The bustling soldiers kept passing by him hurriedly, trying to get from one place to the next without anyone noticing their weary dispositions, all the while hiding behind the sharp gleam of their pristine uniforms. Flurries of footsteps resounded against his brain, as conversations kept tipping to and from the Black Rose's latest assault. Quiet, fearful whispers sounded from every corner, though prideful looks maintained their confidence, a mere imitation of their reckless leader. Strategies upon strategies were piled up against one another, with the latest reports that happily predicted the unpredictable victory only adding to the complexities. A few were hesitant in proclaiming their already premature success, but nonetheless, the excitement was contagious.

That, however, didn't matter to Sayer. Instead, he simply shoved the glass doors aside, away from the elegant interiors, away from the sleek, modern lobby which Fallen graced itself, from even the friendly smiles he'd kept getting, a testament to the faith the same soldiers now entrusted him with. He ignored it all, and walked out of the building, confusion and terror entwined together into what appeared to be a single, simplistic expression.

The humid air attacked his face, the dullness lulling him from his uncomfortable emotions. It was comfortable outside, and the warm sunlight baring down at him, but nevertheless, he tugged his brown trench coat near his body. He shoved the glass doors open, and walked away.

His eyes were fixated on the ground. He shoved his hands in his pockets, never minding the greetings he received, and began making his way to nowhere in particular. His large, red bangs were neatly brushed back, as his clear, olive orbs started dissecting every little thing that passed him. And as he did, he could only listen to clamorous conversations passing him by, voices that suspected nothing out of the ordinary, the tones so painfully oblivious to the bloodshed ahead. It was then he thought back on what Amrbosine had told him.

He remembered the wicked smile she had on her face, the anticipation almost eating her alive.

According to Amrbosine, the fact that the bank accounts were so old was no error; Yusei did indeed make them thirty years ago. The amount of money he's amassed, the wealth he's gained through the years, made him a lot older than he seemed. And from the history she's told him, the vivid details surrounding the depths of her mind, it seems she fell under the same fate. Of course, when she even starting suggesting the fact, he was taken back; there was no way he could actually believe that. And yet, all the same, the look in her eyes told him she was dead serious; the recollection of the monsters, at the hospital, as well as Yusei's own power, demolished any skepticism he had left.

A witch, who had long since eluded Fallen, along with a coven of monsters, composed of the scum of hell, were all here, right for the taking. A witch, or rather, a demon, in the form of the beloved King of Turbo Duels, the hero who saved the world from destruction.

"He was probably just runaway experiments or something," she answered. "Though of course, there have been stories where people have made contracts with the devil. Their immortal soul, in exchange for immoral lives. Kind of ironic, don't you think?"

Sayer fought the urge to turn back, knowing full well the building was practically a million miles away from him.

Immortal, huh?

Living forever, without the prospect of dying.

Amrbosine told him that Fallen had developed a bit of an obsession with the concept. For the last centuries, they've been trying to find a way to actually create an immortal human, one without beginning, one without end, a demon, if you will. There weren't a lot of successes, from what he's heard, and for the ones that managed to make it, they ended up destroying themselves in a fit of insanity. Barely any of the test subjects were able to walk out, what with all the probing those madmen had done to them. In a way, it reminded Sayer of the tests he ran with premature psychics, though of course, even that had its mercies. Whenever they failed to meet the Movement's standards, he would simply kill them, and toss them out with the other rejects. For the ones who passed, they were given a home, friends, a family they could call their own. Compared to Fallen, he even had the audacity to say the Movement was more humane.

But right now, Sayer had to affiliate himself with the organization. The Movement was no longer in his grasp, and unless he can get Akiza on his side, all his efforts would be wasted. He's starting to win over Amrbosine, and if he could just get on Yusei's good side, he might have a chance.

He savored the idea for a brief second, before tossing it out; even if Yusei wasn't a complete monster, he still wasn't that stupid. He wanted Sayer to watch over Akiza, but why? Was he just letting his guard down? Was he that confident that Akiza wouldn't betray him, that he'd let someone like Sayer near her? No, there has to be something more to the game. It was like Yusei was expecting Sayer to do something, like he was giving Sayer the resources to finish what he'd started.

I want to see how you handle yourself on your own, without that stupid Movement behind you.

Sayer clenched his fists. Anger raced through his veins, as he reminisced on the monster's smirk over and over again.

Even if it was only for a short while, he served as the leader of the Arcadia Movement. He manipulated so many toys into doing his bidding. He got Goodwin to listen to what he had to say, got Akiza to follow him everywhere, no matter how twisted he made her. And here that bastard was, making light of everything around him. The blank stare on his face, the way he slaughtered those people, in the hotel…

Yusei will regret not killing him.

Sayer will make sure of it.

"Mr. Sayer?"

Sayer stopped. Carefully, he scanned the crowd, looking around for the strange, lighthearted voice. He felt a tiny tug at his elbow, and he turned. He saw a girl standing there, waiting patiently for him to notice her.

She was a bit younger than Akiza, from what Sayer could tell. Long, blond hair fell down her shoulders, the tip of the strands caressing her pale, creamy skin. Large, brown eyes gazed up at him wondrously, the light easily reflecting back Sayer's own image. A playful little smile tugged at her lips, and when she took a step back, the smile only widened. She wore a tattered, white dress, the hem reaching toward her knees. She wasn't wearing any shoes, for some odd reason. "Sayer?" she asked again.

He narrowed his eyes, though politely smiled at her. "Can I help you with something?"

The girl cocked her head. "No," she answered. "I just wanted to say your name. I've never actually met someone with that name before."

He blinked. "And how would you know it?"

"My friends told me."

"Your friends?"

"Anyways," the girl continued, as she ignored Sayer's inquisitive gaze. "I won't take much of your time. I just wanted you to know that I love you."

Love?

In that very same moment, he felt a needle jammed into the side of his neck. All the while, he saw a familiar black rose, adorned around the girl's neck.

Akiza stared down at the gleam of the duel runners, the complicated puzzle still eluding her. She bit her lip, as she stroked the metal with a single finger, the smell of oil and rust reaching her nostrils. It wasn't long before she turned back, and went to that old, beat up couch, with a bored frown on her face. She plopped down, and forced herself to look at her physics problems, which, of course, she didn't want to do.

The warm, nostalgic rays beat down on the ruined paper, the angry scratches nearly tearing apart the poor thing. A small, black calculator lay only a few inches away, and just beyond that, an array of pencils and pens, most of which had been subjected to her own, frustrated amusements. She fought down an urge to look at the clock, knowing what would happen if she should decide to walk away again.

Her eyes lingered to her phone, which sat next to her on the couch. A number of times she's thought about calling someone, anyone, just to get an excuse not to do her homework. Though she tried forcing herself to do something, the temptation never strayed far. The same mess sat in front of her, no matter how much she tried willing it away. In fact, that was the very reason she decided to come here, to the garage. Akiza figured that Yusei's work ethic would (hopefully) rub off on her. But when she arrived, no one was there, though the garage door was left open. Akiza figured that he or the guys had just wandered off somewhere, so she decided to stay behind and work on her homework there. It was nice, quiet, and even for a busy place like this, it seemed everyone was either too tired or too busy to be outside. It was better than the cafe, at least.

But there was another reason she wanted to come here. Though she did feel guilty about it, she needed to do everything she could to pry the information from Yusei. If she was just persistent enough, maybe he'd tell her what was really going on. She could never really imagine Yusei, of all people, lying to her, but then again, she didn't think Sayer would either.

I think he likes you.

A scarlet blush splattered across her face. She bit her tongue to keep herself from smiling, all the while combating the happiness blooming in her chest. That's enough; she shouldn't think about that anymore. Until she knew what was going on, she couldn't afford to lose focus.

She really was pathetic, wasn't she?

She narrowed her eyes, as she redid yet another projectile problem from the corner of her eyes, the trigonometric functions pounding against her skull. Once again, she found herself looking at her phone, before turning away, and shoving the tiny device aside. This thing was due tomorrow; if she procrastinated any longer, she was going to be in serious trouble.

"Aki?"

She looked up, and saw Yusei standing there. His jacket was swinging carelessly in his other hand, his raven bangs draped over his azure eyes. Shadows were embedded beneath his normally calm face, and an air of fatigue draped gracelessly around him. Akiza stared at them for a while, before returning to the gibberish etched in front of her.

Crap.

"Hi," she murmured softly.

Slowly, he set the box down. "What're you doing here?" he asked, pleasantly surprised by her visit. "Alexis has been looking for you."

Akiza blinked, before looking up again. "She did?"

"Another essay?" he asked, as he went over to the duel runner, inspecting them for any damage. Akiza bit the inside of her cheek, recalling the pleas Alexis made just this morning. "Yeah," she answered finally. "I guess she got an extension."

"Are you helping her?"

"No," she said flatly. "She can do her own work. Either that or she can just get Jaden to help her. When did you see her anyways?"

"While I was walking back."

"…She was going the opposite way, right?"

He couldn't help but chuckle. "That's right."

She sighed gratefully. "Independence is always a good thing."

He smirked, before returning to his inspection. Akiza examined the problems with the same careful scrutiny. But as she did, she began losing focus once again, and soon, her eyes lingered toward Yusei's back. She couldn't see his face from here. Even if she could, Akiza knew she wouldn't be able to make out anything from his unreadable expression.

Still, she couldn't hold herself back. "Yusei?"

"Hmm?"

"Why'd you lie?"

He paused for a moment. "What'd I lie about?"

She clutched her pen. "I…I told you I got hit by a car."

"But you were in the hostage crisis."

She froze, unable to comprehend how easily he admitted to misleading her. Akiza's lips parted slightly, though she managed to shake the shock from her body. "Yes," she replied softly. "So why-?"

"The doctors figured that was just your way of coping with it," he answered. He stood up, and turned to her, the concern in his eyes. Hesitation permeated from his frame,as he slowly walked over to her. "So, do you…want to talk about it?"

Akiza nodded.

Wordlessly, Yusei came to her, and sat beside her. His eyes lingered toward her physics homework for a while, the humor flickering from the corners of his mouth. Akiza stiffened at the unexpected joke; personally, she wanted to trash the sheet and start over, or throw herself over the humiliating object and pretend it didn't exist.

His gaze came back toward her then. "What do you remember then?"

"That's just it," she confessed, prying herself away from the trivial predicament. "I don't remember anything. You and Crow and Leo and Luna; you all say the same thing, but I can't…I just don't remember."

He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. It'll come back to you."

"And then there was the hospital," she continued, causing him to fall silent. "Yusei…there were monsters there."

"Monsters?"

"Monsters that…looked like kids," she reminisced, that morbid night gradually easing itself into her mind. "Monsters…who were emaciated, beaten, with nothing but fangs and claws stuck to them."

She went on to describe them, all the while maintaining her calm disposition. She told him about the tiny creature who attacked her, as well as the demonic pack that surrounded her, looking for ways to tear off her arms and legs. She told him about the feral look in their eyes, the utter lack of compassion and light as they barred their fangs at her, as well as the primitive instincts overtook them without any hesitation. She told him about the fires that swarmed her, about how she found herself, literally bleeding to death on the ground. She told him about the monsters surrounding her, nothing more than animals who'd lost their innocence so very long ago. She even told him about hearing his voice there, about a cool shadow who seemingly protected her from the flames. She refrained from mentioning anything about waking up in her bed that very next morning, trying to brush off the entire incident as but a simple nightmare that'd disappear as soon as the light hit her eyes.

And as Yusei sat there, listening to her story, Akiza couldn't tell what was going through his mind, his cloudy eyes revealing nothing of whatever turbulence was swirling inside. There was a time when he nodded, showing that he did remember those moments, while other times, he could only sit there, a subtle, untraceable emotion hiding behind his face. When she was done, Akiza could only turn away. Carefully, she set the pen down, finally giving up on solving the projectile problem; it was nothing but a disorganized mess anyways.

"Did you tell anyone else?" he, at last, asked.

"No."

"Well, I did see you," he told her quietly. He turned away, and stared at the emptiness in front of him. "I saw you lying on the ground, and I got you out."

"Huh…"

"Maybe you were just too tired to remember all of it."

Carefully, she put her legs up, her hands lying motionlessly on her lap. "Yeah, maybe."

He breathed a heavy sigh, but nonetheless, he smiled. "But yeah; it was a close one. By the time I got there…"

They shared a solemn silence, as the images of the monsters were seared into her brain. She could still make out the outlines of their tiny bodies, every time she closed her eyes. They looked so much like the boy she saw in her delusions, long before all of this began. Aside from the rose latched onto his throat, there was practically no difference between the people she saw. She didn't want to tell Yusei about it, for fear she might actually sound crazy. Though she was sitting here, trying to rationalize everything, in the end she knew it wasn't working. But it made things easier to deal with; the pressure had gone from her chest, and it was times like this she was almost glad she had Yusei as a confidant.

Almost.

She gripped the edges of her skirt. "I saw Sayer too, while I was there."

"What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know," she laughed emptily. "He said you did something to him."

"Wasn't he arrested though? What was he doing there?"

She shook her head, ready to give into the questions swirling around in her brain. "I don't know."

"Aki?"

She rubbed her forehead. What was real? She remembered things that'd never happened, and for the dreams she's deluded herself into getting lost into, as it turns out, they were real. Shadows upon shadows, of things she may or may not have created; was this another aspect of her power? Was this just another way her past could torment her? Was she really just mad, descending down a velvet, crimson channel of illusions?

She finally sighed. "Sorry, forget I ever said anything."

She could feel Yusei's worried eyes examine her for a little, before his gaze fell to her scratched out homework. Carefully, he picked up the pen, scribbled something down, and stood up. From the corner of her eyes, she watched him stand, a sad, tiny smile upon his face. "Just let me know if you need anything. You're welcome to stay here, if you want."

"Thank you."

"And don't forget; we're your friends. We'll be with you, every step of the way." And with that, he turned back, grabbed his toolbox, and started working on the duel runners once again.

Quiet sounds of him testing out the engine reached her, and as she laid there, she repeated his words again and again and again, testing them for one reason or another. She laid the back of her hands on her eyes, the conversation they had neither satisfying nor comforting her in any way.

We'll be with you, every step of the way.

She smiled faintly. The words of a friend, who was willing to be there for her, no matter what the circumstances, matched with the same voice who had shielded her from the flames. She didn't need to say anything for him to understand; as long as he was there, she'd be fine. At least, that's what she would like to believe.

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

The words of a wonderfully crafted script, hiding behind a voice she was supposed to know, but couldn't comprehend.

She looked down at her homework, and saw a simple formula written neatly along the margins. There were directions on how to use the formula, the simple ratios she'd need to work out before getting it done.

"Yusei," she called out, as she lifted her hand out from her eyes, staring at the brightly lit, afternoon skies, the shadows growing closer with every second past.

"What is it?"

"I can trust you, right?"

She heard the noises stop from the background. At first, she could feel his shock resonate from the atmosphere. She could practically see the hurt on his face, before he brushed it aside, assuming the formula he'd written down was only for the homework. "Where's this coming from?" he asked.

She closed her eyes.

No.

That image didn't fit somehow.

Finally, she turned back, and saw the same amusement in his eyes. She couldn't help but return that amusement, as she picked up her pen. "I just wanted to get the right answer. That's all."