Thanks for the reviews, I know the pace is slow, but we're getting a bit more development on both sides, I know Ryou has been getting more time than Edo, but Edo will have more focused chapters soon, the tag duel will come in a few chapters too, I hope you all enjoy the reading!

Chapter X

Hesitation

Inside the obelisk's boys' dorm, early in the morning when the sun hasn't fully risen yet, the silence permeates the building as most of the students are either sleeping or slowly waking up.

The sound of the tap water running comes from inside the bathroom, Ryou splashes water on his face, turning it off, supporting his hands on the sink as droplets trickle down his face. He stares at himself in the mirror, a small frown forming, making some water accumulate above his brows.

His confidence in dueling and his skills certainly attracted people to him and according to them, even his appearance, they called him a "perfect duelist". At the same time, all this popularity has been causing him more troubles than it's worth lately.

Will he have to deal with this annoying feeling of not having liberty to talk to whoever he wants whenever he wants when he becomes a pro duelist too? Probably, taking a look at Edo is enough to figure he'd been pretending to like people for so long he just breaks his tongue free when he's not in front of the cameras, except in broadcasted duels where he taunts his opponents.

He never asked for this much attention, but he never bothered with having it either, he just accepted it as a normal part of life, however… The face of his mother comes to mind. Thinking back on it, she also had quite the amount of troubles that go as far back as he can remember himself as a person.

"Damn… I don't want to end up becoming like her…"

His eyes narrow at the idea, rejecting it with all his might. Fasting forward on time, he walks down the corridor, fully dressed in his school uniform.

The chattering of the students bustling on the corridor does not break his concentration state, his head held high, a heavy and imposing presence around him as he walks. A mix of recollections of Asuka's words from that night and of Shou pops into his mind. True enough he hasn't talked to his brother ever since… Ever since he entered the academy.

Shou would often send messages when he was still in middle school, despite Ryou never answering back long texts, he always replied to every single question as concisely as possible, but he was so busy he'd take some time to reply at times and Shou refused to visit the island, some sort of vow he made to himself to only come once he has passed the exams. The messages also got less and less frequent over the years until he stopped.

He never had a chance to ask him why in person, or maybe, he was postponing having time for his brother, but he thought Shou might also have a reason. None of them would visit the other first. Why did he not just talk to him? They used to spend so much time engrossed in day long conversations about dueling and cards.

It was not until recently that he was shocked upon Rie's message of inconveniencing him. What if Shou feels like a bother to him too? Albeit he often heard about how people are wary of approaching him and he was fine with that as he also doesn't mind having his personal space, especially when it comes to his admirers or fans, maybe he's mistakenly treating the people around him, his friends and relatives as his fans. Those are the "barriers" Asuka mentioned, right? It's his indifferent attitude.

That wasn't his intention, of course, but he needs time to figure out how to best fix this habit and properly express himself in front of the people he cares for. His immersion is interrupted by some first years clearing their throat to make themselves notice, an abashed smile as they ask for his help.

Somewhere else…

Edo yawns, covering his mouth with a hand, his last night excursion went until late, he recalls all the places he visited: the ruins, the lab, even the hut, none of them had clues, at least he is yet to check the interior of the labs, but what Ryou said about objects being taken was worrisome.

A click on the side, slips his mind back into reality, his eyes directing to the origin of the sound, opening in surprise to see an unexpected sight: it's not Ryou, but the pink-haired girl. Since Ryou has proven to be unable to fulfil his task, maybe he should do it.

"Hey, can we talk for a minute?"

She flinches as a voice calls from the side, staring at the silver-haired boy standing still and awaiting for her answer. Her blue orbs wander around, trying to figure if he was really calling her, her index finger pointing at herself in bemusement.

"Yes. I'm talking to you." He affirms, crossing his arms. "Do you have a moment?"

Her outside looks calm, but a pinch of concern spreads inside her chest, she was following him around last night. Did he notice something? Her uncle even alerted her to be careful around him. A drop of sweat rolls down her cheek, her blood pressure increasing with fear.

"You have been to that 'witch's hut' before, haven't you?" He cuts off straight to the point. "Listen, I know you were probably asked many things, but this also involves you, so you should be aware…"

He can see her orbs squinting slightly at the question, a cautious gleam in them as she grips her PDA stronger. This vibe of insecurity exhaling from her tells he should be quick to ask.

"The things you saw on the room under that trapdoor of the hut-"

He stops midway when they can hear some voices far behind him, she looks over his shoulders, her eyes widening in some sort of panic, looking at him again, then her fingers type so fast he cannot even think on the right words with all the clacking noise, showing him a message:

"I'm sorry, I'm running low on time, I have to go to class!"

Closing her locker as fast as the wind, she hurriedly walks off, Edo can only gawk at the bold evasiveness she is employing there, mentally cursing himself, perhaps he should've been more subtle after all?

He whirls around, an annoyed knot on his eyebrows, what was it that she saw that scared her so much? His eyes waver surprised at the sight: the person arriving at the locker is Ryou, followed by two freshmen that Edo has seen in his class. They beckon to Ryou and leave excitedly.

Edo follows them with his eyes, casting a look at the Kaiser next, then looks at the path Rie just used as an escape route, bringing his eyes back to the teal-haired, raising a brow after connecting the dots.

"You messed up." He declares bluntly after concluding inwardly.

"What a lovely greeting to hear first thing in the morning. Hello to you too." The teal-haired opens his own locker, he's starting to grow used to Edo's rudeness, but he's not sure if he likes that. "May I hear why you're keen on voicing your opinion about me this early in the day?"

"I just saw that girl, Rie Kinomoto. I was about to ask her about the hut, but she suddenly darted out… After she saw you."

"She was here just a moment ago?"

"Yes. She's so obviously avoiding you, I don't know what to say, and I fear listening to what you did for this to be happening." He shakes off his head in disbelief.

"I didn't do anything." He retorts, a low grunt coming out of his throat, keeping his composure.

"Ah, yes, I can see that! You can't even keep a girl's attention for five minutes to ask something. And sure, I believe you, she's just running away for no reason whenever you appear."

"I wouldn't say 'no reason'. Sincerely, I don't think Ryou is the problem…"

A third voice barges into their conversation, they both turn around to see Asuka just behind them, she folds her arms pondering deeply, as if organizing her thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday I tried to talk to her and ask if she was fine, she just told me she was tired and locked herself in her room. So… I don't think you are the main problem, Ryou…" She says as some sort of consolation, his eyes opening a millimeter, then going back to his inexpressive self.

"Well, she did avoid my question too…" The silver-haired states, trailing off on the last part. His intuition tells him something is off about her. "Don't you think it's odd?"

"Why? Just imagine, ever since she arrived, everyone was onto her because of her unique conditions, then on top of that she starts getting hate from Ryou fans unwarrantedly and there's the hut case… Have you heard the nasty things people are commenting about her? I think that's a big problem and I can understand why she'd avoid the topic and people."

"You have a point…" He sighs in defeat. "Maybe she's closing off to everyone, but that's also a problem for us... By the way, did you get any new information?" He looks at the two friends.

"I talked to professor Ayukawa about it, she didn't disclose much, but said we all girls should be careful with pranks and stuff like this, she didn't know anything about the hut until that day, it seems, she thought the rumors were a lie or just students imagining things. As for professor Chronos, when I mentioned the hut, he was mortified, saying we students should keep away from that place."

"He was nervous? Hm… Does he know something about it? Maybe I should approach and ask him too…" Edo puts a hand to his chin. "What do we do about our little runaway princess, though?"

"I'll take care of it." The overconfident assertion startles the other two. "Asuka, I'll talk to you at the lighthouse later as usual…"

With a wave of hand he disappears in the direction of the third year's classroom, the blonde watches his back distancing, her eyes oscillating worriedly.

"Ryou… He's doing it again…" She voices into her own mind, her brows coiling up.

"Is there a problem?" Edo asks intrigued after he peeks over her expression, wondering why she'd be worried now.

"It's nothing."

She answers, whirling around to walk towards the first year's classroom. The silver-haired stands for a minute longer, trying to understand the intricacies of that expression she just had on her face and again, looking at the path Ryou just walked by. He doesn't really get the problem, but it seems none of them want to talk about it, he shouldn't barge into their matters.

"He did the same when we started searching for Fubuki…" Asuka lowers her gaze, voicing inside her mind, reviving a distant memory unveiled. "He's taking the responsibility on his shoulder again… I hope he remembers we're in this together…"

She enters the class followed by Edo in the interval of a couple minutes. They resume their day, his eyes glancing over her somewhat aloof expression as her mind drifts away from the subjects they learn about.

At the middle of the afternoon,

The afternoon shift was usually without oral lectures, the students would be either dueling and working on assignments or having the physical education classes, in other terms, practical lessons.

It's the time for the third years to have swimming classrooms, the last time it was volleyball, but the school enforced some sort of educative system in which they'd experience different sports as part of their growth, always switching to a different one during the same week and repeating the schedule once they had covered all the listed sports.

The pool in the gymnasium was large, and so was the space around it, the showers and locker rooms were separated for boys and girls, usually they'd keep the sports uniform there.

For the girls, the uniform consists of a modest and composed one piece swimsuit majorly in the same dark-blue color as in the school uniform, with a thick white line delineating the shape on the sides, the main color was yellow for the Ra Yellow girls who were in their third year.

The boys' uniforms are sports swimming shorts, the color is a slightly darker shade of blue than the girls', but also having the white stripes on each side and likewise for the third years who were still in Ra, the color varying to yellow and white. The gym was rattling with the busy chattering, the boys had finished their practice first as instituted whenever they had those sports classes.

The girls were all on the flanks of the pool, some sitting on the benches at the walls of the gym, waiting for the boys to wrap up and go to the changing rooms so they could start using the space. Some boys were already under the showers, others were just idly chatting and taking the chance to admire the girls in their less clothed versions, albeit the uniform didn't leave much space for a cleavage. The same could be said for some girls who also took the chance to flirtatiously glance over the boys' side.

Ryou puts on a black T-shirt as soon as he could even before going to the changing room, he had enough of his fans drooling over him and having those unbecoming lecherous eyes during those types of classes.

There was even a case in which he caught a fan taking illegal pictures of him while he changed clothes, gladly he caught her before the pictures got too revealing. He found out later she was selling and distributing it in his fan club, with a shake off of his head, he tries to forget it, not all his fans were like that, but sometimes they frightened him with their fanaticism.

His eyes fly around the room until they land on an uncanny scene: unlike the other girls who were fully prepared to start, Rie stands in front of Ayukawa with a troubled expression, they both are near the border of the pool. He can barely see her figure behind the teacher that is a bit taller, but the pink hair is unmistakable.

"We talked about this before, Rie-chan, first said it was the period, now you're not feeling well to swim. Even if you feel uncomfortable for many reasons, I cannot just let you out of the class. I need an official authorization to do that and I need to make sure you're attending the classes properly, you know why. I'm sorry, but that was the order from the principal…"

Rie clasps her hands together in a plea, her eyes quivering in a last attempt to convince the teacher she doesn't want to participate in it. The woman sighs deeply, feeling some pity for having to be strict, but she has to accomplish her task, softening her voice:

"Listen, you don't need to actively participate in it, but I still can't let you out of the gym, okay? You can sit down on the bench and wait, just know that next time your uncle will have to ask the principal an official request to let you out of swimming classes specifically. Also, don't bring in your PDA, I know about your conditions, but you might damage it if you have it so near the pool."

The pink-haired almost pouts, the teacher goes out of the gym to get some equipment for the class. Rie walks dejectedly towards the other groups of girls, her steps making the small water pools splash around on the cold stone ground, the smell of chloride invading her nose.

That's probably not the best moment to start a talk, but Ryou embraces the opportunity, threading closer, calling out to her, not too loud to not attract unnecessary attention, but enough for her to listen clearly:

"Rie."

She stops on her tracks, whirling back to look at him as he halts his steps in front of her, her eyes widening upon noticing what she just did. She shouldn't have acted on reflex, uneasiness installing into her expression. Despite her endeavor to slip away, he's so persistent.

His standoff eyes open unconsciously, she is smaller than he remembers, though he wouldn't call her built "petite". Now she isn't using the conventional school uniform, he can see her blemished skin on the right side of her neck spreading to the middle, it looked as if her skin had been literally ripped apart and regrown more tanned, a scar in the shape of a clean line atop the slightly darker colored part, contrasting with her naturally pale skin. She lowers her orbs to the ground abashedly.

He flinches, realizing the rudeness of his stare, turning his gaze to the side apologetically. She told him before about the accident, it seems it left physical marks on her. His brows twist upwards in a compassionate manner.

"I'm sorry. I understand our meetings have been less than ideal, but we need to talk about what happened at the hut…" A drop of tense sweat forms on his face as he faces her earnestly. "Something dangerous is going on, your safety might be compromised too… That's why I needed to talk to you urgently…" He speaks even lower, her lips opening in some sort of wariness.

First, Asuka tried to ask her about the same subject last night and she evaded, then the pro duelist wanted to talk to her during the morning and now even Ryou…? Why are all three of them so fixated in this hut? Did they find out something they shouldn't? This would be very cumbersome…

Meanwhile, a nearby trio of boys watches as the Kaiser suddenly requires the girl's attention, his figure standing tall and proud compared to her, one of them chuckling at the scene, it looked like a harmless bunny curling up in fear upon being cornered by a dragon.

"You don't think he's making a move on her, is he?" One of them asked, wiping his wet face with the towel around his neck.

"In front of his fans? And of everyone? If he's doing it, you have to admit, he has guts." The second one contests in a half ironic tone.

"Does he even need to make a move? Didn't he already get that one?"

"Did he? He seems a bit troubled…" He comments watching as Rie blinks confusedly while Ryou has a very serious and uptight expression.

"Maybe we should give him a 'little push', if you get what I mean. Watch it."

The black-haired boy opens a grin and tosses the towels he was using to one of his friends that almost drops it while trying to catch it up.

"Wait, Sakamoto!"

He ignores the calls and walks closer and closer to the pair of students talking, a mischievous glint in his eyes. At the same time, the teal-haired tries to finally alert her:

"This isn't a good place to talk about it in detail, but I urge you to come and meet me and Asuka at the lighthouse today night. I promise we will explain everything…"

She's impressed at the suggestion, blinking bemusedly and trying to figure why he's so adamant about having her join the discussion when she made it clear she doesn't want to talk about it anymore. Even more that he boldly disregarded the school's warning about not going out the dorms at night, not that she hasn't ignored it either, she notes the last part sourly.

"Also, I understand why you're unwilling to have the type of attention you're getting because of me, but Rie, about that message you left, you aren't inconveniencing m-"

Before he finishes the sentence, a pair of hands shoves his back forward, he loses his balance staggering and bending onward, his arm stretches forward in a try to regain it. Rie's eyes open wide, she instinctively slides her feet back to avoid the collision, but she loses control and her feet skid on the pools of water under her sole, Ryou also can't prevent the accident, toppling over her and his weight furthering her fall as he bumps into her.

A wet thud soars in the air when her back hits the ground with full force, water sprinkling around, astounding everyone and bringing attention to them, his fingers brushing on her cloth-covered ribs before gliding down to the ground because of his clumsily attempted break of the fall as he firms both his hands on the rocky ceramics' floor, near her sides, his torso hovering above her.

Her eyes squeeze shut in some sort of pain, her legs buckled inward in between his knees that were supported on the ground, he can see her mouth opening wide in a scream, but no sound comes out, she shields herself putting her arms in front of her torso, her eyes opening slowly after nothing happens, finding him above her.

He freezes for a second, his brain running an entire kilometer while stunned at the girl below him, her untied hair spread out on the ground, under his fingertips. His blood pumps faster on his veins going all over his body in adrenaline. His eyes linger on hers a second too long for their comfort, a tinge of pink reaching her cheeks under his intense, yet distant stare, his hands that block her sides twitch as he snaps out of his daze by the sound of gasps and a foul cackling behind him.

With an impulse from his arms, he straightens himself on top of his own knees, giving more space to Rie, she also sits down, crawling backwards with her hands, slightly away from him, her body shivering unwittingly, her brows angling up in a mix of embarrassment and perplexity at what happened.

"Wow, so wild!" One of the boys behind him shouts as loud as feasibly possible, mockingly: "You don't need to be so savage to get a girl, Kaiser!"

"Gosh, she can't even yell to complain, give her a break." The other one sneers.

"Well, I'm sure she must have screamed a lot in that hut!"

The trio of boys burst into laughter, across the room the girls are divided between the fans burning in jealousy and wanting to switch places with Rie, to some fans who swooned after getting a sight on the Kaiser in such a inappropriate position; the other girls roll their eyes at the stupidity of the boy's prank, showing disapproval with their heads and glares.

Ryou stands up calmly, his eyes occulted by his bangs falling over his face, his fists clenching for a short time, trembling at the amount of strength he applies, veins becoming apparent on the back of his hand, the shaking ceasing over a long second of putting his feelings under control.

Rie rubs the back of her aching head, her eyes wavering while hearing the gossiping insidiously encroaching the gym. She looks at him in some sort of restlessness as he turns away from her, trudging daringly close to the trio of boys that guffaws.

"Now that's some self-control. I'd have taken the chance to delight myself at the opportunity." The dark-haired cups his hands near his chest to mimic as if he's fondling a girl's breasts.

"Sa-Sakamoto…" One of them points behind his friend, like in a horror movie.

A hand firmly grips Sakamoto's shoulder, he slowly turns to the side, seeing the callous, menacing glare Ryou casts at him, a smirk forming on his lips. Did he get that guy upset? The Kaiser Ryou? It's a true victory for him.

Ryou can't stand it. This smirk. He has been repeatedly trying to get a minute to discuss with Rie something that involved their lives and in which dangerous situation they're in, and it's interrupted by a moron like this guy? His efforts were simply crushed down by an idiot that can barely duel properly? Let alone understand the situation? Enough.

"What's your problem?!" Ryou's voice is grave as he pulls the boy to face his direction without qualms, a scowl showing on his face.

Sakamoto staggers a step back at the aggressiveness, his friends lose their color, their eyes bulging out whilst seeing a tangible and threatening aura emanating from the teal-haired, it was full of hostility, they'd never seen that expression on him even once in all three years they've been here.

"Which problem, Kaiser? It's very slippery everywhere on the ground too, it's not my fault if you're a klutz and fell down." He shrugs off dismissively, a pinch of derision in his glance. "And you can't complain, I'm sure even you can enjoy the sight of a cute girl below you. You saw the sights from a nice angle, didn't you? Doesn't that get you turned o-"

It all happens too fast, Ryou taps his shoulder with a hand, stopping his insupportable gabbling in the middle of the sentence, applying a leg sweep to the side of Sakamoto's legs with such a skilled movement that they doubted their vision.

His eyes open wide when he loses his balance right at the borders of the pool, his arms flinging up, trying to recover his equilibrium, Ryou gives a sturdy, but short push on his shoulder to finish the job, he can only see Ryou's unfazed glare and the ceiling as he sinks into the pool.

The loud splash again elicits gasps and impressed faces all over and some laughs from the boys too. Sakamoto scuffles underwater, his face coming above the surface after a few seconds, he sees Ryou looking down on him coldly, his eyes narrowing harshly, downsizing him.

"Why don't you wash off those dirty thoughts of yours, asshole?"

He gawks in disbelief as Ryou shakes off the head in disgruntlement, the audience of students is quite enthralled by the scene, his fans squeaking, never had they seen the Kaiser physically assaulting someone, although they agree his provoker deserved it.

"Leave her alone." He proclaims the last words not even as a warning, but as an irrefutable demand.

The two other friends come to his rescue, helping him out while he's still in shock, the teacher hears the ruckus from afar and storms inside the gym.

"Why are you jumping into the water?!" She puts both hands on her hips, a berating glare thrown at the boys as she sees one of them coming out of the pool. "The girl's class will start soon!"

"I-it's not what you're thinking, teacher, we just-" They stutter nervously.

"It's very slippery around here…"

Ryou answers in their stead, sarcasm imbued in his voice, his eyes squinting and casting a deadly glare at them with a clear "shut up tone", walking off as they gape in shock at how he nonchalantly rebuked Sakamoto's joke, lied and left them with an irritated teacher. They bow aplenty as Ayukawa gives them an earful.

Ignoring the noise behind, he finally settles down his annoyance, his expression softening a tad as he comes closer to Rie again, offering a hand.

"Are you alright?"

Her blue orbs flicker a moment looking at him. Why is he doing that? She told him, right? She was polite and she wanted to avoid this type of situation, then why is he still standing here? How can he just disregard everyone else around them? She can't do that. She was advised not to. But…

If she accepts his help right now, she feels like she won't be able to just ignore him later. Her fingers come very close to his palm, almost brushing on it. The chatting around them interrupts the moment, she casts a glance over her shoulder. Too many eyes watching, and she can feel the piercing, blazing glare of his fans awaiting to see her reaction and roast her later for it.

"You need to be cold like ice and hard as a diamond. What good will it do for you to be soft now? You need to make sure they didn't find out anything important…" She admonishes herself mentally.

Regardless of the kindness he displayed to her, she mustn't hesitate now. Her hand recoils suddenly, refusing his help, her lips curving down contrited, she supports her hands on the ground, standing up on her own. Her eyes oscillate, afflicted. She looks at his face a last time, before nervously walking past him, his hand lowering very slowly as he whirls back to follow her with his bluish orbs, almost bewitched by the sight.

"Rie…" He mutters disappointedly, his lips sealing shut in a line.

Her whole attitude expresses a big sign of "stay away from me". With how she's been treated, it's not hard to imagine why, but why does he have the feeling she does not want to be left alone at all? Wasn't he doing something similar up til Asuka pulled his ear for it? Keeping his distance from people.

From afar, Sakamoto observes Ryou's deep, vacant gaze, transfixed on the figure of that girl going away, yearning for something he couldn't grasp with his hands, his dueling, his intellect or anything he had to offer. It would be sad to him if he wasn't seething in fury.

"You really got him mad." One of his friends whispers, looking at Ryou still afraid of what he might do if he hears them.

"This guy really thinks he is something, huh? Didn't he just get ultra rejected?"

"By that girl? You don't think they…?"

"This can't be, that guy doesn't bat an eye for his fans, and some of them are much prettier. He only walks with the best, like that Obelisk Queen that's still a first year. Now she's something else!"

"Why would he…?" He clenches his teeth, searching for an answer inwardly. "I was just joking around… Don't tell me he really…?"

His far fetched conclusions tarnish his mind with theories that should not be spoken out loud, is that for real? The Kaiser is…?

The boys vanish from sight, shooed away by the teacher that scolds them all for loitering around too long. On the girl's side, Izanami bites her nails again.

"Just what was that?"

"Calm down. The boys just pulled some dumb trick."

"I know, but that little, ugh… First she mysteriously is in that hut alone with him, now even the boys are joking about her and the Kaiser…" She nibbles her nails relentlessly. "Whatever, she will get what's coming for her."

"Forget it, what do we do about that thing we got?" She looks to both sides, coming closer and whispering very low.

"I have someone in mind to test it on, but we'll need some help… As for our unpleasant contestant, I also have an idea…"

She smirks, they both have to attend the lesson in the pool, while Rie sits on the bench at the wall, embracing her knees as she boredly watches the swimming, the water gushing and splashing sounds along with the whistle of the teacher aggravating her impatience, she shivers every time at the sound of the water, covering her ears.

Rie stares at her own palm conflicted, she wanted to accept his help, but with how much attention she already got again, it was wiser not to.

What was he about to say before they were interrupted? And why did he sound so concerned, talking about their safety and strange things like that? He did mention he and Asuka would meet at the lighthouse to talk about something, maybe she should try and spy on them to confirm whether they know something or not?

At the pier

Asuka stands near the lighthouse, soon it will be the sunset, her golden hair flutters at the wind gushes brushing on her face. From behind some rocks, near the bridge connecting the lighthouse to the island, a boy clicks on his camera, making a picture of the scene, then he zooms the lenses even more, focusing on Asuka's profile as the wind blows her hair softly, she puts a hand to combs some strands back, he takes another shot, his cheeks flushing.

"What are you doing?"

A voice startles him from behind, he whirls back, his heart almost going out of his chest in fright, Edo Phoenix stands behind him with a brow raised in suspicion.

"I-I was…" He almost drops his camera, fumbling around with his hands while stammering.

In a second, Edo snatches the object away from his hands, looking at the pictures he just took, a frown coming to his face, his lips curving down.

"Taking pictures of someone without their consent is a crime. Not to mention, a very nasty habit."

"It's not what you're thinking, I-"

Without even listening to the explanation, he quickly deletes all the pictures he sees featuring Asuka, and skims through the other pictures, just a bunch of scenes of the ocean, forest and landscapes of the island.

"Get away from my sight before I break your nose and your camera."

He throws the camera to the side, the boy practically throws himself to the ground to catch the expensive equipment.

"And stop being a creep, if you want to talk to a girl, just ask her!"

His head shakes negatively as he walks off, the boy almost cries, running away from his meanness. His arms fold, his thoughts traveling to another world as he walks closer to the lighthouse.

"I told you that you should be more careful when you are alone."

His scolding tone gets her attention as she confusedly turns to the side, looking at him, despite talking to her, his mind was adrift somewhere else, lost in the crevices between the rocks compounding the bridge.

"You're sounding like my brother…" She retorts, but in a calm tone, much like Ryou, it seems she was getting used to his usual grumpy remarks, it makes her wonder whether she should be happy about that.

"I don't have blue hair and an eternally unchanged expression, though."

"I'm not talking about Ryou… I'm talking about my real brother." She adds, his eyes lift in an instant, as if surprised by the statement, her gaze is focused on the ocean ahead. "Why are you here?"

"Isn't this the place you two always meet to talk about the investigations?"

"Yes, it is, I didn't know you were invited to come."

"I assumed I was, he just spoke the place and time out loud in front of me. But I can leave if it bothers you two." He replies sardonically.

"It doesn't, I was just joking." She fidgets, regretting attempting a joke, naively thinking he didn't understand it. "We should wait for him here. He's running late today, though…"

There's a strange silence for a minute, the waves crashing into the coast gives an awkward vibe, he breaks the mood, a question still bothering his mind:

"How do I resemble your brother exactly?"

"Ah, he used to be paranoid about me coming to the academy and how I'd be harassed by male fans or something… He wasn't half-wrong."

"I can understand why…"

He blurts out without thinking twice, remembering the guy with the camera, then something clicks on his mind, he looks at her, her eyes stare at him as she gapes wondering if she really just heard that.

"Are you not having problems with your fans? Aren't you called 'the obelisk queen' or something? I see your friend is about to lose all his hair from stress with his fans and I could use a break too." He smartly dodges the subject by turning it into something else.

"Ah…" She finally responds, the tension previously built on her shoulders dissipates as he behaves more like himself, she had the impression he was flirting just now, but it couldn't be. "I did have some problems, but I can take care of myself. Fubuki was mostly exaggerating, he's such a dork sometimes."

She sighs troubled at the recollection, but there's fondness in her voice whenever her brother is mentioned. He can tell she misses him, his brows curling subtly upwards.

"What will you do when you find your brother?"

The question comes on a genuine whim, while he couldn't think of something as joyous as meeting someone he loved, he couldn't help but imagine how it'd be. Unfortunately, the man he's searching for is far from being someone who will provide a happy reunion.

"I… I don't know…"

She stares at him shocked at the question, as if he was the last person she'd expect to hear this from, there doesn't seem to be any ill intention in his voice, and being honest with herself, this is actually the first time someone asked her that. Her life has been so concentrated around dueling and finding Fubuki that she never stopped to think about such simple things. What will she do?

"I'd probably take time to tell him everything that happened and listen to what happened to him while he was away…"

"Hm…"

"Why are you asking this, anyways? I thought you didn't like 'braiding each other's hair'." there's an acidic tone and a slight contempt in her voice at his vague answer.

"I have free time as you can see, why not?" His eyes look up at the sky, uninterested in all the rest.

A white lie, he would never admit that the theme piqued his curiosity or the reason why he felt compelled to ask, his eyes dreaming of a distant memory with his father.

Meanwhile

Rie leaves the gymnasium to the lockers of the main building, there are giggles circulating in the air as she passes by and some other whispers demonstrating some pity for what happened.

Her steps halt abruptly as she sees Ryou, his back leaned against his locker, his arms folded, was he really waiting there ever since his class ended? And she thought he didn't have time to lose.

His posture changes, straightening up after hearing her light footsteps approximating. Her brows furrowed up, it seems avoidance is not gonna help, maybe if she listens and properly tells him off, he will stop.

"We need to talk." His glance skims around the room, curious eyes peeking over them. "Not here."

She nods reluctantly and follows his back as he leads the way outside the building, at this point, she decides to just disregard all the looks and comments she hears. He checks the surroundings as if ascertaining no one is hearing them when they arrive on the sides of the outer wall of the main building, not a single soul around.

"What is so important you have to tell me?" She is quick to type.

"It's about the hut, Asuka and I went back in there and something strange had happened. The flasks and those… Odd objects we saw there, do you remember them?"

"I don't want to keep talking about it, forget about the hut, it's past. Moreover, you didn't even want to say anything at the abandoned dorms, now you're coming to me because it's suddenly important that I participate in it? I decline, Ryou!"

"I know I haven't said much before and that was wrong of me, but I hope you understand I just didn't want to involve people like you who had nothing to do with the matter in the first place."

"I'm not blaming you for what is happening. But I never had a choice in this, people keep treating me as some sort of meat piece because I happened to be tricked and stuck with you somewhere, not to say all the free hate from your fans for… I don't even know why, I just got a locker beside you, I don't even know you that much, could they be more petty?! Do you think I wanted to be in trouble? All I wanted when I came to the academy was a normal life, and it's already hard for me to have it because of my limitations, do you understand? You know they'll never leave me alone, they just need a tiny reason to harass me. I'm not asking you to protect me or anything, I understand it's not your fault either, but I don't want to have any more problems because of this! So, please, leave me alone. That's plenty of help."

She said she wanted to be alone, but to him all that just sounded a plea for help. Had she really wished this, she wouldn't have hesitated back then when he offered his hand.

"No, that's not true! You don't want to be alone, you're just scared, you are completely frightened." His voice comes off louder than he intended to. "Back in the gym, you would have accepted my help, but you were scared when you heard people talking."

She flinches at the last part, her eyes waver saddened if she keeps getting attention, this will just ruin the whole plan. More than that, she's afraid to be close to others because of what her uncle said. If she gets too close to people now, when she needs to do what she came here for… Will she even be able to do it?

"Do you think I'm happy seeing what people are doing to you because of me? I didn't ask them to do it and I reprove it! I know I haven't been vocal about this before, and I know I've failed to realize how harmful this was to you sooner! I won't do that again. I'll not just watch while people do what they want, I'll tell them off and stop them."

His eyes waver subtly in consternation. This was supposed to be a talk between him and someone else, instead it felt like he was talking to himself.

"But you have to stop avoiding people, it will not help you or get you anywhere, Rie. Whether you want to or not, at some point, you'll need to confront them. They'll never stop if you always lower your head and run, you can't let them dictate how you live your life, you have to make choices, but you'll need to stand for yourself even if the way they treat you is unfair, you can't avoid it forever."

"I know that. I know that but…" She gasps air, opening her lips, unable to find the words.

His strict tone made her stop typing hectically for a moment, looking at him, her eyes quivering afflicted. He takes a deep breath, perhaps he got a bit too passionate in his speech? His voice calming down at the next part:

"I'll help you if you need. Asuka and I, we will listen to you if you want to talk to us, if you let us. We are not your enemies, Rie, we're all together in this."

Her brows arch up, tears forming and accumulating on the corners of her eyes. Why is he saying this? This is just making it harder on her. If he's kind like this… She bites her lips and wipes her tears with an arm, before they drip.

"Why do you need to ask me something? You were there in the hut too."

"It's not as simple as you think, someone took away everything that was inside that underground room. And they probably know we saw whatever was in there, which means we're both in trouble. I wanted to warn you about this."

Her eyes become empty for a moment upon hearing him, her mind making a draft of the possibilities. Is that why he has been so persistent? He thinks they're in danger. But the only person that could have taken the things away is…

"Asuka, Edo and me, we all three went there and it was empty, besides me you are the only one who saw it, Rie. The flasks and the books, even the furniture, all vanished! And with how people were quick to assume things and spread rumors, it's likely we could be targeted and I'm not talking about school bullies here, it's way beyond that. If you are willing to listen, we will tell you everything, but we also want your cooperation."

The words slap her back into reality, even more stupefied at the situation, her lips moving on their own, he can read them, puzzled at her reaction:

"Edo Phoenix?"

Her blood runs wild, Daitokuji was right, that boy is extremely cunning and they should keep an eye on him. She can't let them find out and at the same time, she has to know what they think and if they have any clue of what's happening.

Her mind drifted away from reality, her eyes are transfixed on him, but he can see she's not paying any attention to him at all. Is she done talking? His brows angle up in frustration.

"Yes, he was there too, I can't say why, but you can also ask him that, in person. I'll let you be now, but please keep what I said in mind and be careful when you are alone."

He says in dismay, turning around counting that as a loss again, maybe he was too incisive. At least he got to tell her something compared to the times he didn't have the chance to. He halts, feeling a tug on his sleeve, surprised at the message that is put right in front of his face.

"Ryou, I will talk to you all… But I don't know if I will be useful..."

His frown attenuates, did he finally reach out to her? His lips unsealing in awe, a small win he didn't expect. At the same time, her wording worries him. If she will be "useful"? Why in the world does she express herself like that?

Back at the lighthouse, the sun is almost setting fully, Asuka checks her PDA clock worriedly, tapping her feet a few times, Edo watches her impatience.

"Looking at the clock won't make him come earlier, you know?"

"He never gets here late."

"I figure a model student like him is punctual, that's good, but-"

"I'm sorry for the delay." Ryou's voice interrupts the sentence.

They both swirl back to look at him amusedly, a tiny smile appearing on Asuka's face, Edo simply observes as Ryou adds:

"I came across some unforeseen circumstances…" He casts a glance to the side, a drop of sweat rolling down.

From behind him, a fourth person enters the scene, the two younger teens exchange a surprised glance after seeing Rie, an hesitant and concerned glint in her eyes as she looks at them, her fingertips playing around on the PDA she holds on both hands.

Now that the four reunited, each one for their own reasons, will they unravel the mystery of the shadows haunting the academy? Or will Rie foil their efforts while among them?