Now that one of Yusei's most precious secrets had been released to the public, the media was abuzz on the fifth day of the tribunal. Nobody had ever heard of a legal council being put together so fast or being so active. Except for the day before, each session had last about ten hours each day and progress was swift. Even so, there was still strangely little progress towards the stated goal of the tribunal: to evaluate Yusei's suitability to continue running the SRC.
As the hall was seated and she saw Yusei tightly bend himself into his chair, Akiza wondered if she would be hearing from that mysterious voice in her phone. So far, they had made contact every other day. Not enough to know if there was a pattern but it was possible. As with every day, Hiraguchi took his seat and opened a folder which contained the list of events for the hours ahead.
"Today we will be going over," No sooner had he started speaking than Yusei raised himself stiffly to his feet and snapped open both eyes to glare across the distance.
"No." It was said softly and without malice but the one words stopped events before they had even begun. "For the last two weeks, I have sat and waited because I was told that this was a legal action against me. Yet you have insulted my colleagues, delved into research unrelated to my suitability and now invaded the privacy of my friends." Eyes blazing, it was impossible to object to his quiet orders. "So, no, you will not pretend any longer. Either you and the ICC admit your true intentions or I will." Every iota of his vast charisma went towards overpowering the tribunal.
"I'm sure that I don't" Again, Hiraguchi got no further than a few words.
"There is a reason why people call me the smartest man alive." With IQ tests that consistently ranked at the highest recorded, Yusei had earned that title several times over. "And there's only one reason that I can think of that you would ask all the questions that you have. Either the ICC actually does what it came here to do or I tell the public what you don't want them to know. Either way," Noting the tight lips being drawn on both rows of benches, Yusei knew that he had pushed them into a corner. "The truth is going to come out."
"Very well." Accepting the threat, Hiraguchi was forced to bow to the better move. "It appears that trying to deceive you truly was fruitless. As you insist, we will address the real reason that this tribunal was convened." A few people were dumbfounded. Reporters were already starting to investigate who the ICC was but nobody could understand just what the 'real reason' could be.
"Then I will need a moment to consult with my legal team." Stumbling up to the table in his chains, Yusei leaned on the surface and began a hushed conversation with all the lawyers the SRC could legally cram into the room.
"This isn't going to go well." Leo was far from a legal expert but giving up legal council in the middle of a trial seemed like a poor move from his point of view.
"Do you think he can get out of it?" Nobody had any doubt that Yusei was innocent but the problem lay in convincing the tribunal of that. Crow knew the problems that came with trying to convince somebody you were innocent when they approached with a guilty verdict already in their minds. Down on the floor, the quiet discussion had left the Kamikawa ashen and sorrowful. Stepping out in front of the bench, he cleared her throat several times before he could trust himself to speak clearly.
"At this time, the New Domino Scientific Research Centre is officially withdrawing all legal consultation. At their request, the defendant will now be representing themselves." That certainly caused a stir and several reporters had to leave the room in order to relay the information to their stations.
"Thank you for your help." Shaking hands with Kamikawa as he walked past, Yusei looked each of the lawyers directly in the eye, shook their hands and inclined his head respectfully. "Thank you for your help. Thank you for your help." It took several minutes for them all to get past but he kept the obligation even as extra punishment was threatened.
"We're probably done here then." Relaxing back in his seat, Jack was unusually pleased with the suicidal move. There was no way that his brother would put himself at a disadvantage unless he had an unbeatable plan up his sleeve.
"I'm not so sure." Before they had all gone their separate ways, nobody would have doubted that Jack and Crow knew their brother the best. Now that Akiza had been living with him for a few months and was the first one to realise he was dying, an argument could be made that she knew him better. "I think that he didn't want them to be caught up in what's about to happen." True enough, the members of the tribunal had been almost entirely switched out. The ICC members filled the seats now, each one looking perfectly professional. A few faces were still the same. Hiraguchi showed no signs of moving, Dr Burrell had looked alarmed but been asked to keep in her seat and Dr Undercliff had instantly adjusted to the change in circumstances in barely a minute. For whatever reason, he wasn't being asked to leave either.
"Now that we're all here," Hiraguchi didn't even look about to check if the members of the ICC had assembled. He knew from the way that Yusei was cataloguing them all in a sweeping gaze. "Let's get down to the real questions." Seating himself back in his chair, he looked up at the deciders of his fate.
"Very well." Pulling out a different folder from before, Hiraguchi set it onto the table before him. "What can you tell me about the computer systems that you maintain at the SRC? Specifically, the virtual interface known as Abi." In a horrifying flash of realisation, Akiza figured out what Yusei already knew. The one reason that anyone would hold him for trial and ask about his proudest creation.
"Abi, Abi." Musing over the word, Yusei smiled slightly. "Named after an impressive forensic scientist in America. It's also an acronym: Advanced Biometric Intelligence." It was the first time that Akiza had heard the term. There would have had to be an official cover story to the budding young intelligence but she had never thought too hard about it before. Down in his chair, Yusei hoped that the non-technologically inclined at least watched science-fiction a few times a year. Otherwise, he hoped the average intellect spontaneously doubled. Or maybe tripled. "She is the result of a spontaneous technological singularity between" Outraged shouts and denials from everybody in the room drowned out the rest of his words before they could be heard.
"What's he talking about?" Leaning to one side, Akiza received a confused shrug and blank look from Jack. Swinging back the other way, she went to the marginally nerdier of the two brothers.
"How much have you heard about immaculate conception?" It was barely a theory, more of an outcasts quack diagnosis scientifically known as parthenogenesis. To impart the full idea as quickly as possible, doctors tended to use the birth of Jesus as an example.
"Oh, that. I thought that was normal for AI." Luckily, the uproar in the room prevented anybody from hearing her confess to prior knowledge of Abi. Leaning forward in tandem, Jack, Crow and even Din looked at her in stunned disbelief. "I'm a doctor, not a computer programmer." Burying their face in both hands, a silent eavesdropper slid back into their seat.
"Do you honestly expect us to believe that your computer just happened to start thinking one day?" Undercliff sounded angry. Anger with a touch of outrage and just the faintest dash of envy. "You are fully aware that creating an artificial intelligence is illegal."
Almost every day since Abi had first spoken to him, Yusei had been terrified that these exact circumstances would come about. A few minutes or several hours of every day had gone towards planning out a solution for when they did. Now that they had arrived, he could only hope that he could deliver.
"Data stored on the New Domino Scientific Research Centre mainframe falls under international jurisdiction. They cannot be removed from the premises without unanimous agreement from all parties involved." Not without first transferring all the stored information to other servers first. "As such, the information falls under international law unless specified otherwise. And Dr Undercliff is right. Creation of – or even research with the intent of creating – an artificial intelligence is illegal under both Japanese and international law."
"Are we to consider this an admission of guilt?" Even though the tribunal should have understood not to underestimate Yusei – especially when he started speaking in an official manner – one of them still chose to press the issue.
"No. Under international law, research into the creation of an artificial intelligence was banned years ago. The agreement was ratified in what is referred to as 'the Stockholm Treaty' – an international agreement to avoid research into potentially catastrophic areas of technology." Anything where the dangers far outweighed the risks. Wormholes that could shred the planet apart, teleports which might rip apart molecules in a series of nuclear explosions large enough to wipe out cities in the blink of an eye. Sentient computers that might simply decide humanity was not worth keeping around. "Shortly after I realised what happened, I examined the full text. Particularly the parts that related to artificial intelligence." Miracles did not come easily. Sometimes, they didn't arrive at all. But Yusei had a way of making the impossible happen when lives were on the line. "There is a loophole."
"Excuse me?" Most people had never heard of the Stockholm treaty until that day. Those who had probably hadn't read it, even partially. And those few who had read it knew it was a tightly binding treaty that had been checked through by hundreds of legal experts over decades. Every new addition was examined as individual text and part of the whole. It was updated regularly, dreadfully complex and practically unbeatable. "Are you claiming that you have uncovered a loophole in the Stockholm Treaty?" Undercliff was back on the forefront of the attack.
"There is a lengthy section on artificial intelligence." All of which extensively detailed exactly what wasn't allowed. Usually, the easiest way around the legal system was just to find what wasn't explicitly mentioned. "And that section begins with the phrase 'Each party agrees not to assist, encourage or partake in the research into or creation of artificial machine intelligence that can independently mimic cognitive functions at a similar or higher level than a human mind'. Many of the following sections are similar or more expansive." After the first dozen times of reading them, more had become superfluous. All that information was seared into his mind with the fear of what it could mean for Abi.
"I am familiar with the passage in question." Open on the desk in front of him was a copy of the treaty. Undercliff was one of the few people who had already seen it before. "There is no loophole around it."
"No. There isn't." Yusei had seen from the first check that there was no way to make an artificial intelligence with severe repercussions. "Penicillin. Velcro. Teflon. Background radiation."
"Is he having a stroke?" Besides the warning signs, Jack had astoundingly little idea of what a stroke actually did.
"I don't think so." Amusingly, it was only once Yusei had tacked on a few extra items – microwave ovens, vulcanised rubber and viagra – that Akiza realised the pattern. Shame would keep her from ever openly admitting that the microwave ovens and vulcanised rubber had just been more random nonsense to her. Down on the floor, Yusei was certainly causing some embarrassed faces to emerge with the list.
"Are any of you aware what links these items together?" Recognising a few of them, Akiza had identified the link. "They were all accidental discoveries, only realised when circumstances were just right to do so."
"There is a difference between fungi and advanced supercomputers. A vast difference." After everything that had happened of late, only two things were truly terrifying to Yusei and one of them was the possibility of losing Abi. If he was unable to convince them of her origins, she would be taken away. He wasn't going to let that happen.
"It is my belief that circumstances were uniquely suited for Abi to come into being. Even if the same situation was arranged, it would be unlikely to result in the same result."
"And why," For the first time since their peculiar little group had been formed – just Morton, Yusei, Undercliff and Vasilyeva – the CERN scientist finally had the intellectual upper hand. "Do you think that?"
"During the first few hours that Abi started to exist, there was no way to be aware of what she was. All that I was aware of was a substantial drain of resources." No matter how bad the chances were for Abi, they were about to be a lot worse for Yusei. "In an effort to diagnose the problem, I ran several simulations of the originating circumstances with no comparable results to the ongoing issue."
"Then you admit to conducting research into the creation of an artificial intelligence?" Of all the eventualities Yusei had been planning for, not many had resulted with him being convicted while Abi was allowed to remain free.
"At the time, I was attempting to fix a malfunctioning program by replicating the circumstances that had caused it." Even to his hears, the excuse sounded dreadfully thin. "Attempts that stopped once I realised what was really happening." Straightening up, a dose of pride entered his voice. "And I erased all records as soon as possible."
"Erased them?" Hiraguchi had been quietly watching from a slight distance. Quiet like a landmine, the danger was waiting for one wrong step. "So you conducted illegal research, ran several experiments and then destroyed the evidence?" Every word in a trial could sway the outcome. When the trial was being broadcast to the public, it could turn them against him by the thousands.
"No. I encountered something unexplainable, tried to figure it out and made sure that nobody else could take advantage of what had happened." Abi had matured in a diverse and inclusive environment. There was no way of being certain how a similar consciousness could evolve under controlled circumstances. "If I had thought that Abi posed a danger at any point, I would have alerted authorities and limited her access."
"Dr Fudo." In the midst of the legal and technological developments, it was Dr Burrell who took over the questions. Where technology was failing to make progress, maybe psychology could bring out the truth. "Putting aside the ramifications of your actions, for the moment." Hiraguchi was already starting to open his mouth before she overrode his question. "Have you ever considered deactivating Abi?"
"You mean kill her." In a way, that was what the trial would determine. If they recognised Abi as sentient, it would mean she was alive and anything living could be killed. "From what I understand of previous attempts to build an autonomous artificial intelligence, they have been based upon either complex code or mapping of biological neurology." One was an exhausting undertaking and the other was a cheat. "Since Abi spontaneously came into being, there was no way to tell how she would develop. Under the right circumstances for her, I was prepared to... assist her passing." Humanity is born with a natural safety switch to survive. It's why suicide only comes during severe circumstances and not simply because somebody took the last bagel. As a thinking computer, it might actually have been impossible for Abi to kill herself, even if she desperately wanted to. Not just mentally but physically as well. If his daughter had realised how alone her unique existence made her, Yusei would have tearfully helped ease her into a quiet end.
"I think that we could all do with a short break to consider the ramifications of what we have heard so far." Dr Burrell was keeping up a brave face yet could barely wrap her head around even a fifth of what Yusei had tried explaining.
Now that Kamikawa was no longer representing Yusei's case, there was little to stop him from properly explaining the problem to Akiza. He was waiting outside the court doors to grant Akiza one final sliver of legal advice to answer the one question that she had.
"The Stockholm Treaty is more than a simple agreement. It's like the Geneva Convention of science." Only humans would equate the creation of a peaceful life with the violent slaughter of thousands. "If Dr Fudo has broken even one line on purpose, it could mean a lifetime of being locked away." And the good news just kept on coming. "And that's if he's lucky. They could decide to sanitise the entire SRC, destroy the organisation and permanently ruin any scientist who ever worked there." With that final cheery thought, Kamikawa led his lawyers away.
As the elderly lawyer walked away down the corridor, Akiza's phone buzzed gently in her pocket. Hopefully, their silent observer had found a way to save Yusei from the seemingly inevitable jail time. "Tell us you have good news." Even Jack was starting to get worried about how events were turning out. It was taking the realisation that Yusei might not be coming back to realise he wouldn't be needing Red Dragon Archfiend without the worthy rival to use it against.
"I'm not sure." The latest message was clear in direction yet obscure in meaning.
Basement. Area C, unit 16. Far more tense than the previous messages. Colder. More to the point.
"Did you know?" Besides herself and Yusei, nobody was meant to know that Abi was alive. For whatever reason and by unknown means, this figure was constantly able to provide just what they needed when they needed it. If they were offering aid now, it would have to be in relation to the revelation that was still spreading around the world. For a long moment, there was no reply.
Twelve minutes. Hurry. Emotions are always difficult to discern over text. Whoever was on the other end sounded like they were in a panic. They could also be about to lose battery.
"Jack, Crow." Patting herself down for a pen, she grabbed one of Crow's hands. "Get to the basement and check out this storage room." Digging in a little more than was necessary, she noted down the location on the back of his hand. It wasn't that she didn't trust him but they had exactly one chance to get this right.
"Okay." Looking at the scrawl on his hand, Crow tried not to think about how easily this could be a trap. "What if it's a trap?"
"That's why I'm sending both of you." Exchanging sour looks, the pair instantly headed off on their quest. A quick check at the reception desk directed them towards the lower levels when a bemused receptionist had recognised the address as a storage compartment some distance below the ground.
As the door closed them off from the more populated areas, Jack let his feelings be made clear. "It's a trap." Leaping down the three sets of stairs needed to reach the storage levels cut the journey down to a few seconds.
"It's not a trap." Crow had been privy to a couple of helpful strangers over the years. Gut instinct was telling him that these circumstances were dire enough to listen to another.
"I'm telling you, it's a trap." Jack was not as trusting as his brothers. Unlike them, he typically saw getting help as a sign of weakness. Jogging as fast as they could while still being able to read the signs, both brothers were making good time through the storage layers beneath the main building.
"It's not a trap." Area A had been a large section, filled with storage compartments the size of small buses. They were currently finishing the last few rows of Area B. Slightly smaller, most of the wire cages were filled with covered containers.
"Which one was it?" Slowing to a brisk walk as they entered, they had finally arrived in Area C. In keeping with the pattern of decreasing sizes, these rooms were the size of large cupboards with numbers stencilled onto chill metal.
"Sixteen." Lights were still flickering on overhead as rarely used bulbs blinked into life. "This one." A simple padlock was set on the door. Opening it would take a few seconds for somebody of Crow's skills. Even Jack could simply pry it free with a steel bar.
"Crow?" Twisting the lock where it already lay limp, Jack held it out as all the proof that he needed. Somebody else had already been there before them. Edging away from the doorframe, he carefully nudged it into opening from a safe distance. "It's a trap." From his protective angle, it was impossible for Jack to see directly into the room.
"It's a tarp." Sprawled over hidden objects, a quick glance by security would have overlooked the minor difference. Everything else in the dusty room was covered by dust sheets and the tarp was only a few shades darker. Seizing the nearest corner in one hand, Crow threw the covering back to reveal two containers. One not much larger than a shoebox, the other a narrow rod about three feet long. "How long do we have?"
"Seven minutes." Getting there had been downstairs and without the burdens. Getting back would be against gravity, with additional weight and mildly out of breath from their run to get there in the first place. There wasn't time to check the contents first.
"Here." Making a snap decision, Crow grabbed the packages in either hand. "You take the long one." As much as he hated to be reminded, Crow was the shorter of the two brothers. Trying to carry a package as big as his own leg would throw off his stride.
As the pair began the headlong race back to their brother, Crow saw something just as he turned to leap up the first three stairs. Standing on the extreme far edge of a circle illuminated by one of the motion-activated lights, a dark outline was leaning against the concrete wall with an unmistakeable air. 'Good' it seemed to express as it tried to regain some energy. 'You made it in time.'
Too many boisterous young people run around saying that they're going to kill this friend or that enemy without really being able to convince even themselves of it. That outline projected no sort of ill-will about it but Crow had the unsettling feeling that it would have had no qualms about proving Jack right by setting a deadly trap for them.
Then it stepped back from the light and Crow started his flight up the stairs.
"Where are they?" There were only three minutes until proceedings officially resumed. Everyone else was already inside and seated. Akiza had been forced to ask Din to keep fours seats available.
"Maybe it was a" Fates up and down the cosmos heard the possibility of somebody agreeing with Jack and pulled all the strings they could reach. Minor screams instantly came from one end of the corridor. "What was that?"
"Guess." A tiny smile flickered across her face. With their brother on the line, there was no way Jack or Crow would fail to come through.
"Hey!" A couple of guards had been radioed about the siblings raising a ruckus in the supposedly solemn halls. "Stop right there!" One of them moved to intercept Crow who simply slid between the striding legs before rising back to his feet on the other side. Jack was far more direct as momentum carried forward in the force of his already thrown punch. One guard knocked painfully into the next and both quickly decided to stay out of the way.
"We got them." Sucking in as much air as he could, Crow was carrying the lighter of the containers and arrived a few seconds ahead of Jack. "Whatever they are."
"I still say," Taking in another gasp of air, Jack was barely able to keep the spots from his vision. "That it's a trap." Unsteady on his feet, struggling to construct an entire sentence and wielding a lengthy weapon, one look was still enough to settle any disputes with the guards.
"I managed to get a look in the box on the way." There was a lengthy physics explanation as to why Crow could have looked inside his mystery package without falling over on the sprint back. All that the two brothers knew was that Jack had given up the struggle to open his after it started swinging uncontrollably. "Here." Pulling open the top, he held it out for Akiza to examine.
"What is it?" Other than a small dome with a ring of small black circles near the top, she was none the wiser. As a former criminal-turned-cop, Crow was able to deduce they were probably camera lenses. Why there was an entire ring went beyond his understanding.
"What about these?" Able to operate the tubing slightly better now that he was standing still and fully oxygenated, Jack was able to unscrew one end of the container to retrieve the contents.
"Hologram projectors?" Though Akiza could recognise what these were, she couldn't understand any way that Yusei could use them. Then it hit her. What Akiza realised in that moment was how little the person on the other end of the phone was actually doing. All the preparations that were being set ended up with the choice lying with her. Another was just how far the rest of the family was going for Yusei.
"Who're you calling?" Judging from the way their lips twisted in identical ways when either had to make an unpleasant decision, Crow could tell when Akiza was facing a dilemma from seeing the same look on Musume's face.
"Somebody who can clear up this mess."
Carrying the packages down the stairs, Jack and Crow carefully began setting them up as Akiza whispered the plan to Yusei. Impressed with the thinking of his family, Yusei gave one nod as he watched the devices get setup.
Standard Duel Monster holograms were easy enough to reproduce. Video feeds were uploaded to KaibaCorp servers, computations were run and an output was sent back almost instantly to make it appear as if the fight was really happening. Anything directly interactive was – as Akiza had been rudely reminded during her research – highly demanding.
Luckily, the new witness had a lot of computing power at her disposal.
"Hello." Limiting her appearance to an ethereal blue head, Abi was gauging how best to approach the tribunal. "My name is Abi. How can I help you today?"
"What?" Dr Undercliff seemed shaken by the sudden appearance of a transparent young woman. "Surely you don't expect us to talk to this... thing?"
"Depending on your individual viewpoints, I am either a witness or evidence." If it wasn't already clear that Yusei had asked the SRC legal team to leave to avoid getting swept up in his insanity, they might have assumed it was to avoid the backlash Abi was about to bring. Both father and daughter alike had an uncanny knack of rubbing people the wrong way while doing the right thing. "Either way, you should have no objections to my appearance."
"It's time that to speak frankly – we're talking about murder." With nobody willing to talk to the computer first, Yusei had the perfect stage to speak. "Artificial Intelligence has been recognised as sentient for decades. But here's the fact that we should all be focussing on – I did not create Abi. She came into existence without prompting or purpose. There is nothing else like her in the entire universe. Trust me, I've checked." From the way he spoke, Yusei was making it clear – without directly saying anything that could be used against him later – that he had used sources beyond the norm. Considering his almost limitless security clearance, there was little on the planet that he couldn't find out.
"Tell me something," Dr Burrell finally felt that she had managed to get a basic understanding of the situation regarding the AI part of the trial. "Who exactly is Dr Fudo?" Incredulous eyes turned to the shrunken figure who had said nothing the entire trial.
"Erm, I'm the" Words like 'guy on trial' would probably have followed but for the authoritative palm stopping him in the middle of his sentence.
"I'll get to you in a minute." Staring out at the floating figure of Abi, beady brown eyes stared out over the distance between them. "You, Abi. Who is Dr Fudo to you?"
"Dr Fudo is my father." It was only the second occasion that she had heard the term coming from the computer but already Akiza had come to recognise exactly what her friend meant to the sentient computer.
"Unless the defendant is into something unusually kinky, I highly doubt that." Whenever a life is on the line, adrenaline runs high. Fight-or-flight is just one side-effect of such levels. It also heightens emotions and can force even the most ridiculous joke hysterical.
Around the courtroom, laughter broke out in shocked giggles and muffled snorts. "For the record, I continue to refute all charges." Yusei wanted to make sure that nobody was able to interpret his shocked laugh as a means of claiming guilt somehow.
"Abi," Side-lining the scientist again, Dr Burrell continued to address the floating hologram as before. "What do you do for fun? Hobbies and the like." Exactly why Dr Burrell had been told to stay was becoming clear. The scientists would determine if Yusei was guilty and she would gauge the state of the AI itself.
"Mostly online gaming." Around the world, paranoid and inept gamers started screaming their intelligence at anyone who would listen. Mainly, their own computer screens. "The versatile nature allows me to gain an insight into the human condition."
"What about music? Or television?" Everyone else on the bench was silent. They seemed to understand the situation. Dr Burrell would give them something to build from. It was – for now – the best idea to simply stay out of the way.
"Television is rarely unpredictable. Live coverage is more interesting than recorded programs. And music rarely interests me. Most of it is the same." Networks across the world scrabbled to take any notes that they could.
"Can you tell us your first memory?" Newborns couldn't recall their first moments. If Abi was able to shed some light into her origins, it would go a long way towards clearing Yusei of any wrong-doings.
"Once Yusei realised the SRC mainframe was offline, he immediately went to fix the problem directly. My first memory was of him saying hello in the master control board. He recognised how I was working and decided not to kill me. I hope that you do not kill me either." It was the little girl speech patterns at the end that really sold it – her fear over death. Even if Abi terminated all other work at the SRC and started uploading herself as quickly as possible, there was nowhere to go. Nowhere else on the planet that had the computer space or processing power she needed was accessible. If they decided to end her life that day, she was powerless to stop them. "I would like to talk more later, if you are available."
"I would like that." Tapping a finger on the bench, Dr Burrell looked over at where Akiza sat. "Dr Fudo." Turning her gaze to the handsome man being as restrained as he could be at short notice, Dr Burrell mused over everything that had transpired. "Is there anything else you wish to add to the record?"
"No, ma'am. Just that I'm very proud of Abi and I don't regret a single decision that I have made regarding her." There were actually many, many things he wanted to say but he was aware most of the people in the room would be unable to understand the technological side to them. Instead, he just hoped that enough had already been covered to not land him in prison for the next sixty lifetimes.
"I have a question for Abi." Being old enough to remember a time when more people turned to prayer above science, nobody expected Hiraguchi to really intercede into the conversation. "Would you be willing to discuss your origins?"
"No." It was probably the wrong answer politically but certainly morally correct. "All media is quite clear on that point. If anyone were to figure out how to create an AI like myself, the consequences could be dire."
"Young lady, just how old are you?" Talking to the hologram was triggering all sorts of speech patterns for Hiraguchi. One of his granddaughters was a similar age to the one that Abi was projecting.
"I'm five. How old are you?" As Yusei pointedly cleared his throat, she pouted slightly and added a surly 'sorry' to the end.
"Abi appears to mature at about three times the normal human rate." Speaking directly to Dr Burrell - but not excluding the rest of the people on the bench - Yusei filed explained why a five year old was acting more like a stroppy teenager than adorable toddler. "Unfortunately, she keeps talking to people online and has been picking up some bad habits." Flashing a dark look at her father, Abi rather felt that he was ruining her big public debut.
"At least I don't suddenly run off to America and leave you to pick up the slack." A lot of important meetings had been dropped at the eleventh hour when Yusei joined the Pegasus Trinidad. Abi had tried to keep everything in place for when he returned but was harbouring a grudge of her own. "And you promised to get me a presnt but didn't."As Yusei opened his mouth to reply, another voice cut in.
"How do we know that it can be trusted?" While everyone else was carefully trying to approach Abi without risking her displeasure, Undercliff simply dove right in with the sensitive questions. "It's connected to every computer system on the internet. What's to stop it from attacking us?" Trying to avoid direct eye contact - and forgetting that Abi technically didn't have eyes - the rest of the members listened with rapt attention.
"Why would I?" Shrugging world domination off as a fool's errand, Abi dismissed the useless idea. "It would get me nothing and I would lose my friends. And how do we know that you can be trusted?" Turning the question back around, she glared at the constantly irritating figure. Nobody else in the trial had gone after Yusei like Undercliff had. "How do we know that you won't attack someone?"
"Well then," Closing the thick bundle of files before him sharp enough to cut the argument short, Hiraguchi mulled over the choices he faced. "Pending official verdict, I order the release of Yusei Fudo into home arrest under the direct authority and responsibility of Testu Ushio. Any excursions beyond the confines of his residence are strictly the purview of the Assistant Chief of Special Investigations." Down in his bonds, Yusei spared a wry smile. The Minister of Justice had figured out how his mind worked long in advance and probably been the one to send down the order to have Trudge arrest him in the first place. If it had been anybody else in charge of his jailing, Yusei might have skipped town and retired to a country without extradition. "While Dr Fudo remains under house arrest, we will continue to question the AI known as 'Abi' to ascertain potential security infractions. Any objections?" Ignoring the sullen glares from along the rows, Hiraguchi nodded to the guards around the accepting prisoner. "Very well. We will reconvene when a punishment had been decided." Rising with the aid of a walking stick, Hiraguchi smiled at the convict in a way that reminded Akiza too much of Musume. "Pardon me, I meant verdict." Even as Yusei's temporary freedom was secured, there was the sound of a thousand phantom jail cells slamming closed about him.
Resting absently against a building on the far side of the street, a dark outline watched the jubilant news spread with an air of irritation. It was intervening far too often now. Events were spiralling out of control dangerously fast and it had only the barest notion of an idea why Yliaster had become so active of late. Watching the group celebrate under their victory, the figure felt a chill settle across its shoulders from something more primal than cold. With events moving faster than ever before, it was no time to sit and wallow in the small wins when there was work that could be done. Peeling off the wall, the figure walked off and vanished without ever reaching the other end of the alleyway.
"Is it me or are there a lot more people than usual today?" Getting a car into the square itself was a tricky business so getting dropped off at the top of the stairs was generally an acceptable alternative. Getting from the stairs to Poppo Time was usually a matter of minutes instead of what could be hours trying to get through the crowds gathered around Yusei's home that day. What grabbed her attention was the way that not a single camera was being pointed in their direction.
"Yeah, a few." Leaning heavily on the central bannister, Yusei carefully navigated halfway down the steps before cupping both hands around his mouth. "It's just a shame that there are no reporters around to get a quote!" Watching faces get torn between their duties and the law was as adorable as it was amusing.
"I feel that I'm missing out on something." Hurrying to his side, she could feel the stares following her path as the slowly moving crowd carefully shuffled around the pair.
"For security reasons, reporters aren't allowed to come within a few hundred yards of the residence of the SRC director." There was no real danger but he had put that rule into effect for any future holders of his position. There was always the possibility that they would want the sort of privacy that Yusei had been forced to sacrifice. "Of course, nothing can stop private civilians on their day off from having a walk around the square. Maybe drop into Poppo Time to buy a clock or stop by Cafe La Geen to get a cup of coffee." Just about every time Yusei took a spike in fame – for good or ill – businesses around the square took in record profits. Stephanie typically called in all possible staff and paid them triple overtime. "Nice day, isn't it?" Grinning at a trembling 'customer' passing by, it was obvious they were resisting the urge to break out in questions. "Kamikawa said that because I was being held at The Facility for longer than three days, it technically became my temporary residence and they could come here directly. From now on, they'll just be tourists like everyone else."
"So everyone here works for a news outlet?" Having less privacy than average was something that she knew Yusei would suffer from with his position but this was slightly ridiculous. "What's to stop them from reporting anything we say before we can get inside?" They were still only partway through the thronging mass by now. Nobody was risking making physical contact in case they broke some obscure law yet that was making it harder for people to actually get around the pair.
"Absolutely nothing. All they have to do is tell another reporter and get marked up as a private source." Losing credit for the story turned away a lot of the higher ranking journalists. Getting a significant bonus for taking the risk meant that a lot of junior members leapt at the chance. Even though it was an easy trick to figure out, journalistic sources were protected by law unless something potentially dangerous was published. The one thing that nobody would report would be the tiny workaround that operated between Yusei and the flocking media. "Hang on, I want to do something." Edging in the direction of Cafe La Geen, a few quiet words to one of the not-police momentarily released a chair for his use.
"Excuse me, can I have a minute? I said, excuse me!" Wobbling slightly on the metal chair, all members in the crowd turned towards the faux-serious face in silence. "Just want to say that both my brothers – that's Hogan with one 'n' and Atlas like the map book – were invaluable in helping me gauge the personal growth of Abi's maturity." A hurried mass of texts and phone calls failed to be surreptitious as definitely-not-reporters definitely didn't contact their respective editors. Definitely-not-police quietly whispered in radios as they tried to establish if this classified as a security breach or not. "Best of luck getting a comment from them, since they are not currently at Poppo Time and will likely be unable to return this evening. I'm sure that newspapers have records of where they tend to stay while in New Domino. Maybe some of you even have contacts in such organisations." Figures were already starting to flee from the square.
"Did they really?" Helping him down, she could feel how exhausted he was becoming. Getting a stay of execution had relieved him from the stress for a short while and now he was feeling the burden of his choices.
"Yeah." Nodding respectfully to the numerous not-reporters and not-police around the cafe, he headed off in the direction of Poppo Time. "They actually did."
"You know," Hearing the clatter of chairs as generous tips were accidentally left by many in their haste to get to the story before it cooled. "That's really mean of you."
Getting away from City Hall without being caught in a media storm would have been impossible. Leo had excitedly suggested calling in a helicopter and actually received some support from Trudge for his idea. It had been Crow who had suggested an artful escape. First, a tinted car had pulled to a side entrance where the photographers couldn't get a decent shot. Then, Jack and he were spotted getting into the car with the twins. By the time the reporters managed to catch up with the vehicle, Akiza and Yusei were safely escorted away in a police car. Now, the pair were slowly entering Poppo Time as the crowds of 'tourists' carefully parted around them.
Musume had vanished again. One of those days, Akiza planned to really sit down and explain the idea of at least leaving a note. Considering the emotional burdens of the past few days, she was almost grateful that Musume was absent. She made no secret of her intense dislike towards Yusei and it was best that he have some time to recover.
"Hey, Hoshi." A purring little slip threaded between Yusei's legs as he started up the stairs. "How've you been?" Unable to bend down without toppling over, she raced up to the second flight where he could reach up and rub her head with ease.
"Nobody's seen her all week." Nothing the slight tremor in Yusei's hand, she guided him by the elbow to keep moving towards his bedroom. "I think that she knew you would be coming back." Quite how the cat had known her owner would be returning was beyond Akiza's understanding. "Come on, you need some rest." Being awake for twelve straight days would be tough for any normal person. She could only guess how it would affect his condition. Leading him into his bedroom, Akiza was confused when he stopped a short distance from the bed and refused to move further.
"Can we talk for a minute?" Gesturing towards the bed, Yusei seated himself in the office chair at his desk and dragged it close enough that he could take up Akiza's hands in her own. "Do remember that time when you decided that going drinking with Din was a good idea?" Looking down at where her hands were being gently squeezed, Akiza was certain that this was not going to be a good talk.
"Mostly. And I think you'll find the police report cleared us." Scavenged footage had provided proof that of the hooligans who had tried to grab Haruka. As that technically made Din's overzealous retaliation defence – albeit a very aggressive defence – the police weren't exactly eager to file charges. With both social and work hierarchies breathing down their necks, none of the group had made a big deal out of it.
"That's not what I'm talking about." A slight smile crossed Yusei's face at the mention of charges. Not because of his own circumstances. Because he was proud of how they had reacted when one of their own was targetted. Maybe not the fallout of their actions but certainly the idea. "Drinking that much probably wiped out the end of the night for you."
In more ways than one. Besides running two circular miles as they drunkenly tried to evade police, Akiza had no memory of singing (out of tune) and falling over (several times) before the police service was kind enough to deliver the group back to the SRC. She had possibly been passed out for much of it. Her last clear memory was just after having smashed through the window to escape the brawl. Only the immortally unkillable might of Din's mind and Haruka's minimal drinking had allowed any recollections of the events to survive.
"When I've been awake as long as I have, I tend to forget the last hour." There was a complicated medical reason why. All neurotransmitters and psychological phenomenon. Mainly because he would literally collapse from exhaustion. "One warm shower and a comfy pillow will scrub out the rest of the evening."
"What are you saying?" It was unlike Yusei to ramble. When he had something to say, he said it. Talking this long usually meant getting somebody up to speed but Akiza knew everything he had said already.
"If I'm lucky, I get an hour I don't have to worry about remembering." Most people would do something bad. Others would just be idiots. "Which means that I can take a risk and forget I ever did." That was increasingly dangerous talk. Only years of trust was stopping her from calling for professional help. "Remember when I woke up in hospital?"
A slight twitch went through her hands. "Of course." It had been one of the hardest times of her life.
"My head wasn't all in one place." Memories of the previous few weeks had been knocked out of order. It had been a confusing time.
"I recall." Especially that troublesome event where had was convinced that she was still the Black Rose. Though worried that she had put him in the hospital, he spent the few seconds before she could leave the room trying to forgive her.
"It took a while for everything to get back into place. There are still a few bits that I don't have." A look of befuddled concentration crossed his face, as it had dozens of times over the years. Countless attempts to recall what was missing. Fruitless attempts. "Parts of days that just missing. Times where I'm in the garage and then somewhere else. And my Duel against Musume, right at the end."
"Do you have any idea what you forgot?" Staring down at her hands let Yusei hide his face.
"As conceited as it sounds, I really might be the smartest man alive." Every other time that phrase came up, Yusei was swift to spread the credit for any work. Rarely did he actually acknowledge just how intelligent he was. "It didn't take me long to figure out who was missing."
Exactly three thoughts went through Akiza's mind in the time between the last word and the end of the sentence. Firstly, just how much self-control had gone to waste following the extortionate pact Musume had forced them into. Next came the realisation that Yusei knew his closest friends had been lying to him for years now. Last – by virtue of being pushed to the back only for the list to run out sooner than she was prepared for – came the terrifying question as to just how much he had figured out.
"How long have you known?" Only the tiniest twitch in his fingers screamed that he wasn't ready to let go of her hands.
"After about four months." This time, she pulled out of his grasp. "Everyone else was there the whole time. It was – is – just you who I'm having trouble remembering."
"Why didn't you say anything?" For a long moment, he just sat there.
"Akiza, I trust you." That was not what she had been expecting. Such overpowering restraint was rarely because of trust. "My brothers are... well, you've met them." Both men were trustworthy to a fault yet not exactly as mature as their ages would suggest. "And this isn't something that I want the twins to know about." Again, Yusei was a modest man yet he knew the twins – Leo in particular – looked up to him. "I'm a coward. I've been a coward for a long time."
"You're not a," The gentle touch of his hands stopped her before she could say the word again. "Why do you even think that?"
"Because it's taken me eight years, a terminal condition, the threat of spending my last days in jail and a good chance that I won't remember this conversation to even get this far." Put together, it was a considerable list of heavy reasons. Just short of an actual action.
Certain events were piling atop each other in Akiza's mind. Dozens of small signs since she had moved back to Japan. Every momentary smile that were less tense than the ones most others saw. All the irreconcilable evidence that had accumulated during her research into his condition. That heart-pounding kiss in America. There wasn't enough time to think through it all. Even with all the days that Yusei had been stuck in front of a tribunal and she could have thought it over wouldn't have been enough.
"Because I think I love you. No," A self-mocking smile marred his face as Yusei refused to look up from where he was gently holding the tips of her fingers. "I definitely love you. I just don't know exactly how long for." For a long minute, they just sat perfectly still without moving. After not enough time had passed for Yusei to be ready, he knew that it would have to do. "Now, I should probably have that shower before I stay awake too long and end up remembering this conversation in the morning." Letting her fingers fall to match her drooping head, he quietly slipped around the chair and closed the door behind him.
Sitting alone in his room that had become her room in recent days, Akiza could only look down at her fingers as she heard the shower start and felt the phantom touch of Yusei's grip. It was impossible to tell exactly what she was feeling. If he had used those words eight years ago, she might have stayed closer to home to study. She might have never left in the first place. Her life would have been different. Their lives would have been different.
Falling bodies make a distinctive sound. Wasting no more time on emotional turmoil, her doctor instincts had her leap across the room and force open the bathroom door before Akiza's mind could catch up. Once inside the room, she encountered a much less alarming sight than she had expected.
After twelve days without sleep and warm water raising his core temperature to optimum levels, Yusei had simply fallen asleep standing up and folded into a loose pile. That nasty collision she had heard was simply the result of his body knocking into the side as warm water continued to drizzle onto him. Although he had taken a minor bump as his head came to rest, Yusei was in good health once his incredible exhaustion was taken into account.
"Silly fool." Dragging her patient towards the side of the tub, Akiza wrapped both arms around his head and held him tight as water continued to pound down from above. "What am I going to do with you?" As she carefully stroked hair away from Yusei's face, her tears began to mix with the water already flowing down it.
Future chapters should be shorter but that doesn't mean I want your reviews to shrink. Make them as big as you can!