my house, and held a gun to my head."

He froze.

She looked back down at her cup, her bangs falling to her golden eyes. She could remember Yusei's face, glaring down at her, his vicious snarl embedded into her brain. "He had that collar, on his neck," she explained slowly. "The same one the hijackers from the mall had on. He said something about finding the Black Rose, in the Loreli Graveyard."

It was then she told to him the creature she saw in her living room. She described to Yusei how she first saw Alexis, then Jaden, and finally, Yusei himself, standing in front of her, with a gun pointed directly at her. She told him about a Rook, about the Witching Hour, the memories flowing back to her with perfect ease. She told him about her confusion, about whether or not she was being delusional, or if she was just trapped in a very bad dream As she did, she could feel the panic slowly setting in, her calm demeanor slowly vanishing before her. She could recall every frightening color in that moment, the frustration building and building until finally, finally, she was shaking.

Shaking.

Trembling.

Cold beads of sweat carefully came down her forehead, as she struggled to look Yusei in the eye. She clutched her cup, trying to find the right words to say, trying to convey her cravenness, without sounding like a coward, however contradictory that might've been. She took another deep breath, and then another, then another, but she still couldn't calm herself down. She couldn't understand what was happening, couldn't comprehend the things happening around her.

Suddenly, that peaceful atmosphere disappeared. Her fingers grew colder and colder to the touch, as she looked around, the light-filled air vanishing from her completely. Her chest constricted, and all the air was forced out of her body. Her pulse pounded against her ears, as she endeavored recalling those moments again, with the same familiarity she had from before. She bit her lip, searing pain erupting from her limbs. She could smell smoke, the thick, clouds of carbon monoxide slowly suffocating her without regret, without mercy. She opened her mouth again, but no words came out.

What was happening?

What was she even doing here?

And then she saw Yusei's hand, on top of hers.

Warmth diffused easily from his palm, with a kind, comforting touch she hadn't known in a while. When she stared up at him once again, she only saw his worried frown, the same expression she would've expected so many months ago. Yes, she remembered that face; that one was what she wanted to see, whenever she was in danger, or hurt, or scared. She liked seeing it; it let her know someone cared, at the very least. Someone who would miss her, if she ever disappeared. Wiped off from the face of the earth.

And then she felt the rim of her cup on her lips.

When Yusei put the cup down, he only smiled. "Maybe one day wouldn't hurt," he whispered quietly. "You're at the top of your class, after all."

She was speechless.

"And you've been through a lot too."

She couldn't move.

"Here," he said, as he stood, with that same smile on his face. He walked over to her, her hand still in his, and helped her up. His eyes lingered to the empty cup sitting on the table, as he bent down and picked up his toolbox. "I've put you in enough danger as it is."

"Y-Yusei…"

"It's fine," he dismissed. "Oh, and thanks for telling me."

Tired.

"You don't have to worry about anything."

So very tired.

"Because I'll be with you, every step of the way."

Elegant seams of velvet soared through the graceful ballroom, the sophisticated, unpredictable patterns carefully shrouding the bright, golden lights above. Tiny, delicate cherubs reflected back the golden shade upon the floors, their angelic smiles carrying on without a single care in the world. Puffy white clouds complimented small, glass shards dangling from the ceiling, all of which were wrapped in bronze vines, with glittering jewels clinging from the metal. Gothic arches surrounded the ballroom entrances, the clear doors carrying with it the pale normalcy of the afternoon light.

Hidden away from that light, were the guests. Finely made dresses and tuxedos grazed the aristocratic atmosphere, along with brightly lit rings and necklaces, a testament to the wealth they all possessed. Most carried wine glasses in their hands, the bloody liquid slowly swirling in the cup so very meticulously. There was talking, and laughter, followed by wary glares towards one another, cautious smiles that hid horrid intentions later on. All had crimson roses chained to their throats, some elegant, others ignorant, and even still, others that bathed in arrogance and pitifulness.

"Everyone."

The elites all looked up from the conversations, a slight air of annoyance casually surrounding them. Business deals were put on hold, very important deals, that determined their stance, and their ranks. They were all aiming to impress someone, and this interruption was making a mess of everything. What could be so important, anyways, that'd possibly warrant their attentions, and at a time like this?

And yet, despite their frustration, their curiosities were what kept them calm. It wasn't every day the Black Rose called for a meeting; if he did, it meant something bad was happening, something within the coven.

It was then the nobles tensed. Did this have something to do with the stunt Jean pulled the other day? And what about the Violets? No one had seen them in the past week, and they were the most enthusiastic about the game. What about the hospital fires? Did they have something to do with that too? Was there another challenger? A traitor? And what of Fallen? What'd the witch want them to do about that?

Slowly, a young man came to the center. A young man, who had brown hair, and caramel eyes, and a familiar, red rose strapped to his throat. Though the nobles remained tense, a few breathed a relaxed sigh; Salem. It seems he's decided to imitate one of the Queens today.

He stopped at the center, his hands behind his back, as he regarded them evenly. "I'm sure you all know why you're here."

The confused silence served to answer his question.

Salem sighed, and took another step forward, the smile instantly disappearing from his face. "Clearly, there's been a misunderstanding," he stated. "None of you are in trouble; I just wanted to remind you of the game's rules is all."

One of the aristocrats stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "We already know."

Salem regarded the man evenly. "You've all overstepped your bounds."

"What? I've never heard of-"

"For starters," he said, brushing aside the man's dangerous glare, "it'd be best not to draw too much attention to ourselves. What with Fallen on the move, it's best not to attract them anymore than we already have."

Concerned murmurs erupted from the crowds. Well, the messenger did have a point. Lately, that damned organization has been growing, and there've been a lot more murders in recent years; even the minor covens were starting to grow restless. They were all waiting for the Black Rose to give his orders, but he still hasn't done so, and neither have his Queens. What was he waiting for? Fallen has already given them enough excuse to massacre the entire group, so why? What kind of sick joke was he pulling?

"Also," Salem continued, causing everyone to snap back to attention, "there's also been a few complaints. Need I remind you that getting bystanders caught up in this, goes against our coven's reputation? It's disgusting, unnecessarily cruel, and exceedingly disturbing. And, of course, that violation calls for automatic executions."

They all stopped. Yes, that's right; the nobles could do anything they wanted to, to try and kill the witch. The only request he made was that no one outside the coven get caught up in the affair. And that was exactly what those three idiots did.

Perhaps that's why they suffered as they did.

"Now that that's settled, I'd like to get another head count.

"As you know, we've had a lot of dropouts, ever since this game began. For some, it's because of some emergency they've had to take care of. For others, it's because they've decided to remain loyal to the Black Rose. And yet even still, there's the simple fact that by losing means you're stripped of both your title and dignity. But for the majority of you here, I can assume that the reason why is because you've thought carefully on these consequences, and still chose to pursue the crown. Am I correct?"

"That's right," one of them piped up.

He nodded. "Very well. Now that we've dwindled down the numbers, I'd like to implement a new practice."

They all shifted their weights uncomfortably. They've always hated this aspect about Salem; he kept adding unnecessary pressure, even to a game as simple as this. They couldn't tell why the man did it; perhaps because he thought it was fun, but more than likely, it was because he wanted to remove the weaklings from the game. He, after all, did report directly to the Queens, and it was through him they made their assessment. Though he was nothing more than a mere Knight, in the end he carried a lot of influence, more so than any of the nobles had.

Still, they waited for him, and through that Salem proceeded. "Starting now, I'm going to require that everyone come to me before they attempt to kill the witch."

Dissatisfied grumbles erupted from the audience. "I know, I know," Salem said. "You'd rather be clandestine about it. You don't want the witch or your competitors to know about your super-special-plans. However, since I do oversee this game, I'd like to remind you that whatever you say to me, will remain with me. I won't go to anyone else about them; as long as I know what you're be doing, you'll be fine."

"Why?" one noble shouted. "We didn't need to do this before!"

Salem's eye twitched. He gave the woman a frosty glare, causing her to shrink away. "Because of Fallen, that's why. If something should happen to you, at the very least we'd know where to start.

"Oh, and one more thing," he added, stealing a glance toward the fading light. "It seems there's a new addition to the coven, a young woman, from what the Violets have reported."

A few of the women stiffen. "Is she that important?" one of them asks.

"She is. At any rate, it'd be wise not to involve her in the game. At least, not until the witch says it's alright."

"Does he have plans?"

Salem shrugged. "Who knows?"

Just then, something vibrated.

Quickly, Salem stole the phone from his pocket and turned away. The elites all came towards each other, muttering discontentedly about the additional rules. What were they supposed to do now? It wasn't any fun if someone knew about their plans. And besides; since when was Salem so worried anyways? He shouldn't get so cocky, even if he was entrusted with the game.

When Salem looked up, the chatter ceased.

A wicked smile tugged at his lips, as he shoved the phone back into his pocket. "We've just gotten our orders from the King."

They all held their breaths. "What is it?" someone asked.

"Three pawns to Mizaki Hotel. He might need a Knight too."

"Just…just anyone?"

"Apparently. And as for Fallen," Salem continued, "we won't have to worry about them for much longer."