Warm. I'm so warm.
I groggily notice the warmth is coming from another person, holding me to their chest. I crack open my eyelids and blue orbs greet me. I remember now, Yusei and I shared the bed after the... interrogation.
"You're awake... Did you get any sleep?" I croak. He smiles.
"I did. I just woke up early. How do you feel today?"
"Okay, I'm okay. How are you feeling? You were also injured."
"It's nothing to worry about, I feel fine now."
"Trust but verify, as my Nii-san used to say." I smile at the thought of my brother. Sharing the weight with Yusei makes it bearble. I take stock of him, all the limbs are there, no visible wounds. "You look okay. Promise you're not hiding anything?"
"I promise. There are some things I want to tell you, though. Yanagi said-" Before he could finish the thought, a clattering erupted upon the cell bars, and a voice rang out.
"Time to wake up! We have a special guest for today's program, so get your butts in gear!"
"Attention!" We were crowded into the gymnasium. The audience of inmates was abuzz. Everyone wanted to know who the special guest was. As normal, I've attached myself to Yusei's hip, never straying from my protector as Cheif Takasu and his guards rounded us up. He introduced the special guest, a man, tall and broad, with long gray hair standing at the raised podium. "For today's rehab lesson, we invited Director Rex Godwin of the Neo Domino City Public Maintenance Department. Open your hearts and listen to his talk about public maintenance!"
There crowd is mute. The Director looks over us, eyes stopping to train on Yusei.
He looks... strangely familiar. Maybe? Is he the one who had us tortured?
"There is a big reason why I separated the two groups of people between Neo Domino City and Satellite." Godwin starts to walk away from his podium. The sea of people that we find ourselves in, line by line, creates a natural path for him to walk unimpeded. "The two worlds complement one another in order to promote development. The people who live in Satellite are Satellite citizens, and the people who live in Neo Domino City are Neo Domino City citizens. He walks down the middle.
"There's a reason why this is necessary." On my right, Yusei stiffens when Godwin stops shoulder to shoulder with him. "If you leave Satellite, then the order of the world is disturbed. One person's reckless actions can result in causing trouble for his friends, his accquaintances, and his lovers. At times, it may bring pain," he says darkly.
Is he... He's threatening Yusei, and by extension me, Himuro, and Yanagi. Threatening our friends.
Turning on his heel, he strolls back to the front of the room beside Takasu. He's completed whatever goal he had for the speech.
"And that concludes the Director's training speech. Return to your rooms immediately!" Takasu gestures to the guards, spurring them to move. They herd us, like cattle, to the doors. "Number 88, you stay here." Our small group stops with Yusei to speak with him before being separated.
"Be careful," warns the professional duelist.
"Yusei, take care of yourself. Don't vanish." I hope he knows how genuinely I care for him.
This is the only reason he gave a speech. To scare Yusei and to question him. Please just let Yusei be safe.
He nods, taking a confident stance. We have to leave now, lest we are reprimanded for our tardiness.
Yusei never returned to the cell, and neither did we. Rocky, the most skilled sleeper I could think of, stayed blissfully dreaming all day. We were moved to another cell block. It was a tall, triangular building that towers high above. There are bridges and walkways on many of the floors, all railed for safety. Himuro and I were placed in a cell together, Yanagi with an unknown. This is where I find myself with Himuro and Yanagi, standing in the middle of one such bridge, having used the former's connections to suss out where Yusei had been moved.
"Which one of us should go get him? I don't know the guy he's rooming with." Himuro poses it to us as a question, but he looks at me like he already knows.
"I say Pinoko! She came here with him." Yanagi's grin takes on a conspiratorial edge, whispering to the other man. "And have you seen the way they look at each other? Ah, young people make me feel so refreshed!"
"I heard that." I blush. Selfishly, I want to be the one to fetch him, but I don't have any claim over him. "Okay. Wish me luck." I head off towards the cell we'd located. It's simple to get there, up one flight of stairs and it's on the right at the end of the walkway. I can just barely discern Yusei's voice as I get closer, paired with another that I don't know.
"I also watched that duel. Your name is Yusei, right?"
"I'm sorry, but can you be quiet?" That's Yusei's voice. I reach the window of the cell. He lays on the top bunk while a man with royal blue hair perches on the ladder.
"I see."
"S-sorry to interrupt." I try to be inconspicuous, leaning into the window. "Yusei, we've been looking for you." He shoots up, relieved to see me.
"Pinoko!" He pushes past his cellmate, rushing through the door. He embraces me. "You're safe," he says into my hair.
Wow, that feels nice. Wait, I didn't come here to snuggle!
"Th-the others ar-are waiting for us. Let's go." I'm keenly aware of the way the stranger watches us, disentangling myself from him though I want nothing more than to stay. I pull him along to have a chat, all four of us.
The others are happy to see Yusei, of course, but concerned to find we are all stuck here. Himuro hinted earlier that being moved to this cell block was not a good thing.
"Himuro, Jii-san."
"Yusei, so you were also transferred here? I was hoping my contact was wrong."
"Why is this happening to me?" Yanagi wails. "This area is for long-term detainees. I was supposed to be transferred to community service so that I can leave here quickly."
"Same with me."
So we were all told the same thing. They never intended to let us out in the first place.
"An-chan, do you have any idea why?"
Yusei deflects easily, sending me a look I can't describe. It's torn somewhere between frustration and affection. "We really can't escape from here?"
"Yeah. Since we were transferred here, we're guaranteed to be stuck here for at least half a year. If you make any mistakes, it'll be longer."
"We have to leave here. Pinoko doesn't deserve to be here, and we have things we need to do." It doesn't escape my notice that he says "we."
He's including me. It feels good to be wanted. I haven't felt that way since... Ryuga dueled with me, even when I was no match for him...
"So does everyone else," Himuro turns around, moving his hands to his hips. "Anyway, now that we're here, be careful of Cheif Takasu. It's rumored that he wields his authority to do whatever he wants."
The way back seemed shorter than before. Yusei led me this time, walking closer to the cells than I, his hand finding my lower back. The cell is silent when we arrive.
Yusei beckons me to the bunk bed, quickly sprinting up the ladder. "I'll help you up." I grasp the first rung of the ladder. I reach out my other hand above my hand. Yusei grabs it and pulls me up. The swiftness makes my entrance not-so-graceful. I land slightly on top of the duelist. I use the hand that isn't currently clasped in his to brace myself against his chest.
"Sorry, I didn't hurt you, right?" I flinched, thinking I may have agitated an injury he got during our stay here.
"No, I'm fine. I didn't feel a thing," Yusei assures me, easing me back onto his chest, hand on the nape of my neck. "I'll get you out of here. All of us." His words bring a smile to my lips.
"I trust you, Yusei." And for the first time in a long time, I could say it and mean it. There was no other person alive who I truly felt could be trusted, but not once had Yusei asked me for something in exchange for a favor. He is as protective of me as I am of him. Any help we offered each other was freely given. I enjoy his company. Yusei is a goldmine of technological and mechanical knowledge. This is isanely helpful when I'm updating the D-Wheel's code; He can promptly recite any and all specifications to his machine. Any variables I need to plug in are only as far from me as Yusei happens to be.
There is of course the closeness brought about by having a shared trauma from the interrogations. That we come from the same home and came here together definitely doesn't diminish our rapport. All things said, I've come to rely on him a great deal. His hand is still warm in mine, his heartbeat pulsing in my ear which rests upon his ribcage. I hope he can rely on me in the same way.
"What were you going to tell me this morning?" The thought comes to me suddenly. He was interrupted last time we spoke.
He looks around furtively. "Yanagi told me... The people of the stars worship the Crimson Dragon. Those who can summon and it have the mark of the dragon on their arm are known as Signers. There are 5 Dragons and 5 Signers. I think... I think the dragons may be in our cards. You must have seen it on Jack, he had the same mark. I have Stardust Dragon, and he has Red Daemons Dragon. It makes too much sense." These are Yusei's honest thoughts, as I'd never heard them before. Yusei is effectively turning the tables on me by using me as a confidante.
"I think that sounds reasonable. I can't think of a way to dispute the theory." The Sun has almost fully receded and let night reign. I begin to disentangle myself from his grasp. "I should get out of here before lights out. Let you sleep on it. I will too. Goodnight, Yusei. Thanks for always looking out for me." I give him a parting, chaste kiss on the cheek, leaning over him slightly, before rolling away to slip down the ladder. I look up, finding him peering over the edge.
Is he blushing?
It's time for me to get me to get back to the cell I share with Himuro.
"Goodnight, Pinoko. Be safe." In reality, my cell was a simple seventeen doors down, a straight shot from Yusei's own. Yanagi was on the floor above but not so far as to be out of reach.
The bed is almost nice enough to pretend it's home. It's about as comfortable as my futon anyways.
Another empty cell... What's going on today?
Himuro isn't in the cell. Hopefully he's still with Yanagi trying to find a way out. I lay on the top bunk. The two of us had worked it out easily, as I like being up there and Himuro couldn't care less. The bunk above feels a little more private, though not by much. The Sun has fully set now, covering the room in stillness. I create a laidback image, relaxing my body, listening for the approach of any soldiers.
After a moment, positive that there is no one to disturb the peace, I gently pull Rocky out if his resting place.
It's weird to keep putting you in my cleavage, I know, but there's nowhere else I can think of. I'll have to deal with the awkwardness, just hopefully not in front of Yusei.
There's two pieces of bread in my pocket from meal time, a hamburger patty between them.
"Best I can do, bud. Eat up." The animal in my lap greedily gobbles down the leftovers. There's no guarantee that he'll remain hidden for the length of time we have to stay here. His safety is my responsibility. Himuro eventually joined me, just before the lights went out and we had nothing else to do but sleep.
Himuro rises with the sun, meaning so do I. Rocky was stuffed into my bra for safekeeping as soon as I was up. Typically it isn't long after sunrise when we are called to breakfast, then the reeducation program meeting for the day.
Today, however, routines are thrown out the window. On this particular morning, breakfast comes after the Cheif's surprise visit. Himuro and I eye the door. The motion of it clicking open is the most movement we'd noticed all morning, though it's rather late for them to be fetching us now. The man outside the door is the one we least expected, and the one we least hoped for.
"What do you want?" Himuro questions the chief. The heavyset man fills the doorway, several guards waiting behind him. I sit up on my bunk, sheet pooling around my waist as I watch the man approach my friend. I scoot back a bit when he rests his hand on the edge of my bunk, leaning over Himuro.
"I've received information that you're hiding weapons." He makes a point to eye me as well.
"Weapons?" Himuro isn't the kind of person to do that. What is Takasu planning, here? "I don't have any. Go ahead and search our room."
The chief smiles in a horribly unkind way. "That's not necessary," he says, reaching into the duelist's open vest. Looking down from above them, I see the chief produce a small switchblade. "See? I found one." The both of us are shocked into silence for a moment.
Sleight of hand? Himuro wasn't kidding about this guy. Abusing authority seems like his hobby.
"How dare you!" He jumps up, being grabbed by the other guards in the room. We both know that knife wasn't on him.
"Himuro!" I scramble down the ladder. I don't know what I can do, how to make a difference, but I know I want to help my friend. Nearing him, the third guard pushes me against the ladder. I'm too small to fight back, struggling in the man's grasp.
The room they take us to is cold, small and entirely made of metal. The only thing that resides there is a table. A row of observation windows break up the gray on one wall. Himuro is thrown onto it, held by two guards at each arm.
"You and the girl..." Takasu doesn't look away from Himuro once. "You hang around that new arrival like flies on a cowpie. What did he tell you?"
Of course. They still haven't found his mark. They must be frustrated, no wonder they've moved us here. How many people are involved with this Crimson Dragon that we don't know about?
"What do you mean?" Himuro shouts. The guard pushes his head down on the table. "Besides, I never sell out my friends."
"That garbage from Satellite is your friend? What about this one here, then?" He gestures to me. I tense.
"You won't get anything out of us," is all he chooses to say. Himuro and I are friends, I know it. Hearing it from him would only be a reassurance of what I already know. Himuro. Yanagi. Yusei. These are my friends, people I can place my trust in.
"The former duelist has fallen far." The grip Takasu has on Himuro's jaw tightens more and more. I can hear the creaking of his bones.
"Stop! We really don't know anything!" My protests make no difference to the chief. His free hand rises in a loose fist, striking me across my left cheek. "W-we don't-"
"Silence! You've aided and abetted in Himuro's smuggling, being his cellmate and all. We wouldn't want to be too rough with you, little girl, but don't push your luck." He spits it menacingly. Himuro is agitated already, but is doubly incensed by the chief's attention on me.
He starts struggling more meaningfully now. "You! I'm the one you want, don't bother with her!" I know he fears for me, to go so far as to ask for more from Takasu. I hope he doesn't regret it as his screams ring in my ears.
The end result has neither of us looking too well. How long it's been, I don't know. Any number of hours could have passed and it would still feel like it had been longer. Himuro is in the worst shape, being dragged to the bridge by two guards who simply toss him ahead. I haven't escaped the treatment Himuro had, my left eye has swollen up entirely, bruises marr my flesh. The guard behind me has mostly been holding me up, my feet unsteady. He shoves me forward, sending me sprawling next to Himuro on the central walkway. My knees crack against the concrete sharply.
Yusei and Yanagi are safe at least. I hope.
"Himuro has committed a terrible crime, with the assistance of his cellmate Pinoko! Everyone here will be held responsible! Your free time is revoked for an entire year! No one is allowed to leave their cells!" Himuro is unresponsive.
Already laid upon the ground, I crawl a bit closer to the pro duelist, searching for any movement. His chest rises with each breath in, his eyes moving under his lids. He's in pain, but he's alive. The inmates, still in their cells, go wild at the chief's announcement.
I'm barely holding it together. Deep breaths, stay awake. Just make it through this.
"Be quiet! Garbage like you has no right to complain! You're all worthless to society!" The spiked moustache upon his lipe wriggles with the upturn of his mouth, forming a smile. "You do not have the right for freedom! Just continue to live pathetically in the shadows for eternity! If you have any complaints, then speak up! If you do, you'll end up the same as these two!"
"Wait!" I know the voice. It belongs to my friend from Satellite, the man who built D-Wheels and smuggled a starry-eyed woman into Neo Domino City alongside himself. There is a grimace on his face as he stands behind the bars of his cell window, only one floor above us. His sudden interjection has ceased the chief's laughing. "No one in this world is useless."
"Y-yusei, don-" starts Pinoko, barely able to rasp out the few sounds. A swift kick to her side sends her sputtering, sinking back down beside the unconscious pro duelist to lay prone. The cheif glares at her briefly, but turns back to address me. I hold the windowsill, if only to steady my rage.
Beating her in front of me... He's trying to get a rise out of me. I have to stay calm, for my two friends that are in his clutches. If he knows how much it upsets me, he'll only do it more.
"My, my. The garbage from Satellite thinks he's a hero?"
"Himuro is innocent. He's a real duelist. He wouldn't conspire to do anything. And Pinoko would never hurt a fly, much less be found with a weapon." Pinoko's gentle soul predisposes her against violence. She calls herself a pacifist, but it's more than that. There is a fear in her eyes that tells me she's seen too much fighting to not be wary of it.
Himuro's limpness and Pinoko's black eye suggests that they were beaten.
If the chief wanted me angry, he's got it. I'm past angry.
There's nothing I'd like more than to go over there and bring them both to safety, to wrap their wounds, to cradle Pinoko and ensure her that everything would be fine, but my environment permits none of that. My knuckles must be white under my gloves with how tightly I grasp the window's side.
"You're saying that even knowing yours truly is a duelist? You're saying he's real and I'm fake?" My only response is to hold his stare. "Fine. Let's settle things in a duel in front of everyone! If you win, I'll ignore Himuro and Pinoko's crimes, and I promise not to take away everyone's free time." The man's eyes nearly bulge in delight as he continues. "However, if I win..."
"I'll do whatever you want for the rest of my life," I finish. Pinoko and Himuro shouldn't answer for the vendetta Takasu has against me. Whatever grudge he has, I wish to spare them of his retribution. Murmuring erupts in the cell block.
"Interesting. The duel will take place tonight at 8:30. Understand?"
"Fine," I grit out. He won't be smirking after our duel.
"Hey, how can you say that when he's..." starts my cellmate. Aoyama is stopped by the crying of the old man, my third friend in the facility, being drug out to the chief by two guards.
"Stop!" Yanagi shrieks, looking horrified at what they may do to him. "Please stop!
Each one of my friends... Brought out and treated like trash. I won't let him keep doing this.
"I found one!" A guard shouts, pulling a card from the old man's sleeve.
"And here!"
"And here."
"Wait, those are my treasures! Give them back! Please!" Yanagi blubbers. Reaching out in plea to the chief, he is backhanded and thrown by the force. He lands face down with a grunt.
"I'm confiscating this deck. Listen, this will be your final free time! Spend it well so that you have no regrets!"
"Yusei, why did you do that? We're supposed to escape tonight!" Aoyama scolds, fisting one hand. He must be frustrated, but I simply cannot let this continue.
"I know."
The second I hear the door unlatch, I'm racing down the corridor. Pinoko and the others are being tossed into Yanagi's cell, just two doors down from mine. I'm able to squeeze past the six guards to the room my friends are laying in.
"Pinoko! Himuro!" I kneel between the two. They had recieved similar beatings today, but Pinoko is still recovering from the last interrogation. She's loopy. I'm not sure if she has a concussion, or what I can do for her wounds in my current circumstances.
I feel useless right now. How can I claim to protect anyone, when this is how my friends end up? This is how the girl I like ended up. What am I playing at? I'm not a hero.
The girl I wanted to protect is almost unconcious with pain from the injuries she's stustained because of me. Because I wanted to win against Jack. "Yusei..." she sighs.
"Are you both okay?" I lean forward to lift Pinoko slightly. My arms are full of her at once, gently cupping her skull and torso. She looks dazed.
"Somehow, I'm okay, but Pinoko, she's been..." He thinks over his next words. "Out of it. Barely walked out of that room. I'm sorry, they also took my deck."
"Oh no! They took my deck." Yanagi pulls himself up to sit on the bed. Himuro's friends join us in the room as well, carfully looking over him.
"Pinoko, how do you feel?" I ask the woman directly, hoping she's cognizant enough to reply.
"Yusei... I'm sorry. I have o-only," She sniffles, a droplet tracing her marker down her right cheek. Her left eye is a narrow slit, the surrounding tissue filled with fluid. "Only one, one card." She winces, producing a single card from her waistband. It seems she has more than one hiding place. Foolishly, the guard had assumed someone who doesn't duel wouldn't keep a sentimental card with them.
Marshmallon's smile stares up at me from the card. "My brother... This is the la-last card he..."
"I will keep this card safe." It isn't what I wanted to say, not really.
I will keep you safe. I want to tell her that, but how can I? I haven't kept her safe, I put her in danger.
Pinoko once told me I could win a duel with a one card deck. Her faith in me is something I'm grateful for, but even for me that would be impossible. In order to protect my friends, I must find a deck before the duel. Curling into her, I steel myself for what's coming.
"I have to go," I whisper into her hair. I get to my feet, lifting her negligable weight with me. She's so light I wonder if she's eating enough. She surely isn't eating properly and none of us can claim to be. The meals provided are only enough to fuel us, made up of a gruel that starving animals would pass up. "I promise I'll see you again. I will come back, so don't push yourself. Stay with Himuro and Jii-san."
The back of her head touches the bed and she is out, breathing peacefully. "She's pushed herself to stay awake this long... I only hope she doesn't have a concussion. She needs to be okay. I need her to be okay." I say this to Yanagi who is stood at the bedside. "Please stay with her. I have to prepare." Yanagi nods, saying nothing.
Stepping through the door, I'm greeted by my cellmate. "Understand? This is how the chief does things. He never intended to have a fair duel from the start." Aoyama's arms are crossed as he leans against the window. "You fell for his taunts. Himuro and Jii-san's decks were confiscated. Without a deck, you have no chance." He lets his arms fall, turning to face me now.
"Let's escape, just the two of us! In their current state, those three won't be able to make it," he reasons. That isn't enough for me.
"I can't do that." My resolve is fueled by the images that flash behind my eyes.
Himuro, Yanagi, Pinoko... I won't abandon you.
"Why not? You don't owe these people anything."
"Since we dueled, we're now friends. If I leave my friends behind, I'll never truly be free." I harden my stare. "Pinoko is... special. She came with me from our home. I brought her here, I got her marked. You don't how much I owe her."
"Stop acting tough when you have no deck. Do whatever you want!" He turns, hurrying away from me. As much as I'd like to go with him, there are people here I have to protect. Before I've taken even a step from the doorway, someone calls my name.
"You said your name was Yusei? You were quite the showoff." The men who gathered by Himuro were looking at me. "Come with us for a minute."
Sorry about the wait! My finger is better, but I think I may to switch to weekly or biweekly updates. I haven't figured it out yet, but I will keep y'all posted. If you enjoyed my story, or if you didn't, please leave a review! I'd love to know how you felt about it!
