Chapter XXIV

S.A.L.

There's a small opening on the door of the infirmary, enough for a finger to pass through, on the wall beside the door, Daitokuji stands, his back shaped along the wall, a frown darkening his expression, his arms crossed.

Inside the room, the deep silence is broken by Ryou's tranquil walking, Rie's eyes flickering haphazardly at each step of his, her color tuning into a deeper red as she sits up slowly, the blanket dropping over her legs in folds. He stops by the side of the bed, his gaze solemnly cast down, at her. A faint flush on his cheeks.

"Rie, how are you feeling?"

She slaps her hands onto her face, sinking it there while fidgeting. That was the only hole she found to hide. His fists clench slightly, unlike his stoic expression, his heartbeats are hectic enough for him to hear it.

Judging by how she reacted, it seems she also remembers it clearly. He takes a seat on the chair nearby, an eximious posture, this is going to be awkward.

His eyes roam around the room scanning it briefly, her PDA is on the chest of drawers beside her bed, near his chair, there's also a vase with flowers. Some pink strands of her bangs crease between and under her fingers while she occults her face in shame. It's exactly how he expected this would go.

"Listen, Rie, I have no words to excuse myself, even if I apologize or tell you to forget it, that won't change what happened." His gaze is vacant on the floor, raising to take a peek at her reaction.

She shakes her head in denial, hiding her face even more, opening her fingers to look through the crevices between it. His hands grip his knee a bit stronger, this is hard but he needs to be the man here.

"I understand why you are worried, and I'm not trying to sound like a jerk, but you also did quite a number on me… I think both of us have plenty to apologize for…"

He pulls the border of his turtleneck collar, there's still a faint bite mark on his nape. She closes the gap between her fingers immediately, he could see the fumes coming out from her ears as her shoulders shrink even more.

"That wasn't us, Rie, you should be aware of that too. It was just that drug, we wouldn't… I don't think you or I would behave like that under normal circumstances… But, I can't forget it and I doubt you can either…"

She finally dares looking at him, her untied hair flopping over her shoulders. The long sleeves of her pajama she's dressed in covering more her hands as she lowers them. He knows it's no time to be admiring her, but the sight was cute.

"I didn't come here to talk only about that…" He closes his eyes to collect himself for a moment, before his heartbeats reach pitches loud enough for her to hear it too. "You haven't answered any of my questions about what you were truly doing there…"

Their eyes meet for a second when he looks into her face, her orbs waver sorrowfully and he could swear her skin became pinker, so did his. They both avert their gazes, each to their own, she looks down at the plain blanket on her lap.

No matter the situation, he always has this composure, from his straight posture to the inexpressive tone of his voice. He seems perfectly fine. Knowing he's trying to not make a big deal out of it brings her some comfort, but puzzles her too. It's impossible he's not at least disconcerted with all that transpired. Or is he really that cold?

"You still didn't reply to my first question."

He points out in a standoff tone, bringing her attention to his face with a startle, but as soon as their eyes meet again, she jolts on her seat flushing harder, grabbing her PDA and showing the message:

"I'm fine! I'll get better in a few days."

"Is that so? You don't look all that well to me."

His eyes narrow discreetly, blushing aside, her skin is paler than he remembers, but maybe he's just remembering wrong, his memory is still jumbled with many unforgettable scenes and he'd rather not attempt to visualize it now, in front of her.

True enough her fever hasn't gone down and she knows the reason, but given the situation, she won't be able to explain it all in a few words. Her brows furrow up afflicted.

"I won't demand answers from you now, Rie." He says as if reading the hesitation in her face. "If it bothers you, I can come another time. I just wanted to see your face and…" He clears his throat. "Bring light to a few things."

He spouts the last part reluctantly. He had the conversation and the possible scenarios planned in his head, but he just can't utter a word. There's much more he wanted to say, but his throat feels extremely dry, the sound stuck in it. Is he… nervous? No, that can't be, right? Yet, he stands up in an impulse, the chair scratching the ground.

"I should not disturb your recovery."

Her eyes widen when he gets up, casting a last glance back at her and bowing swiftly as if to take his leave. She didn't have the chance to say anything valuable and there are many questions she'd like to answer for too, and he's already leaving? Her eyes are transfixed on his back, her lips opening in a motion to call his name, even if it was useless.

He stops after the first step upon feeling a heavy tug on his coat, turning the center of his body slightly to the side to see Rie's fingers pinching the hem of his sleeve while she supports her other hand on the white sheets, her body stretched over the limits of the bed. A drop of sweat rolling down his face, and a prickle on his cheeks that redden faintly at the sudden pull.

"Rie…?"

Her lips attempt to muster a phrase, but she closes them, her eyes glimmering conflicted as while looking at him, his face gradually acquiring the same cherry-red color as hers. He can't deny the resemblance to that day is alluring.

Unable to say anything, she lets go of his sleeve, lowering her head as if regretting her action, sitting down properly on her bed, her brows curled up in worry and confusion. It's natural she'd be unsure. He also took his time to rearrange his thoughts and he's still not fully settled. He reels a step back, fully turning around, much to her surprise.

"If you have anything to say now, I'm here."

He gulps subtly, regretting inwardly for answering so thoughtlessly. But it looked to her as if all his regal composure was back. Her fingers hesitate before weaving the next text, her eyes finally landing on him, her anxiety is tangible, the shyness from before was overlapped by the fear of the answers she'd get.

"Do you think we can still be friends? And that Asuka and Edo will forgive me if I tell them the truth?"

There's a saddened glint in her eyes. He sits down with a plop on the bed, to match her eye-level.

"If you are willing to be honest, I'm sure they'll will also listen to you, whether they'll forgive you or not, depends on what you have to say, but I don't think they would hold a grudge against you, people have reasons to do what they do, which doesn't excuse lies. As for us… That's an entirely different matter." His eyes drift off from her at the last part.

"Are you still mad at me?" She pucker her lips, bracing for the truth.

"Mad?" He flinches, stunned at her impression. "I told you before I'm not angry at you. Why… Did you think that?"

"You didn't come here until now. In a sense, I can understand why, but I thought you were also angry and didn't want to talk anymore."

Maybe he's mad, but in a different way than what she portrayed. Ever since then he'd been having dreams about that night, reliving it in his mind, he lost count of how many times he had to stare idly into the sea to cool off. If she just knew how much reflecting and willpower went into the chill face he puts up in front of her now...

"I'm not angry at you. I just thought it wasn't the right moment to speak, besides I also thought you wouldn't want to see me for a while…" He trails off.

If anything, shouldn't she be the one infuriated at him after all he did? Drug or not, that was inexcusable and he'd understand if she hated him for that. Even more inexcusable that a part of him entertained the possibility that, given an opportunity, he wouldn't have qualms continuing where they left off last time, and wouldn't mind if she wanted to do anything with him either, which was added to the list of reasons to not come here too early until he set himself straight.

"That's over now!" She gestures agitatedly, blood accumulating on her cheekbones in an instant.

"I'm not going to hate or hold you in contempt. I just want… the truth, Rie. That's all."

His last sentences catch her attention, her eyes delving into his earnest semblance, becoming soggy as if a weight was lifted from her heart. He's reminded of Daitokuji's words for a moment. Did his opinion hold this high regard to her, that listening to him would have this effect as if he released her from a heavy burden?

His heart feels strained looking at her expression filled with disappointment, not at him, but at herself, her fingers typing the next message, her eyes cast to her lap, tears threatening to fall down as she displays the screen of her device.

"I'm sorry for everything. I'll answer the questions you have. And I wasn't lying when I told you I didn't want anyone to get hurt."

He gapes in awe at her resolution and at the same time, concerned. Her face looks tired as if she didn't have sleep for a few days at least, only now from close he noticed it. She's so different from that night, he was convinced she was glowing there. She's not, albeit she's still very pretty.

There's a flutter in his chest, it lasts but a second. In the next instant, his arms wrap around her dainty figure, gently bringing her close in a hug. The pink, sleek streaks of hair draping over his hand as he pulls her head smoothly, her chin coming over his shoulder, her eyes opening wide at his sudden act. She can hear his voice close to her ear.

"Rie, you don't need to worry about this now. We can talk about it all later when you're not sick."

After everything he's still worried about her? Even though she lied and caused those problems? What will he think when she tells him she knew the potion could be dangerous? Or about what she's been doing out at night, spying on people. Her heart pumps faster with those doubts, her hands reaching out to his back, creasing his uniform as she corresponds to that embrace, enclosing his silhouette in her arms too.

Ryou is so warm. She's glad he came here, she was afraid he'd just hate her and that they wouldn't be able to face each other again. Her eyelids close restfully, consoled by that hug.

Using words should suffice, but… That didn't seem right to him. He can so easily fit her in his arms, she's soft everywhere like a plushie and tepid too, his grip unwittingly strengthening more around her until he realizes he'll end up squishing her. He fends himself mentally to stop having those thoughts. What is he even thinking about?

It would be wiser to avoid proximity after what happened, but he couldn't stop himself from offering comfort after seeing her on the brink of tears. He figured the drug should've left his body by now, but he's still as out of his mind as before. He oughta have some self-control. Yet another reason to keep some safe distance, pulling her shoulders away in a hurry, a troubled expression, he continues:

"You should concentrate on recovering for the time being."

Taking his hands off of her, his torso bends backwards unconsciously, he flinches upon looking at her face, her eyes wavering afflicted while gazing into his green orbs. It's becoming increasingly difficult to maintain his collectedness, he can feel his blood in disarray, coming up to his head, suddenly he's pulled closer again.

"Rie, why-"

Before he finishes that complaint he's between her arms again, a weakened, but firm grip. His heart knocks violently on his ribcage. The way she looked at him right now… She's not willing to let him go just yet, because keeping him here is more important than anything else. His arms accommodate around her figure tenderly, corresponding to that embrace.

Did she miss him this much? It's not even been that long. She must've been feeling lonely, she could talk to no one else about it, much like he didn't say a word about their discussion to anyone. It must've bothered her to the core, and because he avoided her, it just made it worse by giving her a mistaken idea of his position about it. He was a fool in spending so much time away and never coming here in the first place.

"I'm not going to run away from you, Rie. I'll come back tomorrow if you're still here."

She moves back a few centimeters, to look at his face as if confirming whether he's serious about his statement or not, a bitter pout on her lips. His brows furrow up in pity, pulling her into a hug again to soothe her.

"There's a lot to settle. I wouldn't just leave it at that… Don't make this face."

Is it fine for them to be close like this after all that happened? He wishes he could see her a bit happier. That those lies are unraveled so they can go on and leave the past behind. His hand slides carefully on her hair, feeling the smooth strands. She snuggles her head closer, in an attempt to hide her face even more. Her forehead brushes on his nape, it's sizzling, making him cut that embrace shorter than he intended, much to his dismay.

"You're still feverish, it's not good to keep forcing yourself."

She's completely red, her eyes are foggy, spacing out from the fever. He kindly lays her down, tucking her under the blanket, her eyes lethargically following his movements.

"You know where to find me. Asuka and Edo will also be around, just text any of us if you need something."

There's but a sketch of a reaction on his face, his eyes mellowing a tiny bit as he turns around to leave for sure this time. Once the door closes, she stares at it for a few seconds, dazzled, why is he being so kind to her now? No, he was always like this. He could be rigorous and blunt, but he also had this caring side and he's shown it many times by now, which is why betraying his trust felt all the more hurtful. She couldn't… Keep deceiving someone like him.

Sitting up a bit wobbly from the fever, she opens the drawer on the furniture beside her bed, rummaging through it until she gets a vial filled in a blue liquid. A wish crosses her mind.

"I want to get better soon… And talk to everyone."

Plopping the lid out she closes her eyes before swallowing the whole content in a gulp, coughing from the bitter taste, her body swinging back and forth before she falls onto the mattress, her vision blurs, her eyelids giving in to the sleepiness that assaulted her body.

Night time

Edo is squatted down, an open, small laptop supported on his legs, Asuka is sitting nearby him, her eyebrows raised as she observes him proficiently typing something.

"Are you sure you're fine? I mean, that article in the media… Doesn't it bother you?"

"I can worry about that later, now we should concentrate on the task at hand."

There's an undisturbed silence as he types more, but he can tell she felt scolded, he glances over at her:

"Look, that happens all the time, but if you're that interested in all the ways the media can rile up a duelist, I'll pay you a drink and we can talk about it after we're out of here." His gaze concentrates on his screen again. "Though, we might need a bigger celebration depending on whether we'll find what we're searching for or not."

"Right." She answers firmly, startled in the next second when her brain processes the meaning of his words, flushing at him. "Wait, what did you say?!"

"It's done." He interrupts her, flipping his laptop closed, the light of the display ceasing. "The cameras outside will be repeating the old footage, but it won't take long for them to notice something is wrong once we enter and we may need to fend off some guards on our path."

"Just out of curiosity, how can you hack again? I thought you had PHDs in law and psychology."

"I had too much idle time. I started studying some things about hacking and someone taught me a bit too, as you can see, it can be quite handy."

He answers without taking his eyes off the guard standing near the door. The other guard leaves to scout the area, passing behind them, not too far, Edo's arm comes around her shoulder, he did it so naturally, as if preparing to react if anything bad happened.

Asuka is awestruck, he's into his action mood again, sometimes she thinks he takes the meaning of the word "genius" too far. Her mind is all over the place, she's afraid of what they will find there and her heartbeats are eager. What if Fubuki is really in there? His voice snaps her out of it:

"Remember the plan: we go, knock that guard out and search the whole lab, if anything goes awry, you run. If they don't have a gun and try to get physical, use the taser I gave you, like we trained."

He repeats it sternly, making sure she's listening to every word, receiving a nod as a response, reminding how they used a tree as target practice and that was her first time using any sort of gun in her life.

He quickly packs his device, tossing a flashlight her way, she grabs it and stands up, as combined by them beforehand. The sound of the bushes moving calls the attention of the guard.

The man shouts a "Hey" while they walk towards each other, asking her to stop and identify herself, while he's distracted going out of his post to stop her, Edo comes from the side, dealing a chop to his neck, the sturdy man falls to the ground.

"How did you do that?!"

He flips a needle that was between his fingers, her eyes almost popping out. Did he really use a sedative? Where does he find those things? He did say he needed some days to prepare for the invasion, but she never thought he meant this type of preparation.

"Help me here, we can't let people see him."

He grabs the man from under the arms and Asuka grabs the legs, they hide him sitting behind a bush, he ransacks all the pockets on the suit of the guard, discarding the useless objects until he finds a keycard. They enter the lab with that.

The corridors are much brighter than the outside, the door locking behind them as soon as they enter. Surprisingly, there are no other security guards in the long stretch of white floor stones. He can see the metallic framed sections on the walls, as if automatic doors were hiding there.

"We shouldn't go slowly, but let's be careful."

His voice is lower than usual, but she could hear just fine, a drop of sweat rolling down her face as she inspects the interior, they stop at the junction of the corridor, there's a way left and right, from the floorplans, they know more or less the location of other rooms, he points at the right, tilting his head.

They dart into the corridor in hurried steps, there are a couple doors, and they try to examine them, staying out of the camera range and sneaking past it while it moves to another direction, wandering around strange rooms with strange blueprints for devices and rooms with chemistry labs and mechanical equipment they didn't know what to make of, but the one they're the most interested in is…

Edo barges into the room, opening the door with a bang, startling the guard watching the live video from the cameras, his jaw drops seeing two teens dressed in obelisk blue uniforms.

"Hey, what are you two doing-"

His finger is about to press the alarm button, but Edo grabs his collar aggressively, pulling him away from the command panel and greeting him with a punch, the man is knocked to the ground, a gasp from Asuka. Edo wobbles his fists, his knuckles are red.

"Let's check the images."

The silver-haired spouts as an order, supporting his hands on the panel and skims his eyes on the different screens, the video switches at an interval of a few seconds as the camera moves to cover a large area, they both watch attentively until she points at a specific place.

"Look, this one here, I see two guards dragging someone…"

She gulps nervously. The said person is all dressed in a lab coat and pants, even in shoes and a headgear that could as well have come out of a horror movie, full of cables plugged. A duel disk attached to their hand, she can only see their back, but with how that person struggles to free themselves from the two guards, each holding one of their arms, she can tell they don't want to be taken there and fears for them.

"The way they're treating this person… If this is a student… Do you think the other students are fine?"

"I don't know, but we'll help them. Talking about which…" He steps back, his eyes narrowing.

He lost track of time, but he can vouch they've been at least one hour or more there. It's strange that he sees no other students, only a few guards and researchers despite them walking around for so long. What are they researching here and where are the others, if they were really kidnapped by those people? He casts a side glance at Asuka, her hazel eyes wavering wishfully, still searching for clues on the screens, it's best to not tell her his suspicions now to not disrupt their invasion, but he's starting to believe they got a wrong trail and this will be a disappointing excursion.

Saiou never gave any prediction to him about any of this, but he supposed this had nothing to do with his destiny in the first place, moreover he came here on his own, right? He was never told to come, in fact, he was told to take distance, but… To avert his eyes from the problems with the students just smashed his interior.

This decision felt important, regardless of what his friend had to say. If he were to not care, for him it meant the same as saying to Asuka, Ryou and all other people who were trying to find the students that there was no hope and this would be just as painful to them as it was for him to lose his father and come to the acceptance of it.

He didn't make amends for that yet, he didn't find that criminal or avenged his father, and the more he thinks about it, the more his chest twists inwardly. Isn't that what a Hero is supposed to do? Face adversity despite their own tragedies? If so, then, he too…

"Let's go, we have to see whatever they're pulling on that poor student."

They rush out of the security room, following to the left this time, to the place they saw in the camera, that looked like a wide room for some sort of watched experiment. When they arrive at the corridor shown in the video, they hit the brake on their heels at full throttle, two men guarding the door and other two coming their way. They dive down, crouching near the ground to hide their figures behind the wall.

"We have to do something!" She declares shouting in a silent tone, he's astounded at her courage.

"I know, but it's not as simple!" He replies in the same way, minding to not raise his voice.

He's already canvassing a plan by the time that sentence is finished. A flickering gleam in his eyes, determined to go through it to the end.

"The guards are probably all out here, in there it's very likely there are only scientists. I'll act as a bait, you go and enter that room once I draw the attention of guards, whoever is in there, threaten them with your taser and please do shoot if they come at you. I'll meet you again here after I put those guys to sleep or trail them off, you make a run for any exit if I don't come back in five minutes."

He stands up, but she follows, lost and at the same time uneasy about his suggestion, her hand acting on its own as she gets a hold of his wrist, his arm hauled back by her movement.

"Wait! What do you mean? You can't be thinking about…"

With a gawk, he looks at her hand, her grip loosening a tad after realizing she was too blunt. His fans had tried to grab him more than plenty of times and he was instructed on how to best free himself by force and act in such situations, but this was different.

"Asuka, this is your chance to try and find your brother." His hand lands warmly on hers, there's a confident glint in his eyes. "This is the moment you've been waiting for, right? No matter what, you have to take the opportunity."

His words were calm, but there was this flame burning inside his eyes, she felt he wasn't just speaking it for her, but for himself too, letting go of him unsure if everything will go as smoothly as they wish.

"Don't make that face, you promised you'd follow my directions." He raises a finger to make himself clear. "I want you to keep your word and listen to me now, ok?"

When she considers it for a moment, she's sure he has no reason to harm her or even risk himself like this, but the many things he never explained and the doubts she has about who he is and what he has done during his life before coming to the academy kept piling up and this seed of distrust was discreetly blooming in her. She can't ignore her doubts, but all he's asking of her is to trust him now.

Her lips seal together, a frown wrinkling her forehead, she nods confidently at him, his scowl decreasing in some sort of relief. For a moment, he thought she'd throw a tantrum in the middle of the lab, but Asuka is not a girl that would do that, he likes that in her. He walks backwards, still facing her:

"I'm a pro at escaping people like this, I guarantee, not even the police has ever caught me."

Did he say "police"? What has he been doing in his free time exactly? Her jaw drops open, his sassiness could be enthralling at times. A faint smile sprouting on her lips, he's right that this is a unique chance and she'll make the most of it.

It's unclear for her whether it was her imagination, but she saw a faint smile brush on his lips before he darted into the corridor, his feet skidding on the floor, sending the guards in a state of alert.

"Why is there a student here?"

"Freeze! Who are you, boy?!"

"I know what this place has been up to! You better be prepared because I'll leak the footage of what you're doing to everyone!"

"Ugh! You-!"

They rush towards him, Asuka watches Edo cast a discreet glance at her, darting past the corridor, followed by the guards that do not see her there.

As soon as she hears the footsteps distancing, with her taser pistol in hand, she opens the lab door with a bang, startling the two researchers in there, they're near a mirrored window watching over a room on the other side, a control panel in front of them and a door on the side. With a drop of sweat rolling down her cheek, she points the gun at them, threading. An inward voice of guilt shaming her in her consciousness for doing that.

"Everyone, hands up!"

She hears their confused voices wondering what an obelisk blue student is doing here, stepping ahead, the gun still pointed at one of them.

"Who are you, lass?! And how did you get here?!"

"I'm making the questions here!" She scowls at them. "Where are the students you took into the lab?!"

"Students?"

The scientists exchange a glance, one of them is an old man with silver hair, the other is a younger brown-haired man.

"Calm down, young lady, there aren't any students here." The older man speaks up, gesturing for her to put the gun down.

"Stop lying! I saw you carrying a student in the cameras!" She aims at him only. "Let that student go, I know you put them in here! Release them at once!"

"Please, listen to the doc! There are no students here missy, you're the only student we have here!"

"Open the door and release the student." Her voice comes in between her teeth. "And you'll have to explain to me where the other students are. I know you dragged a person inside this lab, there's no point lying!"

The men gulp, exchanging a dire glance as she points the gun at them, the younger man starts lowering his head to a button on the panel behind him. The older man adjusts his glasses, his expression changing, declaring indignant:

"Wait, this isn't a gun, it's just a taser!"

The younger man reacts on instinct, his hand lowering to press the alarm button, before he can accomplish that, Asuka pulls the trigger in reflex, the electrodes thrown hitting his body, he's electrocuted until he collapses to the ground, she gasps at her own action, releasing the trigger from her finger that seemed to be stuck there.

The older man, steps back pressing a button on his side of the panel to some sort of intercom:

"Guards! We have an intruder here!"

She ignores his snitching and looks at all the buttons in a hurry, pressing all of them while the man urges her to stop trying to grab her arms, she shoves him away, pressing even more buttons, then the door on the side opens, the scientist grabs his own hair, messing it as if she's done something unforgivable.

A shadow appears near the door, a smile opening in her face, then, her expression changes to confusion as it jumps in her direction, her scream echoing muffled outside the room and then, the alarms of the lab are set.

A minute earlier

Edo looks over his shoulder, the two guards are tagging along, he turns left on the corridor, forcing his feet to stop after seeing two guards in that direction, their black top hats and sunglasses made them look even more like some sort of mafia. When he turns around to run, the other two guards catch up blocking the way. He clicks his tongue, accessing the situation and bracing for a fight.

"You have nowhere else to run, intruder!"

"You two, grab the boy!"

The security guards exchange a glance, nodding at each other, the moment they make an advance, the alarm of the place soars, alerting of an escape, red lights and a deafening noise spreading in the corridors.

Edo takes the chance to try and devise an escape route, but one of the guards ahead of him grabs his arm, he grits his teeth when the fist of the man grows closer to his face, a punch soaring, surprisingly, he wasn't the target.

From behind him a man punches the guard, the other security guard is as stunned as him, the two men behind make a move and punch him together, knocking him out cold too. He whirls around, his eyes petrified as a familiar voice addresses him:

"I didn't expect to see you here, pal."

Taking off the hat and a wig attached to it, the man reveals his blonde hair, shaking it in the air, his partner also takes off the hat, his pointy brow hair is unmistakable. They look at him gravely.

"Jonouchi Katsuya and… His manager? What are you doing here?"

"I suppose the same as you." He chuckles lightheartedly, despite the disturbing buzzing. "Anyways, the alarm will close all the doors, we'd better get going!" He taps the teen's shoulder once.

"Wait! My companion is still here! I can't leave her alone!"

"Companion?"

They take a step back, raising a brow worriedly, Honda lets out a deep sigh, not that he didn't get himself in trouble, but a famous duelist invading private property and bringing another student with him? Sounds like the old times with Yugi. They better get that other one safely out of here too.

Outside the lab

The dawn has settled, strong sunlight penetrating the forest. Ryou stands on the lighthouse bridge, watching the morning unfold in front of him. It wasn't part of his early routine to spend so long outside, it's breakfast time but he still hasn't gone back to the dorms yet, his feet brought him since last night and he never left since then.

He couldn't sleep for a wide array of reasons including his visit to the infirmary and whether Asuka and Edo were fine. He texted them, but they never answered and Rie is still sick, so many unfinished talks. This discomfort on his chest just swells.

Regardless of how he feels, classes will start and he should be there. He walks uphill but stops at the top of the plain near the cliff. Footsteps flare in the air, his meditation is interrupted, his eyes darting to the side, he was expecting Asuka would fill him in on her latest excursion, his eyes opening in awe as he sees a different person.

"Rie, shouldn't you be in the infirmary?"

"I sneaked out of the infirmary this morning." She winces while admitting.

His fists close slightly as he threads closer, stopping in front of her, her fingers skillfully typing in the meantime.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm feeling better, but if I waited for the nurse to discharge me, it'd take more time."

"You shouldn't be out if you haven't been examined yet. Come, I'll take you back."

She types something else, but he gets a hold on her hand pulling it and walking ahead, she stumbles a step forward, her delicate fingers wrapping around his hand steadily, her feet anchoring on the ground as she tugs him back gently. He spins around, still holding her hand as she displays the last part of the message:

"I wanted to see you."

The last sentence makes his lips split apart, struck with awe, his green eyes lingering on hers, a flush on his cheeks, his hand recoiling away as his color normalizes, a mantle of composure covering his expression.

"I can't believe you escaped… You'll get into trouble again. How did you even know I'd be here at this time?"

"This is the place you come to the most, and you said it before too that I knew where to find you. I thought this is what you meant."

"So you paid attention to that." His eyes trail off to the horizon for a moment before he stares at her, folding his arms. "Why were you invading Edo's room that night?"

"I knew there was some potion there and that it could be bad."

"You knew about the effects?"

"No!" She types instantly. "I mean, not fully, I thought it would be something milder. But I knew it could have bad side-effects."

"Okay." His arms uncrossed in pure astonishment, putting a hand to his forehead, trying to keep calm about it, proceeding to the next question. "Why did you not tell me anything then?"

"It's complicated."

"You wanted to talk, I'm here. What is complicated?"

"I didn't think I could explain it in a way you would believe me."

"That's because you were lying. You were in the wrong. We could've avoided…" He discontinues the sentence by closing his mouth and shaking off his head.

"Yes, I knew you wouldn't be happy."

"Don't tell me you also knew about those potions all the way back in the hut."

She hesitates before nodding ruefully, his semblance steeling before he takes a deep breath. So Rie was this secretive from the start, avoiding all possible questioning and going under the radar. He trusted her and took her trust in him for granted, it seems he was mistaken, but he can only work with the present.

"Why did you even come to the academy, Rie?"

"What I told you at the city wasn't a lie. I came because of my uncle, but that's not all…"

"Was it all planned? Were you supposed to be spying and doing all this from the beginning? At the hut, when I approached you, coming along for the investigations, everything?"

She can't elude from his severe gaze, her lips pressing on each other as she takes the courage to type an answer.

"Yes. I was supposed to keep an eye on Edo and retrieve that potion, but not all was planned. I didn't expect you or Asuka would come to me and let me in your investigation… And many things didn't work out. Me being stuck in the hut was also an accident."

He'd ask for more details, but he feels like he won't be able to stomach it all at once, but the final question hits hard:

"And why did you change your mind? Because things went south?"

"No! I didn't want to lie anymore, or spy, deceive or do any of this. I thought I had no choice, but… I couldn't…" Her eyes tear up. "I'm sorry. I'm very sorry, I didn't want to hurt you or anyone. I'm telling the truth."

"Rie…"

Both her hands clutch the PDA, bringing it closer to her forehead and leaning onto it before facing him once more.

"Well, this all could have been avoided, but at the same time, this opened my eyes. I realized I don't know much about you or even about what's happening on the island even though Asuka and I have tried to keep tabs on everything."

"This isn't your fault." She wipes her tears, her blue orbs wavering afflicted. "This is bigger than you can imagine."

"It isn't my fault, but if I had noticed it earlier… The potion too. I just wonder how much more there is that I don't know. About you too."

"What I did was awful, I know that, and it isn't your fault or Asuka's or anyone's. You were just trying to find her brother." She pauses, her lips trembling, not managing to muster a word before she continues: "I won't do any of that anymore. I won't do any of that anymore, so… Please, forgive me."

"People can't build any sort of relationship based on lies and deceitfulness, and not by some random effects of a potion either, Rie. This is not how anything should start and you'll have to make up for the time you were hiding things from us. You'll have to earn your trust again and not just with me. This is your second chance, but you'll have to choose which side you are on, no secrets."

"I understand…"

Despite the strict speech, his tone was mild. Her eyes lower, her brows furrow up conflicted, rising in a flinch when his hands come around her arms.

"I want to know more about you and what's going on in the school… I want to hear all the details this time, but for that, we'll need to spend more time together and talk a lot as well."

Rie senses as if a gust of wind swirled inside her chest, her face flushing instantly, her shoulders bristling up, her gaze tunneling on his image to the point he could see himself reflected there.

"I'm not sure how to feel about that night yet, and I know I said that wasn't us, but I'll take responsibility for my actions since we both probably won't forget it… And I want to understand those feelings with you. I don't think we can be just friends…"

Her PDA slips from her hands multiple times as she tries to catch it, before she holds it unsteadily, typing a message, her skin hue becoming beet-red:

"Ryou, you can't mean…"

"I do mean that, that is if you accept being more than friends, of course. We don't need to rush either, we can just talk for the time being. Even if you don't want anything to do with me, it's fine, but my words about listening to the answers to what you were doing still stand. Know that it also implies no more lies, Rie. Next time, I want you to be honest with others and with yourself too, what you want to do and what you don't want, don't be afraid of saying those things, it could save you from some trouble."

Her lips utter his name silently, her blue orbs melting under his. His grip twitching unwittingly. Why did he never think of it before? She's been avoiding people ever since she came and she was told many things of which most were not true. Rie must've waited a long time to be heard by someone who wasn't there to judge her or simply let her be without displaying any genuine concern, but to listen patiently to what she truly wanted to say.

His gaze falters while looking at her on the brink of tears again, he isn't sure if she was sad, happy or just confused, his mind is also hazied with all those new sensations, but he won't get an answer by just standing around. Her lips catch his attention for a second, she's trying to form a sentence, but can't come to weave the proper words.

Did he just forgive her despite still not knowing her true reasons? Was he willing to listen to her even knowing she'd lie before and that she could do it again? This was enough to tear her apart. The most stunning of all, did Ryou just confess to her? Right now? Her whole face burning red as her lips open to give him an answer, her fingers reaching out to his coat, crinkling his uniform.

Leaves rustle behind them, cracking the mood, they both look at the source, the rustling intensifies until a shadow jumps out of it, the teal-haired slides his feet to the side, putting himself between the mysterious figure and Rie out of instinct.

It's a monkey. The animal grumbles unintelligible noises at them while carrying an unconscious female student, then jumps back into the woods.

They blink astounded for a moment, then look at each other, Ryou points at the forest, his brows twisting in uncertainty:

"Did you… see a monkey?" Rie just nods while gaping, in as much disbelief as him. "Was he carrying a blonde student?" He points his thumb. And the girl replies in another confirmation with her head.

He steps back, it takes but a second for his mind to enlighten him in what was going on, a dire realization:

"We have to go, Rie! I think that was Asuka!"

He's already rushing ahead, looking back while running. Her eyes open wide, paling at the statement and tagging along. Meanwhile, Edo, Jonouchi and Honda rush inside the woods too, looking around, from afar they catch a glimpse of the monkey darting past, Edo grits his teeth annoyed, when he gets that monkey it'll have a lesson!

Edo speeds up his pace even more, almost leaving the other two behind, if it wasn't for him neglecting his suspicions the lab had nothing for them, Asuka wouldn't have been taken, even more he was the one that left her alone, he shouldn't have done that. In the end, there was nothing in that lab for them, no hint of students, what they saw that night and earlier was only an animal being carried away. How could he make such a mistake? He has to step it up somehow.

Far behind the trio, another couple of people follow, the old doctor who has troubles breathing while trying to catch up to the monkey and one of the guards, had they not let the monkey run right in front of their eyes, this could've been avoided, but now it's a matter of who gets to the monkey first.

How will they get Asuka back and if the lab wasn't responsible for the missing students, then where are they?