A/N: After this, no more italicized flashback hell for a while, I promise.

Also, this story is in the process of being cross-posted on AO3 as well.

Chapter 5

"I'd Do Anything"

As Jaden waited for me to tell him all about how the supernatural affliction that plagued me for over half my life had somehow magically been dealt with, I was secretly glad he was being unusually patient today, as opposed to his regular excitable self.

"Now, before I tell you what happened, I just want to make it clear that I'm perfectly fine and you have absolutely nothing to worry about," I said after what felt like a long moment of silence. While I was attempting to sound reassuring, starting things off in that particular way didn't seem to have the intended effect, if the unmistakable flicker of concern that momentarily flashed through Jaden's eyes was anything to go by.

"Well, when you say things like that, it's kinda hard not to worry," he retorted, cringing slightly, but then shook his head as if to dispel whatever thoughts were going through it. "But I guess the fact that you're here in one piece and not in some hospital's ICU or worse right now counts for something, at least."

"Yes, exactly!" I let out a nervous laugh as I nodded. "Please just remember to keep that in mind, okay?"

Although it would be so much easier to simply gloss over everything, or just lie about the things I went through, I knew I didn't have the heart to keep any more secrets from my brother. And so, with one last deep breath, I finally stopped stalling and got on with the story…

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"I'm home…" I pointlessly declared to no one after stepping into my empty house. The evening sun had broken through the heavy clouds and was shining through the windows, giving the living room a surreal amber glow. Normally, I would have said it looked beautiful, but right now it just depressed me more than anything, seeing how there was no one around to share it with at the moment.

With a sigh, I kicked off my boots and slipped out of my coat, leaving them by the front door before heading into the kitchen. Once there, I plopped down the bag that held the container of miso soup I had bought at a nearby diner, and then just proceeded to stare down at it with a frown on my face.

Despite the fact that it had been at least three days since I had bothered to properly eat anything, I still didn't really feel all that up to the task… As of late, all food had seemed to have lost its flavor, and my stomach was probably just going to make me throw it back up later anyway, so what was the point of even trying anymore?

Because you know your family would be so disappointed if they found out that you weren't taking care of yourself, a voice in the back of my sleep-deprived mind supplied as I closed my eyes to face the endless void behind them. Do you want everyone to find out how hopelessly pathetic you really are?

I grimaced further at that, but my frustration quickly turned into sickening horror when I opened my eyes again and suddenly realized how insanely dark the room had gotten and noticed the wisps of black and purple energy seeping from my hands.

"N-no! Go away! Please, please go away!" I cried, huddling on the kitchen floor as I attempted to get ahold of myself and rein in my emotions. It took several breaths that were more akin to hyperventilation, but I eventually calmed down enough to where the miasma gradually began to dissipate as my body stopped releasing any more darkness.

Still on the ground, I leaned against the kitchen island and buried my face in my hands.

Dear God, I really was pathetic, wasn't I? My brother had only been gone a few months, and in just that short amount of time, I had somehow managed to spiral into what felt like an all-time low.

Besides being unable to get a restful sleep or concentrate, and hardly being able to keep any food down, my powers seemed like they were becoming increasingly erratic as each day passed.

Just why, though? I know Jaden and I had never really been separated until now, but I didn't think that it would hurt this much, or that I'd practically be falling apart at the seams, just because I was a little lonely.

I mean, I wasn't even technically by myself. Sure, Jaden was currently living it up at Duel Academy, my parents still hadn't been home in almost a month due to their work, and Akame and Red were away doing who-knows-what in the Spirit World going on five days now, but I had the other dragon spirits in my deck to keep me company, at least, even though they typically weren't much for deep conversation…

As if on cue, the ethereal form of a silver-scaled dragon appeared at my side in a vaporous cloud that gave off the faint scent of ozone as he flapped his shimmering wings. Compared to most of my other dragon friends, he was on the smaller side, being only roughly the size of an average labrador. He looked at me, gray eyes reflecting concern.

"Hey there, Silver," I greeted him with a ghost of a smile, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'll be okay, so don't you worry…"

Reaching out, I laid my palm atop his head and immediately felt its warmth as whatever so-called "magic" I possessed fully manifested my little friend in the room with me.

Normally I avoided doing such things, not only because conjuring up spirits outside of Duels never went over well while in the presence of most other people, but also since it could get pretty taxing on my life force if I kept it up for too long... However, I currently didn't care about any of that, because right now, I just really wanted to hug something warm and alive. Luckily, Silver was more than willing to let me pet and hold him to my lonely heart's content, until my exhaustion finally caught up with me and I dozed off right there on the cold tile floor.

"Oh, treasure, are you alright? I know you're usually able to fall asleep just about anywhere, but even this is a bit much…"

I'm not sure how long I was sleeping, but, as my eyes blinked open, I realized that it was apparently long enough for the sun to have completely set and the almost-full moon to rise and shine through the kitchen window, casting the otherwise dark room in an ethereal light. But none of that mattered right now, because hearing that voice could only mean one thing.

"Akame, Red! You're back!" I exclaimed in excitement when I saw that they were really there, scrambling to my knees in an instant. "Welcome home!"

Since Silver had been acting as my designated emotional support dragon and still hadn't left my side, he was there to greet our friends as well, clearly happy to see the two of them.

"Thanks! It's really great to be back," Akame said with a smile as she gave Silver an affectionate head pat. She then turned to look back at me and her joyous countenance only seemed to get brighter. "After all, Red and I missed you so much, Shion; you don't even know!"

Red voiced his agreement with a happy growl that sounded more like purring.

"I really missed you, too, even though you were only gone for less than a week…"

"Well, while it was only five days here, since time passes a lot differently in the Spirit World, it's more like we were away for five whole months!" Akame exclaimed, touching her forehead with the back of her hand and pretending to nearly swoon for added dramatic effect.

My eyes went wide. "Oh! What were the two of you doing there, anyway? Some important clan leader business, or something?"

"No, not this time, thank goodness," she answered with a shake of her head. "I'll get to that in just a minute—it's a really great surprise! But first I'd like to know why you were passed out on the kitchen floor just now, young lady. You didn't try cooking again, did you?"

"Of course not. Because of the whole 'Omurice Incident', Dad still has both Mom and me banned from using anything in his precious kitchen aside from the microwave, remember?" I griped under a sigh.

"Haha, yeah, I recall…" she admitted, chuckling at the memory. "Asahi sure was pissed! Those firefighters we got to see on that day were really hot, though, weren't they~?"

I simply gave a deadpanned 'uh-huh' to humor her before continuing on with what I wanted to say. "And anyway, I wasn't actually 'passed out' here. I was just… really tired today…"

Akame gave me a sympathetic look as she fully saw me at that moment, her incorporeal hand reaching out and attempting to brush through my hair as her voice took on a softer tone. "Things have still been pretty hard for you lately, haven't they?"

I slowly nodded in response, knowing there was no point in trying to lie to her by even attempting to deny it, especially when I probably looked like death warmed over right now.

"Hey, it's okay, treasure," my friend soothed with a reassuring smile. "I know things seem dark now, but they're about to get better real soon!"

"What makes you so sure?" I muttered, wondering where she always got all that optimism and confidence from.

"Well, because you know that surprise I mentioned before? It's something that's going to help finally manage that power of yours!"

"H-huh? Really?!" I stuttered in shock, not sure if such a thing could be true. But I knew Akame would never lie to me, so then… "What did you find that can do something like that?"

"One of the strongest, most advanced power sealing spells out there," she enthusiastically divulged. "Seeing how much you were struggling lately motivated me even more to look for it!Although it took a long while to find and then translate the scroll that contained the spell, once I did, I studied it extensively with Master Ahmar and trained so, so hard with him and Red so I'd be strong enough to cast it."

"Oh, wow… You did all that, just to try to help me?" I asked, touched that she would go through all that trouble for my sake.

"Of course! You know I'd do anything for you, my precious little gem~" Akame cooed, scarlet irises shining with love.

I blushed at that, easily embarrassed by her material-like affection, though it was in a good way, at least. "Y-yeah… So, you really think this seal will help, then?"

"I do!" she affirmed with a confident nod. "Since that darkness is intrinsically bound to your soul, it's unfortunately not possible to do anything to extract it without the process killing you, which is why magically-reinforced containment is our best option. It'll still be there, but at least it will be much more manageable with the seal helping to regulate it."

Akame apprehensively bit her bottom lip a little as she added, "Although… The only bad thing is that the seal needs to be placed on your body in order for it to work, which is sure to be painful…"

"Well, if it means not having to constantly worry about potentially hurting anyone I come in contact with, I don't care about that. I'm still all for it!" I declared, my mind made up. This finally gave me the motivation to pick myself off the floor and get back on my feet. "When can we start?"

"Heh, somehow I knew you'd say that," my friend said with a smirk and a small shake of her head. "As for when… Since a celestial event would give us even more energy for the spell that would help lessen the time needed to complete it, the night of the blood moon would be perfect! And because my timing's amazing, that's just two short nights from now."

I felt my face light up, too. "Oh, that's fantastic! I can't wait!"

"I hope n-n-none of the neighbors look into the ba-backyard and think that we're hol-holding some kind of satanic rit-ritual out here or som-something…" I fretted aloud, teeth chattering violently from the cold while I stared down at the intricate hexagram-shaped pattern Akame had just finished etching into the snow-covered ground. I couldn't help but notice how much it resembled what was depicted on the Spellbinding Circle Trap Card, only bigger and even more elaborate.

In any event, it sure was fortunate that on the night we were doing the sealing spell, the snow had stopped falling and the sky cleared up enough to be able to see the moon clearly… Though it was still absolutely freezing, honestly. Even pressed firmly against the side of Red's pleasantly warm body, I couldn't help but shiver.

"If they did, I think they'd be too distracted looking at our friend here more than anything, and who could ever believe that this sweetheart was a demon?" Akame laughed as she lovingly cuddled into the dragon's unoccupied flank while he let out a pleased growl.

Since the complete lunar eclipse was drawing near, I had used my power to materialize the both of them in advance to give them enough time to get ready with whatever it was they needed to do. While they were often with me in spirit, it was really nice to have them actually here with me like this as well. The feeling of their hearts beating alongside mine was comforting and helped me to endure the strain currently being exerted on my soul from having to sustain the two of them at once.

"It's time!" Akame's sudden announcement pulled me away from my thoughts.

Looking up to the inky-black sky, I saw that the moon was now completely shrouded in Earth's shadow, its usual silvery glow replaced with a copper-red appearance. How pretty…

"Are you ready, Shion?"

"Yes," I replied, forcing my voice to be steady despite the biting cold and my growing anticipation making the rest of me shudder all over.

"Great! But first…" In one swift motion, Akame wrapped her arms around me in a warm embrace. Oh. Hm… Well, that certainly did the trick when it came to steadying my quivering body, I realized as I leaned further into her touch. Although her bear hug didn't leave room for much arm movement, I still did my best to reciprocate the comforting gesture.

Apparently wanting to show his love and support as well, Red covered my face in rough yet sweet dragon kisses the moment Akame had released me from her grasp, which sent my ticklish self into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

"She doesn't need a bath, buddy! C'mere," Akame chuckled as she managed to get her familiar to finally let up on his slobber-filled assault by beckoning him back over to her. To me, she then gestured towards the middle of the large sigil on the ground and said, "Now then, go ahead and step into the center of the circle, please."

"Right!" I wiped my face clean and immediately did as I was told, careful not to step on any of the lines on my way over.

Meanwhile, Akame turned to Red and gave the top of his muzzle a few affectionate strokes. "Okay, my friend, let's do this!"

The dragon roared in response, rising up to his full height and stretching out his wings before he was surrounded by a glowing red aura. The light grew more intense until it engulfed his entire being and converted him into pure draconic energy.

Akame closed her eyes and smiled as the energy swirled around her before flying into the center of her chest. The incorporation of Red's spirit within her own caused her whole body to emit a deep scarlet radiance as it suddenly underwent a magical metamorphosis.

When the brightness died down a few moments later, Akame, while still recognizable to me, now looked quite different.

For starters, the outfit she wore was much more revealing than her usual attire, consisting of black bikini shorts and a tight, sleeveless black halter-turtleneck crop top that showed off the undersides of her breasts and had a vertical keyhole opening at the chest area that exposed her sternum and a ruby red diamond-shaped jewel now embedded within it. She also had on long, open black detached sleeves that revealed her hands and shoulders, and two black belts decorated with red gems that hung loosely from her hips in crisscrossed fashion.

The biggest changes, however, were the ones to her anatomy. The pupils of her eyes had become vertical slits, and she possessed longer hair that now reached her thighs and seemed more wild over all. Due to her fusion with Red, she also now had two long, backward-pointing horns atop her head, a pair of large draconic wings jutting from her back, as well as powerful dragon legs from the knees down, and a long, sinuous tail, all of which were black in color, naturally.

Though her appearance might have changed some, the amiable smile she gave me was the same as ever, even with the enlarged, sharp-looking canines she was currently sporting.

"We're going to start now," she said, gazing at me with gleaming dragon eyes. "Remember to stay strong, dear gem."

I nodded, mentally preparing myself for what was about to happen next.

With a look of deep concentration, Akame raised her right hand as it and the jewel in the center of her chest began to glow a vivid scarlet.

Not a moment later, the base of the sigil I was standing in the middle of was magically lit with a red flame. The ember started out small, but quickly grew in brightness and intensity as it started to travel down the complex lines that made up the seal's design, setting them ablaze in its wake.

During that same moment is when I began to feel an odd sensation on my bare right shoulder. Like the flame, it was faint, at first, but rapidly evolved into an intense burning within seconds. I vaguely registered the stinging pinpricks of tears forming at the corners of my eyes, but I was much too focused on the excruciating feeling of what felt like an invisible white-hot blade carving up my flesh in a pattern identical to the path the magic fire around me was taking at an almost-unbearably slow pace.

As the pain continued to grow, I really did my best to keep it together, but I could feel that dark aura emanate from my body in the form of wispy tendrils as it began trying to lash out at everything and anything around me on instinct. Luckily, Akame wasn't in danger, though, as the living shadows weren't able to get past the sigil's borders, getting bounced back as if they were meeting an invisible force field. With nowhere else to go, the darkness violently retreated back inside of me, which really hurt, yet I was miraculously able to hold back a scream by forcibly biting my bottom lip and digging my nails into my palms, hard enough to the point where I accidentally ended up drawing blood from both.

"H-hang in there for just a little while longer, Shion!" Akame called out to me, her voice noticeably strained from the amount of energy she was currently exerting as she focused on completing the spell. "We're… We're almost there!"

That was certainly good to know, because I found that I could no longer hold back my tears, the intense burning in my shoulder having now spread throughout my entire body as the scarlet flames around me seemed to blaze brighter.

After a few more agonizing heartbeats, the light around me grew to be blinding, forcing me to tightly shut my eyes as all of my other senses suddenly went numb.

Once again, I couldn't tell for how long I was out, exactly, but when I finally regained consciousness, it was to the sound of soft murmurings and the feeling of a throbbing ache radiating from my head and right shoulder as the unpleasant scent of scorched grass and dirt irritated my nostrils.

With a groan, I carefully managed to lift my upper body off the ground, though the lightheadedness I got from doing so made sure I wouldn't try standing just yet.

"Phew, I'm glad you woke up so quickly," came Akame's sigh of relief. I turned my attention towards the direction of her voice and found that she and Red were sitting next to me, back to their regular selves and in spirit form. "I wish I could have stayed corporeal long enough to at least take you back inside the house, but casting that spell totally drained my magic and the extra energy you and Red were able to share with me…"

"Oh, that's okay!" I was quick to reassure her. "I know that you gave it your all to help me, so thank you!"

"Aww! You're always so sweet~" Akame practically gushed. "But anyway, how are you feeling, treasure?"

"I'm okay, I think, even though my shoulder still hurts…" I turned to look down at my upper arm and immediately winced at the sight. Like a stigma, seared into the flesh was a mark identical to the magic circle I was still laying in the middle of, looking angry and inflamed. It was a good thing I bought a number of antibiotic ointments and bandages in preparation for this, but still, ouch…

Akame followed my line of sight and gave me an empathetic look. "I'm really sorry the sealing process hurt you, Shion, but I'm so very proud of you for taking it as well as you did."

"Well, you had already warned me that it would be painful, so it's not like I didn't know what I was signing myself up for," I pointed out. "And having this thing on me means that what you did must have worked, right?"

She nodded confidently, her smile returning. "Yes! I can clearly sense that the dark energy within your soul has been quelled to a significant degree. Do you feel any different?"

Well, now that she mentioned it, ignoring the physical soreness, I actually did feel a little lighter somehow. It was almost like a weight that had been bogging down my heart for so long had finally been lifted and I could actually breathe easier for the first time in forever. It was kind of hard to put into words, but I still did my best to convey as much as I could to my friend.

Akame's eyes sparkled with joy. "Oh, that's great to hear!"

"Y-yeah," I agreed, voice breaking and my vision getting slightly misty from the tears of relief that were threatening to fall. While I usually never liked to get my hopes up too high, part of me couldn't help but think that maybe this could finally be the start of the normal life I had always dreamed of. At the very least, it would be nice to be able to be around other people without the fear of putting them in danger, especially if it meant I could get close to my brother again.

But before I gave that any more serious thought, the first thing I needed to do right now was get out of the cold, and then treat and wrap up my arm as soon as possible.

Finally being able to pick myself up and get back on my feet, I immediately noticed from my new perspective that the magical fire from earlier had not only melted most of the snow in the backyard, but also left several scorch marks in the grass and dirt, forming the same pattern as Akame's seal. I grimaced, knowing that was definitely going to need to somehow be fixed before my parents got home… Though that was a problem for tomorrow, I decided. With that, I began the short walk back to the house, letting Akame chat my ear off about all the wonderful things she was sure the future would hold for me.

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"Oh man, Shion…" Jaden muttered with a solemn expression after taking a minute to process all that I told him. "Why did you wait so long to talk about this?"

"Because nothing good would have come from it," I replied, getting up from the bed and turning my gaze to the carpeted floor so I wouldn't have to look him in the eyes. "You were all the way here and happy, and I didn't want to risk my problems getting in the way of that. You deserve to be happy, Jaden."

"So do you, though," he argued back as he got up too and put his hands on my shoulders so I'd face him, which worked, though I ended up involuntarily flinching from the unexpected pressure applied to my right arm. This didn't go unnoticed by my brother, unfortunately, who then immediately let go. Crap.

"J–"

"Let me see?" Jaden got out before I even had a chance to try writing my reaction off as nothing. While his inflection certainly made it sound like a request, we both knew better…

With a sigh of defeat, I carefully removed my outer dress and undid the top of my blouse just enough to freely expose my shoulders so I could unwrap the bandages covering the right one.

Jaden's eyes visibly widened when he got a look at the sigil I had willingly allowed to be burned into my skin.

"I-it's not as bad as it may look, really," I insisted, hoping he wouldn't try making a big deal out of all this. Honestly, I had already gotten enough of that from Mom and Dad, thanks. But mostly, I just really hated seeing him upset over anything. "Akame even helped to heal what she could… It's just still a little sensitive to the touch right now, that's all. And like I said, it has been working so far with repressing the darkness in me and keeping it from going out of control like it used to."

"And that's great and all, but for you to have to resort to…that," he said as he made a sharp hand motion in the direction of my scarred arm. "It's just…" His voice trailed off after that, the right words apparently eluding him.

"Big brother, it's fine – I'm fine," I averred softly, covering my arms back up before taking his still extended hand with both of my own and giving it a firm squeeze. "Truth be told, I would have endured much worse if it meant I could still be where I am right now, because getting to be here with you… that's what makes me happy."

Embarrassed by my own words, I hastily let go of his hand and turned away again in an attempt to hide my face.

"Um, o-of course, I'm not looking to monopolize all of your time or anything," I stammered out. "I know you have your own life here and many new friends you'd probably rather hang out with, and that's completely okay! I promise I won't get in the way of any of that."

"Shion, you don't have to worry about 'getting in the way'," Jaden immediately reassured me. "I get that there are probably some things you still need to work through, but I just want you to know that I'm totally here for you."

I couldn't help but smile at that. "Thank you, Jaden. That really means a lot to me. Just one other thing, though…"

"Yeah?"

"Well, from how they acted around me, I'm guessing you haven't told your friends everything about me and what I can do…right? If it's okay, can we please keep it that way?" I requested. "Since no one really knows me here, it would be nice to not have to worry about people being afraid of me… I just really want to be normal, for once."

"Relax, sis. I haven't told anybody and I wasn't planning to. If you ever feel comfortable enough to share that part of yourself with anyone, when will be completely up to you," he promised.

I let out a relieved sigh, glad that he was so understanding. "Thanks again. You really are the best, big brother!"

"Sure thing," Jaden replied with a grin. "Although, if there's one thing I don't get, it's why you seem to want to settle for just being 'normal'…"

"Huh? What's wrong with that?" I inquired, wondering what he was trying to get at.

"It's just totally overrated, you know?" was his reply, as though the answer was obvious. "And like that one bird lady said, 'if you're always trying to be normal, you'll never know how amazing you can be'~!"

"Oh my gosh, you are such a dork!" I blurted out under a snickering laugh. Only my brother could make me cringe and yet somehow feel better at the same time.

"Heh, maybe! But you still love me anyway," Jaden shot back with another thousand-watt smile.

I rolled my eyes a bit at that but didn't say anything, since he wasn't wrong there.

"Seriously, though… I'm really glad you're able to be here, Shion," he expressed honestly. "I have a feeling that this place will be really good for you!"

"Yeah… I'd like to think that way, too," I agreed with a small smile, actually hopeful that that would be true.

After that, Jaden ended up helping me finish unpacking my things just so he could then drag me over to the Slifer Red dining hall to have dinner with him and his roommates and show me off to the rest of the dorm. All in all, it was a nice way to end the day.

A/N: Thank you for reading and take care! Until next time. :)