Tenpei retains his anxious energy up until he sees my invitation. "Isn't that...?" His eyes alight, he points at the letter.
Rua isnt one to be left out of the excitement. "Yusei, that's an invitation to the Fortune Cup! Are you also entering, Yusei?"
"Yes." He bounds happily at my answer.
"Hooray! I'll be able to duel Yusei again!" Taking a pose, he points at me before turning back to his friend. "Yusei, I won't ever lose again. See, Tenpei? Yusei is an incredible duelist who has the skills to enter the Fortune Cup!" It seems the insistance from Rua has changed the other boy's mind, looking up at me with awe.
However, the jovial temperment we'd created is soon to fade. I fall to my knees, lightning searing through my veins. The mark. It's acting up again.
Everyone calls out to me, worried over my appearance. "It's the same as last time," I tell them, but Pinoko was the only one who was with me the last time this happened.
"Last time?" Himuro wonders while Pinoko kneels in front of me.
"The time the Crimson Dragon appeared." My face is scrunched from the pain, but I manage to get the explaination out.
"Just relax. If it's like last time, it will fade." Pinoko assures, stroking my left shoulder to try to give me some relief. The commotion that erupts behind her turns her head.
"Witch?" Rua asked elatedly. "She really showed up here? Where?" The crowded people that watch the duel scatter without delay. The girl rounds on the youngest.
"You were looking for trouble?" She narrows her eyes. "You boys are going to be sorry when I'm done with you. I can't believe you! I'm telling your parents if I ever meet them. This place is not good! You should never come here again. If I ever, and I mean ever, see you here again...!"
It's as though her vexation has called down a whirlwind. The dueling stage was engulfed by visible currents, whipping against my face. Saiga seems to have an idea of what's happening. "She's here. Let's escape before we're dragged into this." We aren't able to go anywhere, however. The power around us lashes out, vines rooting through the duel field and demolishing the ground. It's coming toward us.
"Rua! Tenpei!" Pinoko shouts, all of us tossed in opposite directions. I'm able to stay upright, jumping to another spot in the ground. The dust and debris makes it difficult to see, but in front of me stands a huge reptilian figure.
"Dragon..." The word slips out unbidden. Stripping my glove and rolling up my sleeve proves my fear. The mark has reappeared, glowing bright red.
I'm forced back to the ground, hissing from the pain. "Did you have that before?" Himuro and the others have gathered around me. Pinoko and the two kids were yet to appear. The pain was so great I couldn't focus.
"An-chan... That's the symbol of a Signer. It's the mark of the dragon." Rua stares at Yanagi when he expounds, relocating his gaze to my mark. Tears could the side of his eyes even more when a blinding light erupts from the center of the duel field.
The young twin is dead set on following me to the edge of the field. "Yusei!" he yells.
I get closer, finally seeing that the light hid the figure of a person. "The witch."
"That's the witch..." I put my hand in front of the boy who tries to sidestep me. I don't like this, too many people at risk. Why would Pinoko let him follow me? She's so attached to the children I'm surprised that she isn't at his side.
I hear Saiga's voice from behind me. "The Black Rose Witch... She really exists."
The tension is thick, stifling when added to the dust flying around us. Whoever she is, she's powerful. She's decked out in a long robe and white mask, hooded but with strands of burgundy tresses flowing from under the fabric. "You too?" she says, nearly inaudible. I'm sure she's talking about the mark.
I parrot her. ""You too?"" If she has something to do with the Crimson Dragon, I must speak with her. My feet move to approach.
The witch doesn't allow it, playing a card on the Duel Disk she wears. "It's a detestable mark!" The area is lit up again, wind rushing more violently than before. I have to lower myself to one knee to not be blown back. The wind retreats and the mark recedes.
The witch is go ne when I gaze back up, the only evidence of her being the ruined duel field.
"She's gone," says Himuro. Yanagi is less at ease with the events.
"What just happened? If she was a hologram, how was she able to blow us away with the power of a spell card?"
"She, she really exists!"
"Thank goodness she didn't make us dissappear."
"The witch's reaction when she saw you was interesting."
The others, though surprised at the mark's dissapearance, stay behind me while I think. The only voice I don't hear is the other Satellite. "The witch probably also has a mark. "You too?" is what she said." When I turn to them, I see why she was mum. "Pinoko! What happened to her?"
The girl lies still in Saiga's arms.
"You shouldn't rely so much on your spell and magic cards, Pinoko. Look, you have all these effect monsters and you never make use of them."
"Why? I don't have to use a monster effect, right?"
"Ha! Well, you only have so many cards in your deck, right? See this Edge Imp Sycthe? If you don't have Polymerization in your hand, you can use this card's effect to fusion summon using cards in your hand. This way, you still have three Polymerization cards in your deck for later. You have to expect the unexpected, Pinoko."
"Pinoko."
"Pinoko."
"Pinoko, please!" I gasp, twitching at the loud noise. Oh man, my head hurts. Yusei's countence fills my vision. He sighs, relieved.
"Yusei, did you get the number of that truck? Seriously, I feel like a trainwreck. My head really hurts."
The answer comes from behind my head. "You hit the ground pretty hard." This is when I finally realize Saiga is holding me up, arm around my waist, one of mine slung behind his neck and held in his other hand. The young twin is ecstatic that I'm awake.
"You're okay! Man, when you went out, I really thought the witch had killed you!"
Tenpei stomps on his friend's shoe. "Rua!" The two bicker, Rua claiming he's only being honest while Tenpei insists that he needs to be more delicate in this situation. The jack of all trades lets go of my hand, Allowing my feet to touch the ground again. I use the hand to steady myself, almost tripping into Yusei.
"Pinoko," he says, steadying me with both hands on my shoulders. "I'm sorry this happened. Are you feeling alright now?"
"Yes, just a little dizzy. Are you all okay?"
Himuro and Yanagi had found a place in the city's outskirts, happy to have a home regardless of what had occured there. Saiga eventually left for Satellite, hopefully to find our friends unharmed. The walk back to our shared condo was mostly uneventful, Yusei quiet in thought.
When we've finally sat on the couch, he opens his mouth. "The Black Rose Witch was there. That's what knocked you out. The cards she played had the power to affect the environment."
I laugh at first, thinking a joke is being played on me. "You're serious?" I say when his face doesn't change. "A witch... And you all saw her?"
"She... disappeared. But I think she's somehow connected to the Crimson Dragon. She said "you too" when she saw my mark. She must have one as well." We sit in quietude for a moment as he allows me to soak in the new information. "When the ground got broken up, you were knocked unconsious. The kids said you kept them safe. They were really scared when you didn't wake up right away."
"They're good kids, they just need someone to look after them." I smile, thinking of the twins and the bespectabled child. "It must be lonely for them. Big house, no parents... That's how it was for me, after Ryuuga passed." Yusei turns his attention to me, silent for as long as I'm speaking. He's a very good listener.
"Will you tell me about it?" he says calmly. Yusei had never pushed me before, never wanted to know more than I was willing to share. This man had given me so much I feel it's only right to give him what he seeks.
Reliving the past can go two ways for me. It used to be that thinking about my brother only brought me heartache, but talking to Yusei about him lets me feel good about it. I'm happy that he was ever in my life. His mere presence had brought me joy.
"He taught me everything I know about dueling. He was kind, and he always had nice things to say about everyone he met. He, uh. He died on my birthday. He didn't come back home and I was alone for almost week before I found out. He had been dying for a long time. It was in his lungs, from working at the recycling plant all his life. Our pa ran off, our ma fell into some bad habits and lost her life... He was the only adult left to care for me. He took it really seriously. He worked as much as they would let him." I look over at the mechanic who was still listening quietly to my elaboration.
It was the 17th of July, a Saturday night. My birthday was a special affair in this house. Ryuuga says it's because it's only my twelfth birthday. He promised that when I'm older he'd stop making such a fuss over it. It bothered me that he never celebrated his own birthday, but he always pulled out all the stops for mine. Next year, I want to make something special for his birthday. The hotplate Ryuuga fashioned made it so I could prepare food before he gets back on days he works, but that's almost every day. The stew pot sitting on the device simmers, the top just slightly ajar to let the steam out. He's bringing a special treat home for me, a single cup of instant noodles. It was the same every year, we couldn't afford much but the smell of instant noodles could always make me drool.
"Where is he?" I wonder aloud when 9pm comes and goes. He's never been this late before. Why hasn't he come home?
I think it must have been a corner store at some point, shelves lining the walls and a counter on one side. Maybe there was a cash register there before, but everything was long gone when we moved in. Our had mother died five years ago, a victim of her own addiction. Neither one of us wanted to stay in that house, too many memories. We moved here soon after and I stopped going outside entirely.
The kids in the Broiler never let me play with them anymore so I rarely leave our home. Ryuuga would bring reading material home to give me something to do. He didn't have access to much, but the recycling plant has many different pamphlets describing all different components of machines and electronic how-to guides. The few books he sourced were ones others would use to find work. Anyone in Satellite that doesn't work at a plant has to have a skillset.
The economy is built on junk, it's the most abundant resource we have access to. When I was
He knew I didn't get along with the other children, but he wanted to make me feel included. The first card he ever got me was Cheepcheepcheep. It was such a beautiful card to me and I cherished it. It was also the first thing that was stolen from me, marking the beginning of a long line of robberies. That morning, Ryuga had told me not to enter his room under any circumstances, that my present wasn't wrapped and that I needed to wait for him to give it to me.
I was good for a while, but eventually I ran out of food. I had no choice but to go outside.
The children in the area were never very nice to me. I left everything at home, not confident enough to avoid losing my things. The recyling plant was four blocks away, a trek and a half for a child my size. Bullies would call me "shrimp" or "munchkin" when they saw me. I would always just run, usually back home or to a hiding spot if I had to. It amazed me how cruel people could be.
I thought maybe he got fed up with me being such a burden on him. It hurt even more to find out what truly happened.
"You mean Ryuuga?" The bearded man looks away from me, acting nervous at my question. "Well, bout a week ago, he just... passed out. We called the manager, but they said all they could do was send him to a clinic. I never heard about him again." This doesn't bode well for him. A week had passed without hearing anything about his condition?
"Where can I find that clinic?"
The clinic had answers, but not the one I was hoping for.
"He... didn't make it."
My reverie fades away as I finish the story. The man at my side is speechless, chewing over my words. Somewhere lost in the memories, our hands had found each other. Worn leather carresses my knuckles.
"It was the first time I was totally alone. I didn't know what to do. They're almost the same age I was, Rua and Ruka. Their parents are alive, but being alone is painful all the same, whether or not they made the choice to leave makes no difference."
"You really care about them. It's good they have you to look after them."
I giggle. "Yeah, I think Rua said "like a mom,"" Yusei lets a smile form at my tittering.
""Like a big sister, or a mom." He sure said it loud enough." The mechanic stands from the couch. He shows me one of those grins, saved for moments like this. It's peaceful, halcyon even to share these memories and worries with a trusted friend. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't tell them half the things I've told this man. "You're good for them. I'm glad I brought such a caring soul along with me."
I match his expression, getting up as well. "Thanks for listening. Now, let's get this mattress pulled out! You've got a big day tomorrow."
In the morning, we'll have to face the music. The first day of the Duel of Fortune Cup lies ahead.
A/N: The Broiler is another made up word lol. It's supposed to be an area in Satellite.
