When All Was Lost...

Chapter Twenty-Two

22

Akarii nearly choked on her breath...

The nausea overpowered her and she fell to my knees, coughing from running all the way back to her and Crow's little humble home.

Jack's confession...shook her up inside...

XXXXX

"Come...? But...where to, Jack?"

"Anywhere...everywhere! Don't you see? You and me, we can keep dueling, together...we can make it out of here."

"But Jack...what about our friends?"

"Our friends...Ah..."

"Yes Jack! Our friends! Leave? I can't leave, they're my friends! They're your friends! Jack...You're my friend...and that...That's just gotta be how it stays!"

"...That's the way it has to stay, huh?"

The irritation was clear in his tone when he spoke that.

She just...wasn't ready to leave the comfort zone of things changing between them...

Between her...and any of her friends, really...

"Yes, I...I'm sorry, Jack."

"Are you? Or could it be...you're scared?"

"What...!?"

"No...perhaps maybe...it's more like...you...like someone else...is that it, Girlie?"

"I..."

"Ah...No! ...I...I'm sorry."

"Jack..."

"I'm sorry Girlie, I don't know what came over me...I guess...after all this...my head is just kinda...out there."

"..."

"Don't worry about it.I'm fine now that my head is screwed on straight again."

"But Jack...are you sure?"

"Sure as stone...I got it don't worry. I won't bring it up again."

"..."

XXXXX

"Jack..." she pressed her back to the wall and slowly slid down to the ground, feeling the tears burn at her heated cheeks.

She will never forget that look on his face...

The look of a hurt and broken man.

It only lasted an instant, since he was "too cool" for feelings...

But she saw it.

...And it cut deep like a knife wound to the heart.

I'm sorry Jack...I...

But was he right though?

Did she perhaps...'like' someone else?

"Hey Akarii...!" she heard Crow call to her not far on the other side of the shack. Quickly she wiped her eyes, or else he'd get mad and start asking questions...and she was defintely not ready to talk about it...not with him...not yet.

"Akarii, that's you right?" he laughed,"What gives? Are you hiding from me~?" he reached the corner and leaned against the wall with a chuckle,"So how was your ride? You're a little dirty, but you look unscathed other wise so... that's a relief." he grinned. "I hope it helped...everyone's been acting kind of strange lately since we united Satellite." he sighed, "Kalin especially seems out of it...maybe everyone's burned out or something."

"Possibly..." she said softly, still trying to shake off Jack's confession. Maybe she could chock it up to him being burned out...

"Or maybe, we're just so used to chaos, that peace feels off to us..."

"Sounds like we all really need to chill then, haha" Crow laughed placing something cold against her neck. She squealed at the chill that seeped through the plastic sack he held against her skin.

"Very funny, bird brain!" she huffed.

Watching him laugh brought a warmth to her heart that she couldn't comprehend.

It was soft...and comforting.

"Come on." He said," We should go check on Kalin...I got a few cold ones here...we could all enjoy them together."

"Hmm..." she sighed softly and gave him a smile, "Yeah...that could be nice."

Though she couldn't help but wonder if things would be okay with Jack, once he saw Crow and her arriving together...

XXXXX

"What's this now?" Jack blinked,"Come baring gifts?" he sat on the back of Kalin's couch at the hide out.

Everything seemed normal...

She better not disrupt it... and act normal as well.

"Crow thought we could all have a cold one and 'chill'." she said motioning with her fingers the air quotes over "chill."

"Haha yeah that sounds like something that bird brain would say."

Good.

It seems like Jack can still make jokes.

"But hey...Where's Kalin." she asked,"We can't celebrate without him."

"He went out a while ago." said Yusei, "Said something about needing some air."

"I see." she grinned,"I'll go get him then!"

Akarii ran out with a spring in her step and a grin, excited to sit with her friends with a cold drink.

Whenshe got outside, it didn't take her long to find Kalin...

But the reunion wasn't a pleasant one.

A small boy skidded across the dirt, shoved by Kalin.

"Is that seriously the best you can do~?" he scoffed, "You're pathetic! What right do you have to call yourself a Duelist!?"

"Kalin, stop it!" she shouted.

"What? Akarii? Tch..."

"What are you doing Kalin!?" she called to him and ran to greet him, but was greeted back with a heavy shove across the gravel.

"Stay out of my way!" he snapped.

She could feel her body jump in startle.

"Kalin...what on earth has happened to you?"

XXXXX

"Akarii, what gives?" Crow blinked as he saw the girl stumble back into the main hideout all shaken up, "Why so jittery?"

"Crow...it's Kalin...he..."

"Kalin did WHAT!?" Crow bellowed, punching his fist to the wall.

She told him what had went down, and he wasn't thrilled.

"What's gotten into him?" asked Yusei.

"Sounds like there's something major going on outside..." said Jack.

"I couldn't stop him!" Akarii cried.

She was still shaking from her previous experience.

In all her time of knowing him, he had never been that way before...

He was always kind, and gentle Kalin...

Suddenly everything was all flipped and she was confused by it all...

"Please help me!"

XXXXX

They took off as a collective, and right on time too.

Kalin stood over the defeated young boy from their duel.

"You losers need to stop hanging around our hideout!" he scoffed," If you aren't gonna duel, you need to scram..." he moved toward the terrified child who had tears in his eyes as Kalin backed him into a corner.

"KALIN, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?" Crow shouted and threw himself at Kalin full force, knocking him quickly away from the boy,"Hey kid, get outta here while you can, NOW!"

"What the hell, Crow!?" Kalin snapped,"What do you think you're doing!?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Crow snapped," What DO you think you're doing!? Picking on Kids!? Pushing Girls!? What are YOU doing, Kalin!?"
Akarii moved to approach Crow, but was held back by Jack.

"Don't get involved, Girlie..." he whispered.

"Jack's right..." said Yusei, holding her other shoulder, "Stay here..."

"I'm weeding out the weaklings, Crow!" Kalin snapped,"THAT's what I'm doing!" he huffed,"Anyone who isn't rolling with is, is against us! How else do you expect to conquer all of Satellite!?"
"So we hurt kids!? We push girls!?"

"Yeah, we do!" Kalin snapped, "And if Akarii Can't take a hit, then she may as well quit!"

This declaration shook them all.

Leaving the girl with trembling knees.

"Akarii-" Yusei called out to her and held her up, trying to keep her steady.

Is that...how it is?

...Am I just...useless?

Expendable...just like that...!?

"We don't need ANY wannabe's around here, no matter who they are."

A Wannabe...?

...Me?

Crow stood with his head down and his fists clenched.

A Silence fell between them.

"Dueling...should be about having fun no matter what age you are...or who you are...what right do you have...to take that away from ANYONE!?" Crow snapped, sending Kalin back with a shock. He then quickly turned heel and approached her limp body. He placed a gentle touch to her cheeks, lifting her face with his fingers, to meet his eyes, though hers were distant. ...

She was within her own head.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt? Where does it hurt? Show me..."

coddling her like one of the children...

Akarii blinked as she heard Crow talking to her, which brought her attention back to him.

He sighed and gently tapped at her cheek.

"Come on Akarii..." he said to her,"Let's go home...I'll fix you up."

She didn't notice until he brought it up...but her arms were dirty and scraped.

On top of that, she had a few open cuts from skidding across rocks and gravel.

She got road burn so often...she hardly noticed these things anymore...

It was beginning to swell...

He lifted her carefully by the other arm. "I'm out." said Crow, "I'm done with this team...and I'm taking Akarii home."

"But...Crow..."

"Let's go." he stopped her before she could finish her refute.

Keeping his back to the girl.

He was mad, upset really.

But he never liked for her to see it.

"What!? Crow!?" Kalin called,"Are you serious!? I thought we were a team! You would turn your back on your friends like that!? For some girl!?"

"She's NOT just some girl!" Crow growled, "And if you had any honor as a man...or even as a friend...you wouldn't say anything like that!"

"You can't be serious- I let her join the team- what MORE do you want!"

"Before there was you, Kalin, The original team... was Crow, Akarii and me." said Jack,"We were no duel gang but we looked out for our own just fine, no one gets away with raising a hand on our girlie...you're lucky I don't take care of you for that right now." he huffed.

"Jack!?" Kalin called as he watched the tall blonde turn his back, "Where are you going?"

"Away...before I wind up doing something I regret." He stopped beside the girl who seemed to be trying to fight Crow on leaving. "Akarii...go with Crow." was all he said before walking away.

"Akarii, I..."

Crow shot a glare at Kalin- just daring him to try and make an excuse-

"Don't... you say a fucking word to her..." warned Crow, "You've lost that privelage."

She notably watched Kalin gulp and give a slight chill.

"Crow...Jack..." he turned to Yusei, looking almost panicked,"Yusei...we're a team right? We're friends...right?"

Yusei couldn't come up with the words to say...

He zipped his lip and watched as Crow pulled Akarii on her feet, and gently nudged her away.

To Be Continued