Chapter XIX

Restlessness

A silver car drives through the main roads of the city, but stops due to the traffic, the driver that sighs is none other than Ellis Marufuji. He peeks at his wristwatch without taking his hands off the steering wheel.

On the seat beside him, there's a gorgeous woman in a black suit, legs crossed, her spiky blue hair cascading down her shoulders, her green eyes uninterested in whatever is happening in the world around, sliding her fingertips on her last model cellphone screen avoiding to scratch it with her polished red nails, reading a few messages.

"So, you said Ryou and Shou are very fine? I don't get why you call an almost expulsion 'fine', but…"

"It was just some minor trouble, sincerely I'd be more worried if they had problems of other sorts… They're not disrespecting anyone but some rules, of course I also told him off for that." He taps his finger, driving a meter more as the line of cars drives slowly, stopping. "In the end, they could stay in the school and they're doing fine in their studies, in fact, Ryou is the best of the class and Shou has improved a considerable amount. We've raised them well."

"So well they'd rather live on an island than with us."

"Kyouko." He reprimands. "Don't twist things."

"I know, I know… They're studying there to become pro duelists."

She rolls her eyes, the dark eyeliner on her orbs accentuating its sharp lines as they wander outside. The car is stopped amidst the traffic, there's the main square of the city on the side, it's more filled with people than usual.

"Is there some sort of event going on?"

"Hm… I think there was some rare card exposition in the museum, and they'll have some concert with famous bands in the main theater, why? Are you interested?"

"As if! A card exposition sounds like what you'd take your sons to when they were kids, I'd rather nap at home. I just feel like today there are more people out."

"Not everyone has to work on Sunday, you know? People usually go out on a pretty, sunny day like this."

She snorts as if reproving his sour remark, her eyes watching idly the people walking around, among the bunch, a familiar face, or so she thought, even from some distance. Her lax posture straightens up, her hand uniting with the glass of the car, a deadpan expression on her face.

It's certainly Ryou, that blue hair and imposing posture are unmistakable. He's standing, detaching from the crowds that walk with his presence. Beside the fact he wasn't in the school uniform, another detail catches her attention, there's this pink-haired girl he seemed to be talking to. She could almost swear he's smiling, unfortunately it was a bit too far to see that.

A flinch occurs when the car suddenly starts moving again and speeds up, she gasps, losing sight of the scene, staring with contempt at Ellis as if he'd interrupted something important, he casts a brief side glance, keeping his attention on the road.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

Leaning back on the seat, she shakes off her head, her blank eyes intrigued as she asks:

"You said Ryou and Shou got new friends in school?"

"I'm surprised you're asking. I thought you didn't care." He raises a brow, mistrusting her intentions with the question.

"It'll take a while to arrive home anyways. And I do care." She tumbles her head to the side lazily, supported on the car's seat.

"Hm… Yeah, they do. But again, neither of them had many friends in middle school, for different reasons… There's Judai-kun that dueled together with Shou, he's a bit of an airhead, but a good boy. As for Ryou, he got a new friend too, a transfer student that enrolled in the academy this year. I'm glad he's still keeping his friendship with Fubuki and Asuka-chan, but it's good for him to meet new people too."

"A new one? That's rare."

"I thought so too, but she's very sweet and she also seems to be a nice person."

"A girl, huh?" Her eyes squint, darting off to the side, thoughtful as if brewing dubious machinations.

"What with this tone, Kyouko? I hope you're not trying to cause problems." His eyes narrow, looking at her, as a warning.

"Why do you think I'd do that?

"You have the face of a troublemaker." He adjusts his glasses with an all-knowing expression. "Ryou took his rebellious side after you, you know? And also your argumentation skills and stubbornness…"

"I was just curious…" She pouts, sighing heavily. "Why do you treat me as a kid that's eating candies and hiding it from the parents?"

"Because you like to act like one." He rebukes immediately, catching her off guard.

"You can be so extremely charming when you want, Ellis." Her reply is full of sarcasm.

"It's because I love you and I know you very well."

She grabs his face with a hand, clutching it, his cheeks fold as she turns his face to her, eye to eye.

"You don't sweet talk me now, Ellis. I'm the lawyer here."

"Kyouko, the road…" He complains, his cheeks printed with her fingers when she lets him go. "But what I said before stands." He takes a peek at her reaction to see her shaking off her head.

At the same time,

In the main square of the city, Ryou stops in front of the entrance to the exposition at the museum, there are some tickets' booth on the sides and a short line of people that's dissipating fast.

"There isn't a big queue." She shows the message. "It's still early, so not many people came yet."

"I'll get us the tickets, you can wait here, it shouldn't take long."

She's unsure of what to answer, he smiles briefly and leaves to one of the stalls in the distance. Rie swings herself forth and back in anxiety, it's been long since the last time she went out, for some reason her insides feel restless, even though this should be just a friendly meeting.

Her blue marbles glide sneakily to the side, getting a sight on him as he buys the tickets. If it was some time ago, she could never even dream she'd be here visiting the city with him, she'd be hiding in the corner to not be bullied by his fans, time sure can change things.

She also wouldn't have told him much about her before, but today she simply poured herself out in their talks today. She's afraid that she's getting too used to it, too comfortable around him.

Not only with him, she also told more than she should to Asuka and she's been spending more time with the girls, she should be investigating more, investing into her true objective, yet here she is.

Couldn't she be a bit more impartial and just stop her fingers from typing all she wants? It should be easy. Her panicky flux of thoughts makes her oblivious to her surroundings, a voice startling her:

"You alone, honey?"

She awakes from her daydreaming, staring at the two figures ahead of her, their shadow cast over her silhouette. Two boys, dressed in somewhat simple clothes consisting of jackets over T-shirts, one of them has a backwards cap and the other just stands behind holding some sort of drink. The one with the cap above his brow-hair, repeats:

"So, are you alone? Wanna hang out with us?"

Her lips seal shut in an uninterested, blank expression, she turns her gaze away and her whole head, to look over her shoulder, Ryou is already coming back, he almost halts a bit when their eyes meet, gauging the seriousness of the situation when he sees two youngsters standing near her.

"You're gonna play hard and just ignore us?"

The boy smirks, she keeps her head turned away from them. Casting a dubious glance at his friend, suddenly, he slaps his friend onward, the boy smirks along with him for a very brief second, splashing the drink all over Rie's dress, pretending it was an accident.

"Whoa, I'm sorry there. You might want to get a change of clothes, sweetie."

He whistles and raises his arms with an ironic grin because she's paying attention to him now, looking at the result of his prank. She's flabbergasted, the soda spread all over the top of her dress and fell onto her feet too. The fabric glues on her skin and becomes semi-transparent to the point her underwear is visible. Her arm reflexively moves in front of her torso, hiding herself partially.

"Come on, don't be shy, we just want to-" His hand looms closer to her shoulder, until it's slapped away, brusquely, astonishing him.

"What are you doing?"

Ryou glares at the stranger, receiving a defiant smirk as a response, as the boy adjusts his cap and speaks shamelessly, not a single hint of regret:

"Don't tell me you're accompanying her?" He guesses with a snort.

"Yeah, what if I am?" His tone is harsh, but it softens as he casts his eyes to the side, looking at her. "Rie, are you alri…"

He gapes, his eyes widening slightly noticing how she clutches her hands together in front of her torso, her orbs cast down, her cheeks a deep shade of red. It takes him a second to understand why, flushing slightly. Even when she tries to hide herself, he can clearly see the green color of her bra and even the patterns of the elegant lace adorning it.

His emotions empty his insides, his blood flows fiercely, his fists clenching unwittingly as his brows furrow angered as he realizes, they splashed the drink on purpose to look at her underwear.

He turns his back at them, as a sign of disrespect, controlling his annoyance as he undresses his jacket, putting it over Rie's shoulder.

"Here, you can use this."

She's stunned for a moment, before turning around and putting it on, a vanilla scent with a woody undertone flares up in the air as she wears it, making her cheeks gain a defined tinge of pink. He ignores the "heys" and loud voices of the two guys behind, dedicating his attention to her, putting an arm around her shoulder, without touching it, making a shield between her and those delinquents.

"Let's go, Rie."

The tone of his voice was calm, his inexpressiveness struck her with awe and concern at the same time as he could disregard the two delinquents behind them as if they didn't exist. He's trying to suppress his feelings, but she can see that blaze in his eyes, hiding his emotions, an admirable self-control. It worries her, this pressure he forces onto himself to keep his head cool.

Unlike him, the other two boys weren't as peaceful, the boy with a cap abruptly grabs and pulls Ryou's shoulder, so strong it yanks him to the side. His green eyes sharpen, if a fight started right there, he would be ready, given his darkened expression, it's possible he would be fine just unleashing his annoyance all at once.

"Don't think you can come, take the girl and ignore us?!"

He pokes Ryou's chest with his finger, Rie switches her glance between the two as the tension builds up, the frown on his face gradually becoming more evident and threatening. That boy is taller than him, he conceitedly looks down on Ryou with his head held high. But even seeing that, she has this confidence he'd win in a fight, and the teal-haired boy is also convinced of that with how he is unfazed by the aggressive posture of the other teen.

"You left your girl alone, don't pose as a badass now. If she's not taken, then anyone can come and-"

"She's not a property, don't use your pitiful excuse of an approach to mask your harassment. Get lost!"

"You'll see what harassment is!"

He says between his teeth, poking his finger the last time, his other fist closing. Rie's blood seethes, her eyes opening wide, already portraying the start of a brawl there. Without thinking much, she gulps worriedly, then grabs that finger of the boy who had been irking Ryou.

They all pay attention to her now, flabbergasted. She strengthens the grip, bending his finger up in an unnatural angle, the boy freezes, sweating cold as he hears some low cracklings on his joints with the force she applies.

"W-What are you doing?! Ugh…"

He blurts out, almost panicked. Her eyes narrow menacingly, she bends his finger even more, her message of "get your hands off of him" was very clear. His feet slide back, his face going purple with the sensation he might actually get a broken bone, his legs become weak, trembling. She lets go as he stumbles a step behind, immediately covering his hand from her sight.

"You beast! You're crazy!"

She almost pouts, unaffected by his comment and following him with her eyes to scare them away as he and his friend leave, still exchanging glances with her before disappearing from her sight. She takes a deep breath after they leave, as if the situation was solved without further problems.

Ryou winces, baffled when she looks at him, a drop of sweat rolling down his face, Right now did she… Defend him? His heart fluttered just a bit there. But shouldn't it be the other way around?

"You… didn't need to do this."

"I did. I should've done something earlier, but I was a bit shocked."

"They were all talk and didn't retaliate, but it was dangerous. I could've taken care of it, I know martial arts. Though, master Samejima wouldn't be happy if I used what we learned on the dojo, there are exceptions for people who are just harassing others."

"I also know some martial arts, I could've fend them off in a fight, it's just that I often freeze and become unable to react to certain situations…"

"I… Didn't know you also…" He dismisses the topic, she seems unwilling to elaborate on it. "Thanks, but you should be careful when you deal with such people."

"You too, Ryou." He gapes at her words. "You looked stressed, but you shouldn't let those types of people get on your nerves." Her eyes flicker for a very brief moment, she lowers her gaze.

Was she worried about him getting hurt or because he was irritated? He isn't quite sure but with how she always avoided conflicts, for them to have troubles even outside school… He shouldn't let it bother their day.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let you wait alone here, I'll keep it in mind for next time."

Her orbs lift, she blushes while gesturing with both hands as if that wasn't the problem.

"You shouldn't feel bad, there are plenty of guys like those in the city and they're bound to get a lesson at some point. Asuka often had troubles too, but they'd think twice when they saw me and her brother around. You don't need to put up with it, just give a firm punch in their face if you need to."

A tiny smile tugs on her lips, she pats his shoulder a few times in a recognition of his empathetic words.

"You're a fine guy, Ryou."

She walks off ahead, towards the entrance of the building, he stands still in a daze, averting his gaze to the ground while trying to understand what just happened. Then, comes along after a couple seconds.

His jacket should be a misfit for her, but it looked surprisingly good. He can see some people casting glances at them, some of them directed only towards him. His undershirt's sleeves reach only up to his elbow, delineating his torso. He can feel some gazes of the girls around blushing, he also learned how to not let himself be too disturbed by all the attention. Rie on the other hand, walks freely and unaware, focused only to the path in front, or perhaps, she grew used to all those glances in school too.

They enter the museum after he shows the tickets, along with other people, she smiles enthusiastically.

In the obelisk dorm,

Asuka studies the floorplan spread on the table, the place is large and he has more than one paper to depict it, showing the many floors.

"Why do you think they built this on the island?"

"I don't know. Kaiba Corp. is behind the creation of the duel academy, so anything is possible. They could as well be using this island as some sort of experimenting lab, but I find it hard to believe. Ever since the new president Seto Kaiba assumed the management of the company there were no scandals besides that time duel monsters were appearing all over the world, which later was found out to be some sort of prank."

"Thinking that a big company could be involved scares me… What if…?"

"Let's not assume the worst now." He cuts off her depressive tone. "First, we need to pay attention to the shifts of the guards and how they have access to the place, whether they need cards, biometrics or anything special."

"That's right, we don't know anything about how it works, maybe we can try the emergency exit?"

"Like I said, we can't go in the dark, first we check all the possibilities and rule out the bad ones. It's always good to have a plan B."

"You talk as if you have experience in invading places. I'm sorry to say that when you are trying to help, but this is a bit creepy." Her eyes show a mix of worry and fear.

"No offense taken. I appreciate the honesty."

His eyes wander around the paper, but he makes a note to his inner self to not mention his night adventures as a vigilante dressed as a different hero, it was for a good cause. There's a dense silence as they both analyze that map.

"Hm… Aren't you tired and hungry…? Don't you want to take a break?" She's unsure of how to best word the questions.

"Now?" He's surprised, sounding annoyed even. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can stop right now. I'll only rest once we are finished with this."

A low sigh irrupts the air, he blinks upon noticing it might have sounded a bit too sulky, admitting defeatedly:

"I do feel tired. Say what, we can grab something to eat and drink and bring it to the room. There's that snack bar near the beach, right? It should take some time, but fresh air might help my brain figure something out."

He stands up, initiating their walk out, she stands up promptly, but confused on how it suddenly went from "I'm not interested" to him even suggesting a place.

"Sure… But have you ever been there?"

"With all my fans around? No, thank you."

"Won't there be people there because it's a Sunday?"

"It's fine, we're just taking food, we won't even stay there. And I think most people are out of the island."

They walk quietly towards the snack bar near the beach. Asuka remembers going there with Fubuki a few times, as he described it as his "best spot for going out with girls and take them to the beach". Now that she thinks about it she's also…

Her gaze lands on Edo's back, her cheeks feel hot when she connects the dots, shaking off her head, he casts a glance over his shoulder, wondering what's with all the staring at his back. When she duels she has that blazing gleam in her eyes, but right now… She looks like a normal girl. It would be silly of him to think she's all composed the whole time, right? It's not like she's a professional duelist like him.

"Was your brother in the obelisk blue dorm too?"

He disrupts the silence with a placid tone, almost uninterested, but knowing him, she'd guess he felt weird in just walking with her without exchanging a word.

"Yes. In terms of skill, he was comparable to Ryou, one of the best… But I don't know if that would still hold nowadays since it's been long…"

"That's something. Which type of deck did he use?"

"He kept changing it, but the latest one was… A Red-Eyes based deck. He was a big fan of Jonouchi…"

"Interesting. I don't think many people use it in the pro-league nowadays…"

"Say Edo… Why are you so interested in finding out about the missing students? I mean, you promised you would help, but it's not like someone you knew went missing or anything like this, right?"

"Why? There are strange things happening on the island, do I need a reason to want to discover the truth?"

"I-I guess not."

She stutters, maybe not the best way to word her question, she sighs discreetly. He heard it, though.

"I investigate strange phenomena or incidents like this because I'm also searching for someone. Although I wouldn't say they're 'missing', they have been laying low."

"Who are you searching for?"

He feared, no he knew that question was coming when he started the topic, he'd avoid it if possible, but…

"A criminal." He closes his eyes, visualizing that mortifying memory burned deep down his soul.

She could ask who they are, but it sounded stupid. The person he's talking about is probably someone that did something awful to him. He wouldn't spend his time searching for them without a good motive.

"What will you do when you find him?"

His eyes narrow at her question, he casts a sharp glance at her, but before he answers that question, they arrive at their destination.

"Ah… We're here."

"I can make the orders and you can wait if you want…" He suggests.

"No, if anything, you should be the one resting, I had plenty of sleep."

She smiles briefly and leaves after he says the order which consisted of a drink and a small snack, she followed his patterns for her own order too and brought the food. The place was full of people, so it was good he waited far away from prying gazes. As they make the way back, she starts a conversation:

"What do you suppose we will find at the lab?"

"I'm not sure, but if they are hiding it, it can't be anything good."

Inside the museum

The corridors of the exposition aren't full, some people stop by the cards encased under glass and sieged by a security perimeter demarcated by red cloths and golden pins standing on the ground. Rie walks slowly, her hands entwined behind her back as she casts her eyes all around, as if more interested in the fancy design of the museum walls and ceiling, or perhaps just waiting until less people flock around the cards.

A faintest smile on her face, she looks over some kids running past, being chased by their mother. A nostalgic smile, he observes quietly for a moment, his eyes following the two kids that just passed by, then shifting to her.

"Are you bored?"

"No." She shakes her head, astounded at his question, smiling ruefully for giving him the impression. "I came to this type of place a lot when I was a kid, because of my mom's job. It feels familiar."

"Right… She probably was the one checking the cards exposed…" He ponders, voicing the last part inwardly: "Does that bring her bad memories, I wonder? Ryou, it wasn't the time to let your duelist blood take over because of a card exposition. I should've…" He's dragged out of his thoughts by the screen of her PDA coming closer.

"You said before you know martial arts? And you mentioned the principal too."

"The principal used to run a dojo, he taught both martial arts and dueling there. That's also where I learned how to duel."

"That's cute." She giggles silently, a hand covering her mouth. "I wouldn't have dreamed the principal had a dojo before, but I guess it makes sense he was teaching somewhere before becoming a principal."

"What about you, Rie? You said you can also defend yourself."

"I don't know much, but I've also trained martial arts as part of my therapy after the accident. I'm not a master yet, but I know the basis, yet, I often get surprised and can't react in time… I guess I don't have the instincts it takes… Did you stay long in the dojo?"

"Some years, yes. They taught the Cyber Style there."

"You mean, this is where you chose your Cyber Dragon deck?"

He nods with a brief smile, almost proudly. They stop by a glass case, Black Rose Dragon is exposed there. They admire it for a moment before walking away to let other people see the card.

"They're making a lot of those synchro monsters lately… I think I saw some obelisk students commenting about some ultra rare cards that were synchro monsters…" She comments idly.

"Are you interested in them?"

"Hm… I have my own deck." There's a hint that she wants to let the mystery remain in the way she smiles at him.

"Even if they have good cards, it doesn't mean they can use it properly."

"You can be very harsh when it comes to dueling." She replies uneasily at his strict face.

"Have you seen Edo teaching people?"

"I suppose you both take it too seriously to spend time with people who aren't serious enough." A drop of sweat rolls down her face.

"Talking about this, I've never seen your deck, Rie. I don't think I have ever seen you duel, I guess I'm always somewhere else..."

"It's nothing special. I got some advice from my uncle to build it."

"Huh… From the professor? That sounds interesting, you could show me your deck anytime."

"I'll do that another time, in the academy."

She agrees joyfully as they stop by other glass cases to look at cards, talking about minor things in the meantime.

At the obelisk dorm

Asuka and Edo are sitting on the couch again, some empty packs of food piled on the side of the table as they watch another footage. He stops to take some notes, she glances at him concerned.

"You really never stop, do you?"

"Once we are finished, I can sleep. Now, if I'm calculating it right, in a week we could go and invade the lab, with the right preparations, of course."

"A week? What do we even need to take?"

"A few things, to make sure we won't be caught and also, we will need to be careful. It's not as cool as in movies, though."

A device starts vibrating, an incoming call. They both look around, touching their pockets, it's Edo's. He stands up immediately:

"Excuse me, it's my manager."

Turning around, he leaves the room and goes to the corridor, closing the door with a soft click. She inspires some air before closing her mouth. The more she thinks about his current routine, she can't shake this feeling that this isn't being good for him, not that this should be any of her concern. She'd sound nosy if she mentioned that, right? Outside the bedroom, he answered the phone call.

"Hello, why did you call me today, Saiou?"

"Have you been searching for the cards, Edo?"

"Of course, I have been investigating, they have a very suspicious place and I plan on entering it and seeing myself what they're doing."

"I'm afraid this path won't lead you to it, Edo. You should concentrate your efforts on finding where they are and how to get them. This place has nothing of use for you."

"What…? I'm not saying I don't believe you, but… This was one of my only clues."

"You're wasting precious time." He says on the other side of the line, touching upon the reversed Hanged Man card, his eyes sharpening cunningly.

"Right, I'll invest more time into other places, then…"

There's a minute of silence, as if Saiou probes his words inside his mind, savoring them fully before answering:

"Good."

Edo's brows angle obtusely at that call. His friend always knew the right moment to intervene, it could be both amazing and cumbersome, this time he felt more like the latter. He should heed the warnings, but right now… Could he really turn Asuka down in their plan? It's not like the prediction said something bad will happen if he goes, differently from that time with the hut…

His steps startle her as he enters the room, his eyes wandering on the ground in a thoughtful semblance, she almost feels bad for interrupting.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, let's just continue."

He assures with a bob of head, she can feel it's out of politeness, he can't hide the seriousness in his blue orbs. As he discusses more with her, at Saiou's office, another card is flipped up. The Hierophant reversed, a smirk creeping to his lips, as if he knew this would happen.

"It was about time, well nothing that matters much… Sooner or later he will understand he can't escape his fate, no matter how much he struggles…" A muffled laughter leaks from his lips, contaminating the air maliciously.

Back to the room, Asuka opens her lips, then closes them, silencing. She wanted to ask something, but seeing Edo concentrate on that footage and taking notes while making points on the blueprint he got, incentivized her to give up on it.

"If you have something to ask, just do it." He says, without averting his eyes from his tasks, it was impressive how acute he could be when he felt someone watching him.

"It's not a good question… You mentioned searching for someone… I mean, I read your father died and you had a tough childhood in some magazines Junko and Momoe had, but… Being in front of you like this is very different from seeing it somewhere."

"Hm… So that's what was bothering you? It's very simple, really. A criminal killed my father and stole something he had, a card he was making to complete his design for a set named 'D Heroes'. I'm searching for this criminal and I thought being a duelist would help me, since I felt the criminal had to use the card."

"This is… Awful. Weren't you very young?"

"Yeah, that was about ten year ago, I was five. My mother wasn't alive anymore and my parents didn't have any siblings, so a friend of my father became my legal guardian, technically, as soon as I'm sixteen this year, I can emancipate from him, with his permission. And I believe this is what we both want, there's no reason for him to have me under his wing anymore. I'll be able to live perfectly on my own like that."

Perfectly? That's not the word she'd use to describe it, he may talk nonchalantly about it, but she's afflicted on his behalf. He's very responsible and she sees he probably wants to lead his life like that, but she can't help having this lonely vibe from him. It's similar to how Ryou was after Fubuki was gone and she too… With the difference she had people supporting her.

"Do you see this guardian of yours often?"

"Not anymore, he's a pro duelist too, on world level, so he's very busy and so am I. But we do meet and talk many times, when we can."

"Do you think you could find that person in the academy, I mean…?"

"I don't know, but there's certainly something odd about this island, as you can see, we're investigating one of the mysteries…"

"Whatever they're doing there, we will find out!"

A glint of determination abides her hazel orbs as she proclaims that, for some reason she was more incisive now after their talk.

Nightfall

The ferryboat arrives at the coast of the island, all the passengers disembark. Rie observes as the bell of the ferry soars once again, making its last trip back to the city. The strands of pink float slightly in the air, her eyes seem to be in a deep trance.

"I can walk you to your dorm if you want." She flinches upon being called, denying the offer of help. "I hope you weren't bored, though you probably would feel better if Asuka was there too."

His brows furrow up guiltily, a slight rueful smile on his lips, he'd wish the day would've been different, but a stroke of undesired troubles fell over them. Her lips open stunned at his words, she smiles awkwardly, swinging her hands to reject his words.

"It was fun." Her fingers glide through the keys. "Next time, let's come with Asuka too."

"Rie…"

A smile brightens her face as she says that, truly looking forward to it. His eyes falter for a moment, until she beckons going a few steps away, Suddenly, she halts, her body petrifying as she shudders after noticing something and comes back at hurried steps.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to give back your jacket." The PDA is shown but for a second amidst her hurry.

"You don't need to give it back now, I'm-"

"It's fine, my clothes have dried by now."

She quickly undresses the jacket before he can contest and hands it back without giving a choice, he simply grabs it. A smile sprouts once more on her glossy lips, this time, her hands pull his shoulders slightly down to match her height, her arms wrapping around his back as she stretches on the tip of her feet, hugging him firmly.

His green orbs widen slightly, he hesitates for a moment, she's so fluffy or should he say soft? Her scent invading his senses, muddling his thoughts. His arms enclose her in a quick embrace, confused at her gesture. She pulls apart by then, having the same smile stamped on her face.

"Thank you for today, Ryou!"

Those are her last words she writes before vanishing into the night, he stands there a while longer, his gaze still set on the path she took. His heart is pounding a bit too hectic in his chest for him to feel comfortable, flustered. His eyes land on the jacket hanging on his forearm.

"It smells like melon perfume mixed with soda…"

A tiny flush colors his cheeks as he makes a mental observation, his lips curving down slightly in awkwardness. What did just happen? That was… No, it wasn't, right? With many thoughts in mind, he turns around and walks away.

Around that time,

Asuka splashes some water on her face, thankfully there is a box of tissues on the sink, she wipes part of her makeup while drying her skin. They've been jailed in his room for the whole day, but this is the closest she got in her investigations and she got to talk to the reserved persona that Edo was, it was worth the time.

When she comes out of the bathroom, her eyes roam around until she spots him, still sitting on the couch, his head flopped down, some strands falling over his eyes, his lips are a tad open, but she can hear a steady breathing.

"Is he sleeping…?"

She approaches, bending onward, her hands on her knees as she stares at him a bit closer, indeed, his eyelids are shut and he didn't even wake up with the proximity. He must've been worn out, she concludes, her brows coiling up.

With light feet, she gets closer to his bed, pulling off the upper blanket, and flapping it over his shoulders.

"Nice dreams, Edo."

More than just words, the wind carried the sentence with a true wish that he'd have a restful sleep and peace of mind. She leaves the room.

A few minutes pass, a very low click occurs near the door, he blinks awake of his nap, putting a hand to his temples, forcing his eyes closed out of tiredness.

"I'm sorry, I must've fallen asleep while waiting for you to…"

The blanket slides down his back, he looks around, but there's no sign of her in the already dark room, only moonlight coming through the balcony to the table, the shadows of the door frame blocking portions of it.

"She's gone…?" He lowers his head, finally noticing a small note and a bottle of green tea that could be bought in the vending machines nearby the dorm, he lifts it to his eye-level, reading quickly: "We will put our plan into motion soon, until then, have a good rest. Thank you for helping."

Placing the note down, he grabs the blanket. When did she have time to do all this? He really lowered his guard here, not even noticing when she moved around the room. A deep sigh. Is it a bad thing, though? He can't help but feel this isn't all bad.

In the Osiris Red dorm

Rie enters Daitokuji's room quietly as usual, the other students are unaware of her presence in the dorm. He's standing near his alchemy table and whirls around instantly with a smile, gasping when he takes a look at her.

"Whoa. You look pretty. Did you go somewhere today?"

"Maybe."

"What is the occasion? You look like you're in a bright mood. Did something happen?"

"It's a secret." She puts a finger to her lips, a mischievous smile. "Why did you call me here?"

"How is the progress, Rie-chan, did you find that potion yet?"

"No…" she sighs in dismay. "I'm sure those bully girls who set me up at that hut have it, but I'm yet to find where, I even hurt my hand while searching their room." She shows her bandages.

"Hm… I suggest you find it quickly. Please! You have to!" He clasps his hands together, pleading.

"I can't be forever cleaning your mess, uncle." She pouts in disbelief of his unreliable self that would rob the spotlight of the cool, staunch self of his at times.

"Well, I'm glad you're also taking time for yourself, but remember why you came here in the first place, alright?"

Her eyes run away from his intent gaze, she turns around, typing a message that she shows not even looking at him:

"Don't worry. I didn't forget."

After that, she leaves, closing the door behind, darkness consuming his room, the only source of light is a fickle candlelight on his work table. He supports his hands on the wood, stern lines marked under his eyes and between brows, a shade cast over his upper face.

"I don't think we have much time left, Rie… I may not be here longer…"

He takes a peek at his hand, there's a crack on his skin, as if it's made of porcelain. He drops one of his odd concoctions over it, and his skin returns to normal.

Somewhere else

Asuka arrives at the lighthouse, much to her surprise, someone was already there. Ryou stands on the bridge, at the same spot as always, the icy breeze blowing past her as she walks, her heels clacking just enough for him to glance to the side, greeting with a curve on his lips so small she wonders if he smiled.

"I didn't expect you'd be here at this hour today…" She admits, already preparing her apology speech.

"Why not? Don't we come here almost everyday?"

She looks at him from up to down, his clothes are certainly not their uniform. Was he here the whole day or much like her, he didn't have time to change them?

"I'm sorry I couldn't go, I really had some urgent matters… I didn't even change my clothes…"

"You don't need to feel bad, I'd like it if you could tell me about such matters beforehand, but we went to the city anyway."

"You…" She covers her mouth with a hand, this insatiable curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "You mean you two went without me…? I thought you'd given up and you both took separate ways…"

"She was really looking forward to going out with us, you know? I couldn't just ruin her day because you couldn't come."

He smiles in defeat, the last part was also a scolding at her, but Asuka knew he had a soft spot deep down. She stares at his profile wordless for a long minute, now that's a side she'd not seen in him before.

"I didn't think I'd live long enough to hear you had a date."

"It wasn't a date." He states crudely.

"Ryou, you know that when a boy and a girl go out together, it's called a date, right?"

"Why does it have to be? We also went out together many times and we weren't really calling it 'dating'. Those were people's assumptions, but we were just hanging out as friends."

"I guess… You're right… But… I don't know, it feels different, maybe because you don't often hang around with other girls except me and also, we were hanging out with Fubuki too many times, it didn't feel strange. Regardless, I'm just amused that you'd go on like that, it's unusual." She chuckles, imagining how it'd have been for him. "Weren't you boring her to death? I'm not sure if a card exposition is the most exciting place to visit, unless you took her somewhere more exciting."

"We did go to the card exposition, that was the plan, after all."

"I'm sorry again. I'm disappointed in myself for not thinking ahead, but I had no idea I'd need to stay here… I'm glad you two still went together."

"I wouldn't consider the day boring, though, a lot happened."

He complements his answer from before, that tense Ryou that was normally emitting this intense and unapproachable aura looked a bit more lighthearted now, he must've enjoyed his day.

"But that's a topic for another time. What were you doing on the island?"

"Ah…" She jolts at the question, looking at the waves crashing onto the bridge. "I was… Researching something. I'll tell you more another time too, I spent a long time doing this research and I'm tired."

"Sure, I'd like to hear."

"You also tell me how your day was later."

The blonde girl waves her hand, walks off the bridge, he watches her silhouette for some time, then takes a deep breath, enthralled by the ocean again, losing himself in its vastness.

The four of them are still unaware of the connections that bind them together, more bonds forming as time goes. The time for the opposite sides to clash will come, but which sides will they choose to be in by then?