The pure, white invitation sat at that desk, mockingly gazing at the two with its haughty elegance. A golden, feather-shaped sticker sat at the front, in the upper right-hand corner of the tiny thing, one that neither of which were particularly comfortable looking at. There were brown vines printed on the borders, the thorns growing out from them reaching out for the tiny, black print miserably. Both of their names were sprawled gracelessly towards the bottom. But yet another signature flourished below theirs, one that they couldn't help but stare at for the longest time. Still, they managed to pry their eyes away from the name, the pain so clearly evident in their eyes.

Would you like to meet the Black Rose?

The two pondered on the man's suggestion, their reluctance stemming from of a simple conversation that took place a few nights ago. They were to meet Belial, as well as his employer, at the Miyaki Hotel at seven o'clock in the ballroom, where the witch would appear. It was a banquet, all of which was geared towards introducing the terrorist who'd incited fear into nearly all of Neo Domino City, in showing off the Signer's newest enemy in effortless politeness, before attempting to bring them in. Both Jack and Crow will see who it was, behind the attacks, who it was that threatened the lives of their friends, who tried tearing apart the delicate peace the people in the city tried so hard to rebuild and protect.

And that criminal was supposed to be a close friend of theirs.

Someone they shared everything with.

Someone they thought they could count on.

Someone who had saved them on more than one occasion.

Someone they thought was Yusei Fudo.

Before long, Jack swiped the invitation from the desk. Crow blinked, before turning to his friend. He was about to say something, when Jack shook his head, not even bothering to complain this time. And once again, they lapsed in tense silence, as Jack moved toward the couch. Crow was about to follow, when he stopped himself, staring now at the empty space in front of him.

The two still tried clinging to their memories. They tried telling Belial over and over how they must've had the wrong guy, that Yusei would never do anything so cruel, that this was all some sick game, created by a psychotic freak who was only jealous of Yusei's newfound fame, that this was just an extreme prank someone was pulling, and that, by now, the cameras have already recorded their actions, and were being shown to some family far away, who was laughing hysterically at their stupidity. They clung to that hope that somewhere, down the line, Yusei would pop in, and ask if anything was wrong, to clarify all the misunderstandings that'd been swirling around him for the longest time. Even now, they still wanted the guy to come bursting through the door, explanations already in hand as to why Belial said what he said.

So, they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And then they heard the midnight chimes from some distant clock, with only dread filling them both.

The warm, white, styrofoam cup slipped from his fingers, as his hand entwined with hers. He paused for a single moment, before coming away, the steam from Akiza's hot chocolate swiftly being overpowered by the cool, breezy air. His dark, obsidian eyes held onto her glassy ones for some time, the familiarity of those orbs callously reminding him of that crimson evening, the sounds resonating from a bullet he fired from before. And yet, somehow he managed to untangle himself from those twisted emotions, concentrating on what was here, what was real. But even now, he couldn't even begin to separate truth from lies, muddled memories reforming rapidly in his brain, one by one. It wasn't long before he finally sighed, and sat down next to her, on that archaic, wooden bench.

A field of marigolds decorated the verdant hills, the lonely, flickering lampposts capturing whatever solitude was left in the twilight. Tall oak trees towered over the park, their roots etched out over the eroding, grey pavement. Withered leaves kept falling toward the two, their landings echoing throughout the seemingly abandoned fields, their unborn buds dropping with them. The moonless night gave little comfort for the same, isolated light the two were comfortable with, and ominous clouds shrouded the stars.

To Yusei, it looked like there was a storm coming.

About an hour ago, Yusei had given out the coordinates for an "ambush" against Fallen. The nobles were all already in place, and since he had Jaden leak those coordinates to Amrbosine, sure enough, she'd coming running for them. She'd kill off the remaining competition, and then she'd come back to hunt him down. The entire fiasco would lead up to Belletrix's little banquet tomorrow, and once he's finished humoring sister dearest, Alexis will take care of the branch here, as will Jaden.

It'd be like killing two birds with one stone; Amrbosine clearly wasn't the mastermind behind Fallen's sudden resurrection, and the elites were useless to him as they are, unlike the other covens, who actually waited for orders. It won't be long now, before he manages to annihilate Belletrix too; it didn't matter what she believed she could use against him, and she certainly couldn't attack him without exposing herself. Either way, Yusei will still win.

However, he didn't plan on seeing Akiza, that night.

Who happily slaughtered three of his nobles, right in front of him.

She was completely different, so very unlike the young woman he'd gotten to know over the last year. Her pale skin shimmered within the darkness, the crimson contrasting sharply to the background behind it. Her bangs carelessly swept across her face, the silver hairpin she wore to keep her powers in check already cracking at the monstrosity within her. A small, twisted smile grazed her face, and if he'd remained quiet, he was sure she'd laugh. She was shivering, waking up from a nightmare she could neither control nor fear. She simply sat there, unmoving, with a cascade of emotionless tears running down her cheeks. A blank stare callously sat on her face; neither remorse nor guilt nor sympathy ran crossed her.

After a few moments of silence, he closed his eyes. He placed his elbows on his knees, and looked down at the cracks in the sidewalk.

"Are you okay?" he finally asked.

She didn't answer.

"Aki."

He could hear the styrofoam cup tighten in her grip. She started to shake her head, when she paused for a brief moment. Her lips parted slightly, before answering with a reluctant, "I'm fine."

He narrowed his eyes, as he scrutinized her appearance. None of the blood had gotten on the front of her clothes, and he's already wiped it away from her face. She was wearing his old, blue jacket too, and that alone should cover up any of the blood stains on the back. "I don't believe you," he replied.

She laughed emptily. "Funny."

"What?"

"It's nothing; just a little inside joke is all."

Yusei blinked. "Right…"

"No, really. I-I-"

"Akiza," Yusei interrupted sternly, causing her to stop shivering. "When I saw you, you were covered in blood. What happened?"

She began shivering again.

"Akiza."

"Amaryllis."

He froze.

Slowly, Akiza picked her head up, her glassy eyes staring up at the nonexistent starlight.

As she did, Yusei's mind began racing, the very fact that she even knew the name carefully distorting the illusion he wanted to preserve around her. Incoherent gibberish was lodged in his throat, his brain still stunned with surprise. Even after he endeavored willing himself to say something, anything, even some half-hearted excuse to try and distract Akiza from the name itself, he still remained quiet.

"I hear she was the original Black Rose," she continued softly, ignoring the tension surrounding their silhouettes. "That she died, during the hunts."

"…I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah," she replied, bringing the styrofoam cup toward her face. "Do you remember those terrorists, the ones with the roses attached to their throats? I figured that's where they got the symbol from."

Yusei relaxed. Still, he carried the concern on his face, an eerie calmness washing over him. Memories of when she stood callously over the bodies, his elites dying before her during the horror festival, her glassy eyes quietly lingering along the disturbing scene; it all grazed his mind then. It was the same moment from which the previous witch decorated herself with, the same, bloodstained crimson that she endeavored to hide, to forget. And although no emotion covered her face, the remorse slipping away from her once peaceful mindset, the similarities were still there. It seemed as if that for a split second, his Akiza was there, sitting beside him that bench, in the darkness.

But only for that second.

"You're right," he found himself saying. When the quiet persisted, Yusei simply continued, not even bothering to understand the tension callously embedded between the two. "The symbol came directly from her. In fact, if it wasn't for that symbol, I doubt any of those terrorists could've survive."

"Coven."

"What was that?"

"They're a coven, not terrorists. Jaden told me."

"Coven, then," he corrected effortlessly. "To me, it seems they all depend on that symbol, to hold them together. Without it, they would've fallen apart years ago."

"You know them from somewhere?"

He shrugged. "They were a duel gang from the Satellite; not even Kalin could catch up with them."

Akiza closed her eyes. "Can you tell me about them?"

"I don't know much," he murmured softly. "But I know a few of the coven members. From what I hear, a lot of them are going to die soon."

"…How?"

"They ticked off the wrong person. Since they were the ones behind the terrorist attack, I don't think anyone is going to help them out this time."

"You don't seem that concerned."

"Should I be?"

"…I expected you to, anyways."

"They hurt you," Yusei reminded, the stinging frustration that Jean would even think about targeting innocents, just to lure him out. He narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists at the memory. "And let's not forget; they terrorized those people. They were the bad guys in that little incident, weren't they? And besides, I'm surprised that you even care."

"I'm just curious."

"Even then."

Carefully, she took a sip from the warm chocolate, her lips barely touching the rim of the cup. She set the drink down on her lap, and savored the taste. "How come?"

Yusei slid his icy orbs over to hers. Again, he could see the Black Rose peeking out from the subtlest traces of emotionless grace. But, despite that, the cruelty still remained. So he turned away. "They hurt people, didn't they?"

"But they got what they deserved. And the public always wants to know the stories behind the criminals, right? Why they're doing what they're doing."

"You think?"

"I know."

"It's funny," he continued. "Normally, I wouldn't have expected someone who'd just killed three people to be this calm."

"…You're comparing me to them?"

"You hurt those people too, didn't you? Even if they did deserve it."

Much to his surprise, she merely laughed, heaviness and mirth entwined within a kaleidoscope of uncertainty. "So you want to know why I did it then?"

"Self-defense, right?"

"A common excuse, isn't it?"

"It's the most acceptable one, in a situation like this."

"You think they'd find the bodies?"

"If the police aren't as clueless as they seem, maybe. Who knows?"

"Right; silly me."

The two lapsed in silence again. The tension had long since come away from them, though the comforting darkness proved of little use.. Even if they did deserve it, even if it was out of self-defense, somehow, that excuse just didn't seem believable. And neither did the behavior Akiza was exhibiting now; normally, she wouldn't even talk to him as calmly as she would now, while pleasantly sipping her drink. It was as if all sense of morality had left her, on this particular night; she wasn't the crying, lonely little girl he saw back at the Fortune Cup, nor was she bothered by little things like crime or judgements. But then again, he didn't feel like there was anything wrong with her either. Neither his cautiousness nor his suspicions arose, even with all the alarm bells sounding in his head. Did she see his face, just before she passed out? Did she know about all the lies he's fed to her, the drugs that she's had to suffer from? Did she remember anything?

He had absolutely no idea.

"I hope they find the bodies."

Yusei blinked. He turned to her, the surprise etched into his features.

"They might call it some vicious mugging," Akiza mused, while swirling the drink in her hand. "Or maybe some animal might've escaped from the sewers, and mauled them. Maybe a deranged serial killer broke out of prison, and was now exacting his revenge on the ones who turned him in. Perhaps it was just a robbery gone wrong, with the robbers winding up dead for their own greed. What'd you think happened, during that night?"

"Aki…I know what'd happened-"

"Then tell me the story," she said, a slow, unreadable smile forming on her face. "Was it real? A dream? Are the black spots on my clothes really dried bloodstains?"

"Aki-"

"I didn't even hear their screams," she continued, as if brushing aside whatever excuse Yusei had yet to come up with. "Muffled screams, at least. If I was going to be a psychopath, the least I could do…is make them scream."

Yusei reached out for her shoulder, his eyes widening at her incoherence. "Listen, it wasn't your fault! They were just-!"

"And scream, and scream, and scream."

He visibly flinched, his mind fishing around for yet another lie. "They…they were just…"

"Tell me Yusei," she instantly said, as she turned to him, her dark, maroon bangs sweeping away from her eyes. "If you heard them scream, would you tell me that they existed?"

He couldn't answer.

"If they screamed, would you tell me what I remember…was right? That I killed them? That I murdered them, and I didn't even know why?"

"…I…saw the bodies, Aki," he said finally. Resignation clouded his face, as he reached over and grabbed her hand. "They were real. If…I can tell you right now, that-"

"That I'm not dreaming," she finished easily. She turned away then, and drank the last of her chocolate. She set the cup on the ground, the lines beneath her eyes contrasting to the pale azure of the styrofoam. "I guess…I guess that's the only thing that matters, huh?"

He simply sat there, for a single moment. He couldn't say anything at all, but then of course, he'd no idea what he wanted her to do.

What she wanted him to say.

Did she want to feel better? Make the pain go away? Did she want to sleep, just as she had back when she was still at the hospital, when she was falling in the midst of the drugs he induced her with? Did she want to hear the truth, however frightening it may seem to her? Did she even want to know anything about those terrorists? Did she want to know who attacked her this night, piecing together the connection between her old, vengeful identity, and the terrorists whom had only recently showed?

"Yusei," she suddenly called.

He snapped to attention.

He could feel her icy fingers on his slowly slipping away. No, she didn't bother moving at all; in fact her muscles relaxed at his touch. And yet, all the same, he pressed a bit more onto them, as if to try and keep her from leaving. "What is it?" he asked.

"Why did you lie to me? Back at the hospital?"

"I told you before, didn't I?"

"You were lying then too," she murmured quietly, subtle shadows overtaking her weary face.

"…Are you sure about that?"

"No."

"Then why bring it up?"

"Because I'm just sitting here, after all this time," she whispered softly, her domesticated eyes taking in the ebony surrounding them. "I just killed three people, and I'm just sitting here, like it's nothing."

"Is that all?" he asked, confidence and confusion embedded within his normally calm voice.

She cocked her head, her gaze amusingly taking in all her randomness at this point. "I've also had dreams, these past few days." she said.

"Dreams?"

She nodded slowly. "You're always in them, for some reason," she continued, her voice trailing off aimlessly, wandering around in whatever emotion was left in her mind. "Sometimes Jaden, sometimes Alexis. But it's always you, waiting in the shadows."

Yusei flickered his eyes towards her. "And what was I waiting for?"

"I don't really know."

"…Were the dreams always bad?"

"Most of the time, yes." she replied, her distant expression recalling the slumber the drugs forced into her. "But I remember this one dream. I was sitting in class, waiting for the bell, and then I just…I nodded off."

"What was it about?"

She paused for a moment, her mouth slightly parted. Finally, she smirked. "I was walking in a field of flowers. There was someone with me, but I can't remember who."

"Flowers?"

"Roses, I believe. No, I take that back; not all of them were roses." Her finger touched the bottom of her lip, a thoughtful look painted onto her face. "Spider-lilies," she suddenly said. "Half of them were roses, and the other half were spider-lilies."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah. Did you know that spider-lilies were actually amaryllises?"