Chapter XXII
Change of Heart
Ryou's gaze is transfixed on his reflection, dazing off. When he woke up this morning, Rie was sleeping on the same bed as him, very close too. Not exactly how he starts his Tuesdays.
His mind plays the scenes of the previous night vividly in his head, Rie's glimmering eyes while looking at him, her lips and... His cheeks start burning, a deep tinge of red on them, opening the faucet impatiently, he slaps water onto his face, an attempt to decrease the temperature accumulating in his body.
"Did I really do all that?"
His eyes narrow slightly as he looks at his hands, his brain making sure to remember just where they'd been, heat coming up to his face, he flushes again, grunting in discomfort, splashing even more running water into his face. Supporting his hands on the sink, he snatches a towel to dry his face, rubbing it harshly to shoo away his dirty thoughts.
"You messed up, Ryou. You messed up so badly…" He berates himself roughly. "What was in that flask anyways? Which sorta drug does this to people? I just…"
As he rubs his face, a faint sweet-melon smell flares in the air, he stops the movements, smelling his sleeve, then pulling his coat and smelling more of it, his face prickling as he realizes who that perfume belongs to. Rie's scent is stuck everywhere on his clothes, on his sleeves, collar, even on his skin, his eyes wavering in distress. How did he let this happen?
His orbs land on his reflexes again, a flinch when he sees a slight blemish on his neck, half hidden by the collar of his shirt, an inward scream piercing inside him, his finger reluctantly pulling the cloth away to inspect it. A love bite is imprinted there, he grimaces, stretching his neck to the side to inspect it.
"Well, she did have a strong bite…" He concludes looking at the back of his hand and reminiscing about the hut. "But that's quite the feat for a girl, and isn't it the boy the one leaving the marks? Not that I wasn't a savage myself…"
He admits with a grumble, touching his forehead. Has she ever kissed anyone before? Because if she didn't, that was quite a first experience and he's not proud to have stolen it from her, but she sure looked like she knew what she was doing yesterday.
Truth to be told, he convinced himself he had a lot more self-control because when that random fangirl jumped at him once, he didn't feel anything. He was labelled cold, a machine and many things because he was neither moved or happy about that act, all he felt was indifference. Yet that drug seems to have shrouded all his senses of morals, it overwhelmed him.
The things he thought and that he wanted, that was all just so wrong to do to a girl he wasn't that intimate with, he doesn't even know much about Rie, he knows nothing at all with how she's been lying. Some could say that this is perfectly normal for a boy his age, but for him it isn't. And for him to do this to her of all people, it makes a knot in his head… His disappointment in himself is endless.
At least he can be glad they didn't go past any preliminaries, he can't even start to consider the possibility of… He shakes off his head, looking at the closed door of the bathroom. Sooner or later he'll need to go out and wake her up and he's so not looking forward to it. What can he say to her? How will he even face her?
A deep sigh. He was finally reaching somewhere in asking Rie about the truth and then, the damn flask. But there's no point in isolating himself longer. Breathing some courage into his lungs, he ventures outside. Rie is still sleeping.
"How can she not wake up after this whole time?" He folds his arms a tad fretful. "She sleeps like a stone."
He averts his eyes to the side after catching himself staring at her silhouette moving subtly as she breathes, though he did much more than just staring at it yesterday. He should probably wake her up, his hand stretches towards her bare shoulder sticking out between the sleek, pink strands of hair, but halts.
What if it happens again? He looks into his own hands, the last time that's how it started, right? It was but their hands brushing on each other and it escalated so fast he still can't wrap his head around it. Of course the drug must have stirred it, but he isn't sure how much of it was the drug and how much of it was him. He was very aware of everything, but couldn't stop any of it and she didn't either. Being conscious of it all just makes it more awkward.
As disconcerted as he is, they don't have the whole day, it's well past six and soon it will be breakfast time before classes, if Rie doesn't leave by then and they miss classes or come later, they both will be in huge trouble. Landing a hand on her shoulder, leaning over to look at her, he shakes her gently.
"Rie, wake up."
Her lips purse, but there's no response. He finds himself staring yet again, he lost count of how many times he tasted those lips last night and he can remember freshly the sensation, this just adds to his embarrassment. Is that potion still affecting him?
He turns his head to the side to avoid getting too pumped up about nothing. Shaking her a bit stronger, repeating the move while calling her name, then, her body tumbles to the side, she lies on her back, he gapes, her chest expands quickly, short on breath, now that he thinks, her whole face is red and she seems sweaty too. She's still pretty, though. A flush coloring his face at the thought.
"Don't tell me…" He carefully slides the back of his hand under her bangs, his eyes allured by her face. "She's… Hot." He grunts at his own choice of words, a Freudian slip, shaking off his head. "Her skin is scorching. This is a very big fever…"
A concerned glint grows in his eyes as he lands both hands on her shoulder, trying to wake her up, but it doesn't work, her labored breath continues, her brows twisted as if she's in pain. Strange. He doesn't feel particularly bad, not even a headache or nausea as he would expect after inhaling a drug, then why is she…?
"Rie?"
She doesn't wake up at his calls. He gulps, collecting the facts for a moment, sitting on the bed, his knees sliding under her as he lifts her toso with an arm around her back, her body limply collapsed onto his arms. His thoughts are set into disarray.
"I don't get it… We breathed in about the same amount… Right? Why do I feel fine but she's knocked out cold? This doesn't make sense…" He casts a glance at the shards of the broken vial, his eyes squinting. "I know every organism deals with certain substances differently, but even so… For her to be this bad…"
His grip on her shoulders strengthens unwittingly, his eyes distancing from reality. What will he do? He has to take her to the school infirmary, but how in the world will he explain anything? "Hey, she's having a fever after we accidentally tried an unknown drug and slept in my room that she invaded yesterday?", the truth is cruder than he'd like.
A startle occurs when he catches a slight movement, her eyes opening so subtly, he leans over to accommodate her near his chest as she blinks slowly. Her sight is completely blurred, roaming around confusedly, she can barely see the lines of his silhouette as he calls her. Her lips move to utter a single word.
"Ryou…"
"Rie, you're awake… We still have to clear everything, but we need to find a way to take you out of he-"
Her vision blackens out at intervals, her eyelids so heavy they might just close permanently again, her ears can no longer listen as he tries to call out to her, to keep her conscious. Her vision more unfocused, her eyes flickering afflicted.
So everything was real. That she was caught while invading Edo's room and Ryou's interrogation as well as… The potion. After piling up so many mistakes, she can't even think of anything to say right now. She's glad he seems fine, at least the antidote worked on him. Comforted by that sight, her eyes shut again, in peace with herself.
"Hey! Rie! Wake up! We have to talk!" He shakes her slightly, grumbling disgruntled at the lack of response. "Rie, you can't… You can't do this to me… Please…"
He stops himself, his eyes oscillate conflicted, sealing his mouth shut, shuddering internally. There's so much he wants to ask, to talk, she was about to tell him something important back then. Why did this have to happen?
His heartbeats jump to greater heights seeing this girl unconscious on his arms, he couldn't say a word, he couldn't ask more of the truth, nor apologize or clear things from last night, he's trapped here with her, unable to settle anything, to say anything, the frustration amounts, his teeth gritting.
This is the first time he's ever felt so confused, he doesn't know what to do, his mind draws a blank when he tries to think about it, his gaze lost in her face.
The alarm clock drags him out of his bafflement, his eyes widening more, it's time for everyone to wake up, he hears some muffled voices slowly populating the corridor. Lying her down gently on the bed, he slides off the sheets, his fists clenching at the pressure of the predicament.
"Think, Ryou! Think! Use your head right this time!"
An idea flashes inside his mind. He looks around and grabs the closest PDA, which happens to be Rie's.
Outside
Edo zips up his coat, dressing fully into his obelisk uniform. It's not been a couple hours since he came back to the room and he barely had time to nap in that time, but he has to prepare for classes and do his morning routine just as he normally would.
Their investigation last night didn't go far, despite seeing a student being carried into the lab, they couldn't find any opportunity to invade it, but this changed everything because now, he feels in a rush to intrude the place.
He saw last night how Asuka's eyes wavered, filled with hope. If they're kidnapping students, her brother could be there. This is the closest to a clue she got in her investigations and he could sense her anxiety.
His fists clench determined as his mind drifts into those plans, his hand automatically opening the door of the room and his feet walking on their own to the corridor, someone dashes past him, making a breeze blow past, he catches a glimpse of them, his face changing to confusion:
"Asuka? What are you doing here this early in the morning?"
She whirls around at the sound of his voice, a drop of sweat rolling down her face as she comes a step closer, speaking in a low tone and a worried voice:
"Ryou called me here, he said 'it's urgent' with that stoic face of his and a deep voice."
"If he's not even changing his tone a bit, it can't be that urgent, right?"
"Edo, he called me from Rie's PDA, it was a video call from a chat between me and her."
"What?!"
"I could swear his voice was failing a bit. I've never seen him like this before." She pauses, analyzing the matter, a gasp. "You don't think he knows about our…"
"He couldn't know about our night excursion, it's probably something else. Let's go and find it out."
He takes the lead, knocking on the door, Ryou is surprised upon seeing the unexpected company of Asuka, his lips curving down:
"Whatever, enter the two of you."
His demand is almost exasperated as he sways his hand calling them in, they exchange a puzzled glance, raising a brow as Ryou closes the door with a brusque thud and locks the hasp.
"Ryou why did you call me-"
"Wow. You're in such big trouble, 'Kaiser'." Edo interrupts Asuka's question, his eyes opening very wide, sighting the girl on the bed. "And here I thought you were different from most of the male students."
"Ryou! You didn't…"
Asuka exhales in a scolding manner, blushing and covering her mouth with both hands, looking at him with an inquiring gaze.
"Don't-" He raises his hand to gesture a "stop" sign, casting his orbs to the side to avoid the judgement in their eyes. "Don't look at me like this. There's a good reason for that."
"Okay, you scored with a girl, congrats, but that's none of our business."
"Edo!" Asuka elbows him in reprehension, he opens his arms and scowls in protest.
"What? I said nothing wrong and it's as clear as day those two have been into each other for a while. I don't see a problem, they're big enough to take care of themselves and make decisions, it's not a crime to be in love."
"You're misunderstanding it." Ryou states coldly.
"Misunderstanding what? That you brought a girl to my room on the first night that I asked you to stay and take care of it?" He points his index finger, offended at the act.
"Would you two calm down?" Asuka puts her arms and herself between them, to stop whichever bad mood was building in the room, they look at her. "Ryou, you wouldn't…" He averts his eyes, unable to answer her question honestly.
"He would, Asuka. He can't even hide it."
"No, I wouldn't!" He blurts out annoyedly. "Just take a look at this…" Rummaging in his inner chest pocket, he takes out two letters, giving up on using words with them. "Both of you should read it."
The younger teens exchange a glance and stand side to side while Edo holds the paper between them, the content eliciting different reactions as he skims to the next letter, Asuka with raised brows and Edo with a frown.
"I definitely didn't write this." The girl states in disbelief at the contents.
"Neither did I, this is not even my writing style." He pouts grumpily. "Right, someone decided to pretend to be Asuka and me and schedule a late night meeting. This does concern us, but I still don't see how the sleeping beauty on the bed is related to this all."
"Rie said some girls who were bullying her wrote this, she found one of the letters with them and overheard them speaking."
"What?" Asuka and Edo speak in unison.
"This is just getting more confusing. Elaborate."
"You're not less perplexed than me, Edo." Ryou sighs deeply. "Listen, yesterday when I came to m- to this room to sleep, Rie was already inside, she climbed the balcony, I think."
"Why would Rie do that? She could've texted me, you or Edo if there was a problem, we're always investigating things together."
"It's… Complex." He doesn't want to unveil all the details of the conversation. "She heard those girls, they're third years like us, the ones who ripped her uniform apart. They planned to sneak the letters to both of you and pretend you two wrote it. Rie got one letter from them and heard they put the second one here in Edo's room."
"But she didn't know we switched rooms… And neither did the girls…" The silver-haired completes the logic.
"Exactly. She came to this room to retrieve it before you could get to it, but she wasn't expecting to meet me here at the time."
"Why didn't she tell us?"
"That was what I was questioning, the issue is… The envelope didn't only have a letter. It had some sort of flask. While I was deliberating with her about it, the flask slipped out and broke and this… There was some sort of smoke, I don't know what it was, but it was very dizzying." He pauses, taking a deep breath. "We both fainted at some point and when I woke up this morning… We come to the part where Rie is knocked out on the bed." He casts a brief glance at her, not maintaining it for longer, his cheeks heating a bit.
"You got high in my room with the girl you brought here?" Edo asks bluntly, flustered after what he heard.
"It was an accident and-" He shuts his mouth before telling too much information out. "It doesn't matter now, the fact is Rie got sick and I can't carry her out of here in the rush hours and explains to the nurse what happened without getting us both expelled."
"Where is this flask that broke?"
The grey-haired teen squints his eyes slyly, it's plainly obvious Ryou is hiding more than just half of the story. The teal-haired points at the ground, Edo crouches to look at the shards, not touching it for safety. At least he can confirm this part of the tale is true.
At the same time, Asuka checks on Rie, her eyebrows coiling up in pity upon seeing the seemingly pained expression on the pink-haired schoolmate, even more as she touches the forehead of the other. Rie's is half tucked under the bed sheets, her obelisk white shirt is folded neatly near the edge of the bed, with how she was panting, she can understand why it's better if she's wearing less to help her have enough air.
"Edo, she's burning with fever and very pale too."
"Explain to me again what I missed. If you both inhaled whatever was inside, how come you're standing here fine while she's bedridden?"
"I…" He stutters for a moment, he asked himself the same before. "I sincerely don't know…" Putting both his hands on his head, combing his hair back, lowering it. "Just… Can you give me a hand this time, please? We have to get Rie to the infirmary, and I don't know how to do this without help…"
The first-years look at each other flabbergasted and worried. This is the very first time they see Ryou asking for their help, normally he'd be the one solving problems for others. How stressed must he feel to be doing this?
"Even if you ask this, Ryou… How are we getting past all the students? I mean, I came here on my own and people saw me, it's not against the rules to be here now, but it would be a completely different matter if we were to carry someone who passed out to the infirmary and have to explain how it happened… They won't believe you."
"Maybe I can try getting everyone's attention somehow?" The pro duelists suggests. "As for what happened to Rie, we can think of an excuse and confirm each other's stories."
"Will that even work? They will interrogate Ryou and if he gets into trouble that's his second warning."
"Where do they even have this flask from? The girls that put it in the letter, I mean."
"We're pretty sure they stole it from that hut. Why they would choose you and Asuka as targets is beyond my imagination, my guess is they wanted to get you two into trouble like I am right now."
The other two twitch uncomfortably at his conjecture, is it possible the girls got wind of their meeting on Sunday or yesterday? Now the three of them are involved in the problem, thinking hard on how to get out of it. Among the three minds, it's the girl that has an idea:
"I think I know a way to take Rie-chan out without raising suspicions on the nurse and without getting us in trouble… But… You might not like it…"
"What is it?"
"Well, if it's just the three of us, people will find it suspicious, but don't think professor Daitokuji could cover for us? Rie is his niece after all… "
"You think he'd help?"
"He probably wouldn't want her expelled even if this is against the rules, right? If he makes up a lie to the nurse, his niece and Ryou won't have problems. At least in that it's better to have him help…"
"As long as we get Rie out of here where she can get treated, it's fine by me." The Kaiser gives his ultimatum.
"Have you prepared your excuses? You know he won't be happy about it, right?" Edo warns, but Ryou casts a brief, annoyed glance at him as a reply. "Just saying."
Asuka makes the call from her PDA, asking the teacher to come, he's astounded hearing about Rie being there, even more as she explains the almost unbelievable story. Not long after, Daitokuji knocks on the door, panting as if he'd run all the way there.
He pushes them away from the entrance in a hectic fashion and runs to the bed, grabbing Rie by the shoulders and shaking her worriedly. His hands coming to his head messing his hair as he sweats profusely, dropping to his knees on the ground after seeing her state, his head lowering, thoughts flowing wildly, until he crafts a question:
"Tell me… You said there was some sort of flask and both Rie-chan and Marufuji-kun were in the room when it broke…" He gulps, sweating very much himself, standing up and walking towards the older student. "How was such a strange flask here in this room again?"
"The girls who were bullying Rie intended to do something with it by having it sent in a letter to Edo. But Edo and I switched rooms today due to a recent issue he had."
"And what happened when it broke, did you have any strange symptoms?"
He sweats more asking the question, ignoring the whole part about his niece intruding a room and her reasons, much to their distrust. Why was he so fixated on the flask?
"Altered perception of the world around, loss of balance, dizziness. Classical drug usage symptoms from what you can read in books." He can see Daitokuji's jaw dropping more and more. A drop of sweat delineates Ryou's cheek bone as he adds the last part. "It was an accident."
Daitokuji squints his eyes ever so slightly they can't tell. His head turning to look at Rie having difficulties breathing on the bed, then at Ryou who stands tall, arms crossed, seemingly unaffected by any side-effects.
"And that's all? Nothing else worth noting happened?"
The sunlight reflects on Daitokuji's glass lenses, it's impossible for them to see his expression as he looks at Ryou, but they feel a certain tension bursting into the air with that inquiry. The teal-haired youngster doesn't sketch any reaction as if the question was expected, his tone as collected and steady as usual, no sign of fear or hesitation, a dry, concise answer:
"Yes."
Daitokuji's brows twitch, angling slightly down, riled up looking at the audacity of the Kaiser to tell such a barefaced lie. Nonetheless, he can't contest that claim, not right now. His expression soothes after a few seconds of recollecting himself.
"Is this the flask…?" He walks closer to the shards of glass.
"Yes. Why?"
"Nothing…" His expression darkens for such a fleeting second, that he disguises it with a smile right after. "I just thought this looks similar to the alchemy flasks we have in school, so I was wondering where those girls got it from… It would be a problem if they stole something from the lab and mixed substances without supervision. I'll make sure to double-check the inventory of the school's lab."
The three students exchange a jumpy glance, pretending they don't know where it comes from to not mention the hut. Ryou intervenes quick:
"We can talk more later, for now the most important is…"
He averts his gaze towards the pink-haired girl, a hint of guilt in his unconcerned semblance. Then he strikes the teacher with a rather uncanny question:
"By the way, professor, since you know about alchemy, wouldn't you be able to discern which substance was in the flask if you take a sample?"
The question was not ill-intended, he could tell from Ryou's indifferent semblance he didn't catch wind of what was going on, but he's sharp. Daitokuji smiles cynically, no slip ups allowed.
"Yes. I can maybe determine it if I use the equipment in the school's lab. That's a good observation, as expected of our best student. I may try doing just that, you can bring the flask to me later."
He comes closer to the bed, his arms coming under Rie, he lifts her with a swoop, without problems, accommodating her comfily on his chest, then looks at Asuka.
"Asuka-chan, could you please check the corridors? There were some students when I came, so I got worried. You can tell me when it's free and safe to go."
She nods promptly and carefully leaves the room, then he takes a peek at Edo who had folded arms and Ryou that seems to have the same closed posture.
"I'll have you all dismissed from the first class and make up some excuse… Thank you for calling me here and it goes without saying, this will be our little secret. I do hope I won't have to hold onto even more secrets from now on, though." The last part was a discreet scolding, but they caught on to it.
"We're sorry for this. It won't repeat." Ryou assures calmly. "Thank you for coming too, professor."
His reply is simple, but as Daitokuji looks at him, as if noticing something, his smile turns into puzzlement, he casts a glance at Rie on his arms, gaping subtly. Asuka opens the door slightly and calls him with a hand, pointing at the outside, he confirms with his head, then, walks past Edo a bunch of steps and stops when he's side-to-side with the Kaiser, a polite, tranquil smile on his face.
"Ah, Marufuji-kun… I forgot to tell you, but…" He leans to the right, to whisper close to Ryou's ear, his voice low and coarse, but his fake smile remains. "I would appreciate it if you could keep your hands, lips and… other parts of you as well away from my niece."
Edo can only see Daitokuji's lips battering, but can't hear a word. Ryou's posture breaks, his eyes narrowing as he flashes them to the side to look at the smiling teacher, an inward shiver going through him. How did he…?
"Cover your neck better, we don't want strange rumors starting again."
He complements, walking past him, letting out a chuckle. The teal-haired reflexively covers his nape where he was bitten by Rie, astounded. The teacher continues, saying out louder:
"Please don't forget to drop by my class or the lab to bring that flask to me later, Marufuji-kun, I'll analyze it and discover what was in there. We can also talk more then."
Edo and Asuka feel a chill run down their spines at the last part, he isn't calling Ryou there just for the flask is he? Not surprisingly, Ryou doesn't seem intimidated, recomposing and saying in his standoff tone:
"Sure."
The dark-haired man smirks and thanks Asuka while they leave the room, disappearing from sight. Edo's gaze lands on Ryou, he was very sassy there in not being honest to the professor, but starting a novel out of what happened in the room would be detrimental to Rie's health considering she needed immediate care, he respects Ryou's attitude in prioritizing her.
"What was he telling you?"
"Nothing of importance." He answers vaguely, clutching his fists.
"You say this but…" Edo's eyes scan his reaction, talking to himself in his own mind. Ryou isn't even noticing he's watched. "Why do you have such a dire face?"
"Anyways, it seems this problem was solved. I still don't get why those girls wanted to test it on me and Asuka, but it also doesn't help that Rie came here in secrecy. Why did she do that?"
"You'll need to ask that to her when she wakes up."
"Fair. But, now that Asuka isn't here… Tell me, how far did you two truly go?"
"Are you serious?" Ryou whirls around, Edo could almost see the fumes of fury coming out of his head.
"I admire you for wanting to spare Asuka from the details, but no one's gonna believe your story, she was not even using her obelisk coat, you did something, didn't you? Her uncle is totally into it and he didn't seem all too happy, you're gonna get an earful if not a bit of hate from him."
"Nothing happened."
"Who are you lying to? Well, at least we know you had to be on drugs to even attempt something with a girl, but even if you try to avoid the subject, it will just be worse. If you did anything wrong, just apologize and make things clear."
"Apologizing politely is not enough…" He mutters to himself, leaving the room before Edo can question anything.
"Hey…"
He attempts to call Ryou back, but the only reply is the door closing with a loud thud. Why would Rie sneak into his room rather than talking to him in person? And Ryou certainly hid part of what happened, he doubts it stopped at fainting. Now he's seeing even their professor in a shady light with how he was more worried about a broken flask than about his niece. Not that he isn't hiding his share of secrets too.
At the infirmary
The birds perching outside chirp harmonically, the sound daintily coming into the room from the window, along with the breeze flapping the curtains. Rie opens her eyes, a turvy vision, the ceiling seems to shake, her head topples to the side.
There's someone sitting beside her bed, reading a book, for a moment she sees his silhouette and the teal-hair. That's right, Ryou was trying to talk to her, but she couldn't hear it before.
"Ryou…?"
She mumbles uncertain, still half-dozing off, her vision unclear, as she blinks, the shape of the silhouette changes, the person gapes at her, a faint smile spreading on their face.
"Unfortunately for you, I'm not him." He closes the book with a plop. "How are you feeling, Rie-chan?"
With a startle, recognizing that voice, her eyes open awake, finally seeing Daitokuji sitting there clearly as the daylight that comes from outside. Her eyes wander confusedly in the room.
"You are in the infirmary. For all intents and purposes, I told the nurse you and your friends were helping me in an alchemy experiment as an extracurricular activity and you stumbled upon your feet while carrying a box full of flasks, they broke and the mix of substances produced a dangerous gas, you got sick from it but everyone else was away and fine."
Her brows coil up afflicted, her blue orbs concentrating on the white sheets covering up to her neck. His voice is calm and he smiles, but this is an omen for a hurricane yet to come. His smile dwindles as he starts.
"Rie-chan. I thought I gave you clear instructions of what to do if the flask were to break… And I see as I feared, it did happen, but… Tell me…" He rummages on his pocket, showing the small vial with an 'antidote' he gave her. "I found this in your pocket. Enlighten me, Rie-chan, why is it that this flask is empty but you're sick?"
Her eyes flicker wildly, she twiddles with her toes, her lips sealed shut. He lets out a deep sigh, placing her PDA right on her hand's reach.
"Okay, Rie. I'll rephrase the question for you: Why is it that you're sick and Ryou Marufuji is perfectly fine if the potion should have affected you both?
"You gave it to me. I decide how to use it."
She types with clacks on the keyboard, still feverish, sparing a wary glance at him. His brows furrowing and his lips curving down at the sudden rebellious spurt of his niece.
"Why did you give it to him instead of drinking it? Because of your softness, he's out there fine while you're here stuck to a bed until I make more of the solution for you."
"And what is the problem in that?"
"You were caught while invading Edo Phoenix's room, three students and people that are your 'friends' saw you. Not to tell the main flask is still out there because that was just a sample from what I gathered of the situation. You should've used your amulet to wipe his memory and escape if necessary, to wipe anyone's memory if they see you somewhere they shouldn't have seen, taken the full flask and gone back to report to me. This is what we talked about before. There were ways to go about this and you-"
"No!"
She slaps the bed softly, as if she doesn't even have enough strength to contest him, yet she makes an effort to sit up, her untied hair flopping down her shoulders as she sits down wobbly, looking at him.
"I don't want to hurt anyone else or… Wipe anyone's memories."
"Rie." His voice is grave, a lecturing tone to it.
"Don't tell me what to do! You don't get it!"
"No, I really don't. You have all the tools, this…" He spreads his arms to gesture at her state. "This was preventable!"
Her typing becomes hectic, her body swinging back and forth, she's applying all her energy into this, he could see her fainting at any moment.
"I don't want to hurt anyone, I'm tired of sneaking and spying and doing all sorts of wrong stuff. I'm not like this! I don't want to do it!"
"Rie, I understand you have a gentle heart, but this isn't time to be second-guessing yourself. We're already-"
"No! It's time! Uncle" She interrupts him fast with a loud clicking on the keys of her device. "When I take a look at myself, I absolutely despise who I am now and what I have been doing! I don't want to hurt anyone." She sniffles, not containing her tears. "Please don't ask me to do any of this anymore. I can't…"
"Rie, you know why we are doing this. You agreed to it."
"Yes! I did! But I don't want to anymore!" She forces her lips together to constrain her weeping, the image of Ryou holding her hands last night, pressuring her to speak up comes to her mind. "I want to be an honest person."
His lips curve down even more a shade covering his eyes, dissatisfied with her answers, a harsher tone to his voice:
"And did you think all this before or after you were running your mouth on Ryou Marufuji's throat?"
A soundly gasp coming from her as her skin becomes redder than it already was, astounded at his insensibility, her eyes narrowing as she retorts with wavering eyes.
"You are the worst, uncle!" She swings her head in disapproval. "How can you say this to me? It's your fault too! You have those silly experiments and concoctions, let them loose and after I try to clean after your mess, this is all you can say?! You didn't even explain properly what the effects were and now you're angry?! I should be angry at you!"
"I explained enough, you should have listened to me instead of following your own rules."
"No, you're never telling enough! You didn't even… You can't even tell me who my father is even though you know it! You can't tell me more about what happened to the missing students even though you know more! Or who are the people searching for those damn mythical beast cards that we're working with! Then you expect me to do just as you say!"
She covers her eyes with both wrists, still holding her communicator in one hand, tears trickling down her face. He gapes, his expression softening, troubled in what to do or say as she crumbles into tears, her oscillating eyes melting as she looks at him.
"I trusted you, uncle. I came here because I trusted you. And I thought I had finally found people I can call friends, but you… You just ruined it all."
"Rie-chan… I'm…"
"Don't call me like that! I hate your stupid alchemy and potions! I hate it!"
After her outburst, her body collapses onto the bed, sinking softly onto the mattress, Daitokuji stands up worriedly, attempting to help her, but she pushes his hands away, grabbing her PDA to type.
"Sometimes, I wish I died in that accident with my mother."
He recoils his hand after reading the last sentence, hit by those words deeply. Rie turns around on the bed, purposefully avoiding looking into his face, but he can hear her sniffling. The sunlight occults his glasses, his fists closing slightly as he leaves the room,
"This isn't fair, Emily… This isn't fair…" Declaring those words inwardly, his mind travels into a memory.
10 years ago
The doorbell rings. Daitokuji drops the newspapers onto the wooden work desk, he's using the paper as fodder to set up a boiling station for his potions. As he walks to the door, the doorbell rings again.
"I'm coming!" He shouts out loud from inside the apartment.
It rings again, and again right after a nerve popping on his forehead, did they not hear it? He threads faster and heavier, unlocking and opening the door abruptly. A childish squeak startles him as he sees no one ahead, his gaze is cast downwards to the side.
A small girl stretching on the very tip of her toes to press the doorbell button. She plops onto her tiny feet. He gawks, staring at her perplexed for a moment, scanning her from up to down.
She's very young, he guesses about six years old or seven? Her hair is bright pink and short, chin height, her bangs cut off right above her eyes which look like very big blue marbles, he can see a certain curiosity in them; her black dress that falls down to her knees, frilling on the edge and on the puffy sleeves, thin light-blue ribbons adorning the frills of the edges and of the collar; her feet are covered by doll-style black shoes and light-blue socks; her fingers hold onto the straps of her humpback whale-plushie blue backpack; her expression is very aloof for a kid her age.
"Ahm…" He crouches down to be at her height, sweat forming on his face. "Excuse me, little lady, I'm Daitokuji, but who are you?"
"I'm Rie."
"Did your parents not tell you to ring a stranger's house or talk to strangers?" More sweat rolls down his face.
"You're not a stranger, you're my uncle."
She states confidently as if he knows nothing. Taking off her backpack and rummaging through it, he can see her chubby cheeks fluffing more as she pouts, until she finds a photo and hands it to him.
It's a picture of a beautiful red-haired woman who has the very same gentle looking eyes of the girl; her braided hair cascading on her shoulder and a bright smile on her face. He flips it the other way around to check it, there's something written on the back of the picture. A number, he flinches hearing the gummy, squealing noise of her shoes rubbing on the floor as she swings herself forth and back, bored.
"You said you're called Rie? Why are you here again?"
"My mommy told me to come here if I needed help."
"Your mother… You don't mean…" He shows the picture and she nods, he screams internally.
As he bends the door more open, she darts inside, looking around everywhere in his apartment. He closes the door still as confused as when he opened it.
"Emily… Had a daughter? I wasn't aware of that…"
"Uncle!" She tugs his sleeve, requiring his attention. "Do you know my mom?"
"Yes. We worked together for a long time in the past." He leans over a bit, forcing a smile on his lips to be kind and not scare her away. "How old are you?"
"Seven."
"Seven…"
He gulps, sweating more, his semblance darkening as he reminisces the mythical beast ruins and a confused mingle of images, Emily smiling, a white-haired man, the imposing stone tablets with the mythical beasts, his mind drifting off reality.
"Isn't this close to the time the three of us were at the ruins…?"
"Uncle!" Her voice demands his attention again, she's climbing the chair near his desk, poking the dangerous glass flasks filled with unknown substances. "What is this?"
"D-Don't touch it!" He grabs her hands panicking. "Didn't your mother not tell you to not touch things you don't know?"
Her lips crease together, her eyes wavering, she lowers her head, sitting with her legs dangling from the tall chair. He lets go of her, taking a step back, feeling troubled. Maybe he was too harsh?
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, but you shouldn't touch other people's belongings like that, alright?"
He ruffles her hair, she clutches the hem of her dress under her tiny fingers. A deep sigh, he isn't very skilled with kids, but something is odd about this girl.
"Where is your mother?"
"She's sick."
"Sick?" He stands up in a rush as she nods bitterly.
He quickly reads the back of the picture he was given again, only now noticing a name written under the number there, and it's from a famous hospital in the city.
"How did you come here alone?"
"Mommy asked a nurse, she called a yellow car."
"You mean a taxi?" She shrugs off as a response. "Right, why don't you wait here? I'll call the hospital and ask when we can visit your mom."
He smiles softly, the frown between her brows soothing, she nods. He leaves the room, looking over his shoulder to check on her as he calls the hospital, his semblance changing into distress as he makes questions, she can see his lips babbling something, but can't hear with how low he speaks, he closes the door behind after noticing she's spying on him.
After a few minutes, he comes back to the room, kneeling down in front of her to give the good news:
"The hospital's visit time is over for today, but they said we can come tomorrow. You'll need to be a bit patient, but soon you'll meet your mom again."
Her eyes lit up at the notice, he smiles ruffling her hair again. It's not long until he prepares a room and puts her to the bed, tucking her in there. As soon as he sees her eyelids closed, he hurries to the living room, yanking open a drawer under his desk, his hands sliding and skimming through papers and pictures until he finds one in particular: a picture of him, the red-haired woman in the middle and a white-haired man with empty-eyes on the left side.
He searches more, taking a piece of a newspaper, the headline "Excavations cease after strange occurrences affect the crew working on the site. Mysteries regarding duel monsters continue unsolved."
A shadow is cast ominously on his eyes, only his lenses glittering amidst the darkness as he supports his hands on the worktable.
The next morning, when they arrive at the hospital, he holds her hand, the nurse questioning him dubious of who he was, until Rie simply tells them he's her "uncle" and they're let through to the room of her mother.
His heart beats faster upon looking at the white door, the whole corridor smells like cleaning products. After so many years, he didn't expect to meet an old acquaintance, even less that he'd be bringing her daughter here. Talking about which, is this girl…?
When he opens the door, he can see Emily sitting on the bed, the sunlight basking her beautifully as she looks outside the window. A shiny smile opens on Rie's lips, she frees herself from his hand and runs towards the bed, climbing the stairs and jumping onto her mother's lap, sprawling over it and looking up at her mother with a strange angle of head, Emily lets out a delighted chuckle.
"Rie, that's not proper posture for a lady." She helps the little girl sit up on her legs.
"I missed you, mom." She snuggles her face closer, hugging her mother.
"I know that, sweetie, but me and your uncle need to talk. Would you be a nice girl and wait outside? I'll cuddle you as much as you want after that."
She nods promptly, convinced by the offer, sliding off the bed plopping on the ground with a thud and running off the room, looking back and beckoning to her mother who replies with a beckon too. When the door closes, Daitokuji is still gaping, wondering if this is real as if stunned by the sight of that woman.
"Kuji. It's been a while." Her eyes squint as she smiles.
"Emily…" He's in awe for a moment, before closing his mouth into a line.
"Were you surprised when Rie knocked on your door?" She giggles amusedly, covering her mouth with a hand in a princess fashion, as if portraying the scene.
"Last I saw you, you didn't have a kid this big… She's the spit image of you…"
He almost pouts at her teasing, knowing her, she planned it, just like she always had done it in the excavations too, pretending to have found something new to gauge his reaction.
"I doubt you sent her to me for nothing… Why… Why are you here in this hospital Emily? Are you really… sick?"
Her smile dissipates, a faint line up remaining, but her expression empties, her fingers grabbing the brim of the bed sheets covering her whole lap, she finally looks at him, her blue orbs sharpening.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to call you like this. We agreed we wouldn't…"
"Indeed, almost eight years have passed and after all that happened at the ruins we agreed it would be best if none of us saw each other anymore, especially after… Jacob. I thought that was the plan, following separate ways… But, you had a daughter?" He runs out of breath for a moment, recomposing himself. "Rie-chan told me she's seven, Emily… This is exactly enough time if I run a timeline back when…"
He pauses again, shaking off his head and pushing his glasses up with a thumb and his index finger, sheer disapproval stamped on his face.
"Why did you never say anything…? Even if that wasn't the script, you could have... Heavens, Emily! You were even in the same city, would it be much to let me know? Seven whole years!"
"Please." She closes her eyes regretfully. "Please, Kuji, this is not why I called you here. I'm deeply sorry for this, I know I should have told you, but… You need to understand, bad things happened at the ruins and Rie came at a moment I needed the most. She's my little sunshine and my life got so much better after her… I just… I didn't want to complicate things, you… You were ill, Kuji. I couldn't ask you to put your health aside and…"
Her eyes become watery as she speaks. He takes a deep breath, averting his eyes to the side for a moment before interrupting:
"If you are so happy, you obviously don't need me here, why did you call me then, Emily? You can't just decide things on your own and throw the responsibility on me when it's convenient for you, you made your choice alone."
"This is serious, Kuji. I thought everything was in the past, but something terrible happened." a chilling wind enters the room, she feels a shiver run through his spine at her cold, fearful tone. "Some days ago, I was visited by someone."
"You don't mean…?"
"No, not Jacob. It was a man, a black-haired man, he had this fear inside his eyes. He came to me to ask about a card he got from a friend, or so he said…"
"You mean a duel monster card?" She nods firmly, he can see the weary lines carved under her eyes as she gulps. "What is the problem? Isn't that your job?"
"He wanted to know whether that card had any affiliation to ancient stone tablets. I didn't give it much attention at first, but he wanted it done fast, he was watching me do my job. He started saying that he was afraid of it and how he thought it could speak to him, it just got creepier. Then, when I was checking its origins, I couldn't find any precedent of it in any databases I had access to, not any museum, anything… He got really angry…"
"Did he hurt you?" He gapes, in dread, his heart clenching.
"He slammed my desk all of sudden, his eyes seemed different and there was this very, very bright light behind him…" Her eyes become hazy as she speaks as if she could see it right there, in front of her. "It was glistening and… Dazzling. I think…" She touches her head, forcing the remembrance. "I think it shaped itself like the monster drawn in the card, I heard those whispers, as if they're creeping slowly into the back of my mind, they grew stronger, I felt like my body was getting numb and I'd lose control of myself to do what this voice wants, just like that man, then Rie opened the door and that light… Gazed right into her."
Her eyes tremble, along with her eyes, he can see her tears forming up, her tale looked like one of a madwoman.
"Emily, I don't-"
"It all happened in a second, that light went straight for Rie, I saw it blinking closer to her. It was mortifying, not my daughter is all I could think, not her. Then I jumped in front of her. I don't know what happened after, but when I woke up… Rie was weeping by my side and this… Was broken…"
She takes a pendant from under her pillow, a cracked stone on it. Daitokuji feels a series of shivers run up his body, it's the amulet he gave her long ago during the excavations. She looks at him, but her eyes are lost in a distant realm, as if she can't even see him anymore. It scares him, those glassy eyes.
"Please, Kuji. I know I'm sounding crazy, but you have to believe me. You know it, you know it too, how duel monsters are involved with supernatural forces. I don't know what that was, but this… This… Light." She pronounces the last part with disgust. "It wanted me and Rie and I couldn't… I feel like this pendant protected me, but if I didn't have it, I don't know what would have happened…"
She lowers her head, putting her hands on her head, the strands of her being gripped between her fingers as she sways her head negatively.
"Emily… Who is that man? And what happened?"
"I don't know… When I came to my senses, I was on the ground, Rie was crying and a neighbor was coming to help. That man fled, I think, but… He knows where I live and Rie…" Her hands tremble as she looks at him, desperate, her voice is as unstable as her. "I-I don't think I can stay here anymore, Kuji. I'm afraid they'll just come into my house and take me and my daughter, I can't let that happen. I can't even dress my daughter in white anymore, I'm… Terrified. What if she saw and heard it too? What would that do to a seven year old girl?"
"What do you mean by 'they'?"
"I think this is… The same thing that affected Jacob back then. When I heard those voices in my head, it looked as if… I could feel many people, see through their eyes. I… Don't understand, but… This is bigger than we thought. It's not just about some monster cards or stone tablets, this is… Transcendent… You need to help me."
"Does Rie-chan remember anything?"
"No, when I asked, she only remembers entering the room and crying when I was unconscious, nothing else…"
"I will see if I can contact some friends and have them investigate it." His fists clench. "As for you and Rie, if they're as dangerous as you say, it's maybe better if you leave the city. But I don't know how you're expecting me to help more than this, Emily, I…"
"I know this is awful of me, I know it, Kuji, but please… Promise me if anything happens to me you'll take care of Rie."
"Why are you saying this? You'll be fine. And raising her alone was also your choice, Emily."
"She's everything to me, please. I know what I did, but please, Kuji. I'll not… I'll not exclude you anymore, you can come at any time, so please… If they ever do something to me, you'll have to promise me that you'll take care of her."
"I…"
The door opens with a creak, they both get startled upon seeing the small pink head peeking through the opening, Rie rushes inside without asking for permission, coming closer to the bed with a smile that diminishes.
"Mom, are you crying?"
"No, no." She wipes her tears away, forcing a smile. "It's alright, I was just happy that I got such nice memories to talk about with your uncle."
Rie climbs on the bed, hugging her tightly again. Emily corresponds to that warmth, closing her eyes in tranquility and planting a peck on her daughter's head before looking at Daitokuji, he turns his face away, refusing to give in, thinking for a brief moment.
"Right. If anything happens, I'll do my best."
This isn't fair.
As if she heard the most assuring sentence in the world, she let out a deep sigh of relief, embracing her daughter even more.
Casting a last glance back at the scene as the red-haired woman caresses the hair of her daughter so caringly, he leaves without another word. His brows twist up filled in angst as he disappears from the hospital that day.
This isn't fair to me, Emily.