Chapter I

Awash

Ryo walked aimlessly, his surroundings were sheer darkness, ripples formed on the ground at each of his steps. His last memory were the faces of his friends, around him. Shou was crying in that desert, everyone around mourned his passing. He didn't.

That's it. He had the duel of his life, reached the peak of his career as a duelist and passed away. His friends were there, he helped some of them move on, he did his job, right? There's nothing else left. Since his heart issues became more apparent, he slowly came to terms with it, that he'd die young. There are no regrets.

At least, that's what he thought, until his eyes opened again, his blurred vision didn't distinguish the grains of sand from one another, but he felt the crispy dots prickling under his cheek and ear flattened to the ground, sticking between his hands. There was sand and as far as his undistinguished vision scoped. Is he still in that awful world? There's no way he's alive.

Blinking sluggishly, with heavy eyelids, he watched a person approach, cropped borders from top and bottom of his sight, added to the hazy image, there was very little he identified. It was a girl, he saw some pink strands of hair over her shoulder as her lips blabbed something, but he didn't hear her voice.

An overwhelming tiredness overcame him, his conscience faded to black once more.

Suddenly, like a breath of air was blown into him, he opened his eyes again, an unfamiliar, white ceiling in broad daylight. Ryo sat up in reflex, but his body fended off with him, he toppled back instantly, a sharp pain all over his muscles and chest.

"Ugh," he groaned in a low voice.

Touching his chest, then his own face, finding a breathing mask there. He pulled it out, just to see a needled and tube attached to the back of his hand, his sight swung through the room, an IV pole with a bag standing next to his bed, half of his body covered in white blankets, his upper body in a hospital yukata that was half open with some electrodes attached to his chest.

He heard an increasingly louder beeping of the machine beside his bed monitoring his heart rate as this surge of heat seethed his blood. Lastly, he saw Shou's bewildered expression, eyes wide open and a gaping mouth, words stuck in his throat until he bolted up from his chair and shouted:

"U-uh oh! N-nurse Ayukawa! He's awake!"

Running off the room, the door closed with a bang, he barely heard Shou's voice in the corridor. Now that he had his vision settled, he looked around, the room was enormous, but only he seemed to be there.

Besides his bed and the comfy padded light-blue armchair his brother was sitting a moment ago and the silver table in front of it where his duel disk was placed; there was a light-colored wood closet on the opposite side of the bed, the glass windows were a few steps away from the bed: rectangular shaped and ornate in a metal framework and far behind the bed, there were a TV monitor and some sort of silver cup holder with sliding doors; on the wall across the front of the bed, there was a small blue couch.

He moved his hand, the needle stung a bit. His body was less than vigorous, his muscles felt so weak he could barely raise his back, unable to sit. For how long has he been sleeping? Why is he back to the normal world? What happened to Yubel and everyone? Before he had time to formulate more questions, his brother and nurse Ayukawa opened the door with a thud, a doctor coming along.

"Ryo-kun, we're so glad you're back!" she teared up.

"Haha, we're happy, but we still have to confirm your state, young man."

The doctor was an old man, that promptly checked his vitals and heard his heart with a stethoscope. When he sat down with a clipboard, Ryo knew it would be a long query.

"C-can I stay?" Shou asked in a hurry.

"Sure," the nurse smiled gently at him.

"So, how do you feel?" the doctor started.

"Not awful, but I can't move much."

"Can you sit on your own?"

Ryo attempted to support his hands, they trembled and he couldn't support his whole weight on it to sit.

"Huh… Not really."

The nurse came over and used the raising function of his bed, sitting him down slowly, his back slightly leaned back, the doctor proceeded to perform a bunch of quick checks on his eyes, ears, throat and took notes.

"I want you to take a deep breath in and tell me: Does it hurt to breathe?"

He obeyed the instructions, for some reason, when he tried to breathe deeply, his chest hurt as it expand, like there wasn't enough space for a lot of air.

"My chest feels… Stuffy."

"Is this bad?" Shou paled.

"Ah, no, no, don't worry, it's normal after he's been using the breathing mask for a while," the nurse assured. "Once he gets used to breathing without aid again, he'll be fine."

Ryo looked at all the faces in the room, a mix of neutral expressions and his panicky brother, his gaze wandered around, one of his eyebrows arching up.

"Can anyone explain to me what's going on?"

They all exchanged a glance, the doctor started with his diagnosis:

"Your heart is failing. You passed out from exhaustion because you kept having arrhythmia and your heart stopped for a moment from what your friends told, so miraculously, your heart started beating again. Thankfully, when you were found, it wasn't too late and, so made sure to give you the necessary treatment and you're still under recovery."

Ryo averted his gaze, his lips split apart, but the words wouldn't join together in a cognizable sentence.

"I'm sure you'll slowly adapt, recovery is never easy, but if you take your medicines and rest, you will do just fine."

There was a tense pause as the doctor waited if he had any other questions, he mustered one:

"What about… dueling?"

"It's too early to tell, but it's possible you'll need to stay away from the dueling scene for a good while. We will only know more after we monitor you for a bit longer."

Shou had this utmost scolding frown, even hurt that the first thing his brother could think of after all that happened is still dueling. Ryo complemented:

"I'm not in a rush…"

"I'll let you in the care of nurse Ayukawa, she will give your medicine and explain what you should do," the doctor got up and left.

There was a minute of silence until the nurse sighed in relief, putting a hand to her chest:

"We were all so worried, it's really good to see you awake, Ryo!"

"I thought… We were in another dimension, how come I'm back here?"

Ryo directed his gaze at them, the nurse gulped at the difficult question. there was a lot to tell. She opened her mouth and closed, looking at Shou who then took the lead:

"I'll tell you everything, but first, you should thank nurse Ayukawa, if she hadn't found you at the shore of this island, I don't know what would've happened," the brims of his eyes filled with tears just mentioning the subject.

Ryo's brows curled worriedly, as if all the dark world conflicts and pain were not enough, Shou had to watch his brother die and then be awash mysteriously at the shore of the duel academy.

"Ah, actually," she interrupted the heartwarming moment. "I wasn't the one who found you."

"You weren't?" Shou's tone was confused, that was the first time he heard it.

"No. A lady was passing by and saw you lying unconscious at the beach, she called for help and I happened to be walking by close at the moment."

Lady…? It couldn't be…

Ryo and Shou exchanged a glance, a hint of curiosity in their eyes, they both turned to the nurse, Shou couldn't hold back his tongue:

"And where is this lady now?"

"Ah, I believe the principal thanked her personally and sent her off that same morning you were found."

"Oh," Shou let out in dismay. "That's a pity, I wanted to thank her too."

"You still can, I heard she was working on the island with the crew that came to inspect the phenomena that opened the gates to the other world where we got stuck, they're still around."

"Really? Then, I'll search for this lady later and thank her personally!"

His face brightened, he made it his mission to be grateful to whoever saved his brother's life, even though Ryo wasn't too invested in the idea, he sighed heavily, foiling Shou's enthusiasm:

"I will do it myself when I can get up from the bed, don't bother with it."

He'd never witnessed his brother furrowing the brows so much before, Shou nodded in agreement, but his face told otherwise. He stood up, smiling:

"Well, I'll come back tomorrow then, I have classes today, once the doctor gives the green light for other visitors, I'll tell everyone you're awake."

Leaving quick as the wind, not letting any space for Ryo to contest his monologue, the older brother sighed heavily.

"Don't worry, if you don't want visitors, I'll talk to him."

"No, it's fine. I'm just… tired."

Tired didn't even begin to describe his condition. His body was a mess, his mind was an even bigger mayhem, and his career was an incognita, he combed his bangs back, massaging his head in an attempt to alleviate that headache stinging him.

"I know what you need," she smiled.

He leaned against his bed, staring up to the ceiling. The nurse opened the closet and took a small box, putting it atop a bedside stand and dragging it closer to his bed so he could reach it by stretching his hand a bit.

"Here, you can have fun, but remember to sleep plenty and don't exert yourself, right?" she winked while closing the door gingerly.

Reality dawned on him when the door clicked. He was alone. The room was deadly silent, but it was still morning, the sunlight entering through the windows beamed directly towards his bed.

What could a sick person possibly do to entertain themselves? Taking the box onto his lap, his lips glued together, some of his belongings were there: his wallet and his deck. A faint smile clung to his lips, he gleaned over his beloved cards, filled in the reminiscence of that glorious duel at the Dark dimension and of many others.

Tucking it back into a corner of the box, he placed it over his bedside stand and pushed the button to lower his bed, accommodating his hands to the side, he slept with a serene, satisfied smile.

His life was fulfilling, he strived and stumbled, he laughed and cried. He couldn't wish for more, but as a prank of destiny he ended up here, where the best moments of his life occurred. A second chance. What should he do now that he's back? There's a lot to think about as he recovers.

Somewhen,

Ryo's eyelids jolted open, he tried sitting again, this time it worked, but as soon as he was straight up, a sharp pain hit his chest. his body bent forward, his eyes squeezed shut. A shout startled him:

"Nurse! Nurse!"

Shou's voice called desperate, he run off, Ryo stretched his arm in an attempt to prevent him from leaving, the burning sensation slowly subsided. Soon a group of medical staff were back along with Shou, and the whole story repeated itself, he was questioned about his state, a few exams were made, the routine was starting to make him impatient.

After everyone but his brother left he exhaled deeply, saying in a collected voice:

"I'm fine, you didn't need to panic."

"You were in pain."

"You saw me just yesterday."

"No," Shou denied with a raised brow, a pinch of frustration in his voice. "You were passed out for the last couple days."

"I have been out cold for that long?"

He looked at the side, now there was a needle attached to the joint of his arm. His gaze wandered at the far away glass windows slightly above his sight to the side.

"I can sit now and I feel a lot better than before."

Shou looked into his brother's eyes, an afflicted glint, and a rather disappointed curve of his brows.

"Look, I understand it's difficult for you to accept that you are sick, but you must do your best to recover. You shouldn't deny it."

"I'm not… Denying it."

Shou clenched his fists, he had enough of Ryo's standoffishness and dull responses. Gritting his teeth, he lashed out all the feelings he'd been bottling up every time he watched his brother lay on that bed, unresponsive for that whole time:

"Then don't force yourself! Everyone was so worried about you, we all thought… We all thought you died! And you've been asleep the past month after they found you! But every time you wake up you act like nothing happened! Stop being like this! Like your life doesn't matter at all!"

Ryo was stupefied momentarily, his gawking mouth slowly closing as he recollected himself.

"I'm not acting. It's been all puzzling to me too, Shou. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it," he admitted calmly.

Shou's brows twisted in consternation, Ryo wasn't the type to talk about his feelings or worries, but here he was having a proper conversation, more so because he felt guilty over his brother's ignored feelings.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," he wiped a few tears that formed with an arm.

"Given how fortunate I was, I don't think I'll die tomorrow or anything, we're in a hospital after all."

His roaming gaze stopped at Shou's sleeves, those were from an obelisk blue uniform, he then realized something, asking nonchalantly:

"You've been promoted to Obelisk blue?"

"Ah, y-yes," he scratched his face nervously. "A lot has happened these past couple months."

"Did it?" he smiled faintly. "I'd love to hear about it."

Shou was stunned for a second. His brother never asked about such things before, even when they both were studying, it felt like his achievements didn't matter to Ryo, when they had their fallout, with a strained relationship, he thought it was all over, but ever since his brother "died" some change was set into motion in him, almost like he was back to his old self and not the "Hell Kaiser" he loathed anymore.

"I will tell you everything." With a smile spread all over his face, he nodded firmly.

They spent a long time talking, Ryo caught up to what had transpired both in the dark world and there in the real world. By the end of it, Shou waved at him ending that conversation in a friendlier tone than when it started.

He was weary and needed to rest after the humongous amount of information, but he didn't regret spending this time with his brother. Maybe he should consider this a break rather than a recovery time only, no stress from the leagues, no vengeful duel monsters, everything is normal again.

A couple days later…

Ryo opened and closed his hand, no IV needles weren't there anymore, he wasn't as groggy and exhausted as before, his body was surely getting better. The doctors still wouldn't tell him any prospects of when he'd be back to dueling, but it sounded like they avoided the topic because it was too serious to ditch the truth on him and his weakened heart.

He sat at the edge of the bed when he heard Shou's voice drawing closer from the corridor, he was talking to someone:

"Yes, it's here. Please remember what I told you. He's still sick, okay?"

The abrupt click of the door made him flinch, Shou opened it while looking to the side with a smile, to the second person coming in.

Ryo's eyes broadened, focusing on the new visitor: a young woman with long pink hair, a few strands joined in side braids connecting into a small ponytail, her skin was even whiter than Shou's and her eyes were large, round blue marbles with pointy edges, she blinked away from his brother, their eyes meeting.

His breath hitched there for a moment, she wore this puffy short sleeved white dress that was a bit loose, yet her plump curves filled it enticingly; her black stockings that shaped her legs beautifully. He didn't expect she'd be this pretty, the direness of the situation only struck him when he heard the beeping noise of the machine monitoring his vitals going amok, everyone in the room watched his heart rate peaking high.

In an instinctive move, he just grabbed the electrodes attached to his chest and plucked them, a blazing sensation and red marks left on his skin for being so rough, he winced at it, mumbling an "ouch".

"Brother! Are you fine?!" Shou rushed over to his side, holding him by the shoulders.

He narrowed his eyes, glaring annoyedly at his brother, the traits of his face becoming stern and wrinkled, his clueless sibling finally noticing the problem, casting a side glance to the girl completely frozen in tension, anxiously waiting for the development.

"Shou, you did not tell me you were bringing a guest."

"I-I'm sorry I didn't account this could upset you."

"Forget it, just tell me next time," he shook off his head to ward off the irritation.

"W-well, I want you to meet someone," he pointed his hands at her, still ashamed of the whole skit. "This is Rie, the one who found you at the beach."

She bowed a couple times apologetically for intruding, blushing flustered, she barely arrived and already stirred trouble.

Way to give a first impression, Ryo.

The way her smooth strands of hair slid off her shoulders each time she bowed was quite charming. Lifting a gift basket with fruits and a simple card wishing for his recovery as it was customary to give someone when visiting them.

Placing the basket on the table, she stood awkwardly as Shou glanced at his brother prodding his head to poke at Ryo, to do something.

"Ryo Marufuji, nice to meet you," he stretched his hand.

They had a handshake and she turned to Shou again, fidgeting as if asking him what she should be doing if all he wanted was to introduce them to each other. If she was shy before, his blunder made her clam up more.

Ryo's glare almost tore a hole open on his brother's face for bringing guests without prior announcement, his sibling quickly making his escape, announcing with a drop of sweat trickling down his face:

"How about I grab some drinks?" he tiptoed backwards towards the exit. "You two can get acquainted in the meantime, we have plenty to talk about!"

He left halfway, peeking his head into the room again with a last sentence before he fully left:

"Ah, by the way, brother, she can't speak!"

"She- wait, wait!"

Ryo stretched his arm over to the exit for nothing, his brother long gone as he looked from behind the girl with a shocked expression, he shook his head off in a berating way. The pair of blue eyes were on him the whole time, his body tensed a bit, he cleared his throat, recomposing.

"Why don't you have a seat?" he pointed at the chair across from his bed, smiling politely.

She smiled wryly, sitting down with fidgety hands, his insipid stare elicited a delayed shiver, she twiddled with her fingers.

"I heard you were at the shore when you found me," he folded his arms, looking at her.

Instead of saying a word she nodded frantically, her bangs flying up in the air, he then declared in a collected tone:

"They said this saved my life. I don't think I can thank you enough for that, but I'm grateful."

She flinched, wobbling her hands in denial, attempting to say it was nothing. Her lips battered silently, she put her hands on her throat, gesturing something, then pulled out a phone from her dress' pocket. Typing with both hands, the screen reflected in her eyes.

[I'm sorry, I can't speak.]

"You can't-" his mouth just gaped open there. "You mean as in… you're mute?" his eyes squinted at the guess.

I can't believe Shou just told me this as a "by the way" fact.

With a confirming smile, she shook her head in approval, happy that they were at least on the same page.

How did she call for help, then?

The door clicked open again, but this time it was nurse Ayukawa, she strode speedily, her short white heels clacking. Putting her hands on hips, she spoke in a chastising voice:

"Ryo! You can't detach the electrodes! They're there to monitor your heart rate to make sure you're doing well!"

"Sorry, I just got a bit surprised, it started beeping and the noise was bothering me," he crafted a lie as quick as his breath.

She raised a brow in doubt at his statement, then whirled around with a kind smile:

"Please try to not disturb the patients."

Rie sweated aplenty, nodding and apologizing with frantic bows of her head.

"It's not her fault, really,"

He sighed wearily. Why did his brother pull this stunt on him again? And why is everyone wanting him to keep his emotions in check now? This patrol over his feelings was gradually irking him.

Ayukawa cast a doubtful glance at him, with droopy eyes, like she knew all it was about, he adjusted on his seat, uncomfortable at the judging gaze.

"I have to put it back, excuse me."

She stood in front of him pulling his yukata to the side to attach the apparatus again, despite blocking the sight, Rie averted her face to the side, her gaze roaming clumsily around the room.

"Now, if you need anything, ring the button," she pointed at the button on a stand hanging from a cable near his bed, fastening his clothes again. "If he can't do it, please ring the button for him."

She explained to Rie who responded with an eager nod, following the nurse with her eyes as the woman waddled out of the room. An awkward silence installed after she left, Ryo thrashed it:

"I apologize for this."

Swinging her head in denial, the corner of her lips tugged up in hopelessness. He was the one to break the ice again.

"So… What were you doing there at the shore when you found me?"

[I was having a walk.]

"I heard it was one of the empty shores, rarely a soul wanders there."

[I wanted some time alone to think] she confessed. [Then, I saw you fainted there.]

Her stare landed on him, but her mind traveled a far distance, remembering that day when she saw him lying on the ground. Honestly, his face was quite handsome, she didn't pay as much attention to details due to the circumstances, but now her cheeks prickled a bit while looking at him from a close perspective, however, at a second glance, doesn't he look a bit slimmer than the first time she met him?

"And you found nurse Ayukawa later."

[I was so scared, but you were breathing and had a pulse, yet I panicked, I sent messages and rushed to search for help, but stumbled on the nurse and she got the necessary aid.]

"I imagine it must have been difficult for you given you couldn't call for help from your own phone."

[Frankly, I don't feel like I did much. But your brother said he wanted to thank me and you too, so I came.]

That little wimp. Did he really go out of his way to find her and bring her here?

"He used to be more spineless, but I guess he's got some backbone now," he thought out loud.

His sharp, green eyes staring idly at the windows beyond her, she shuddered meekly under that intense gaze of his. The tension dispelled right away when Shou came back with the drinks.

They talked about Shou's silliness when he searched for Rie for days until he found out where she was working and how she denied involvement in the situation because principal Samejima asked her not to tell anyone Ryo was recovering in the special health care center of the island.

It was sunset by the end of it, Rie waved her goodbyes with a tiny smile, leaving the brothers alone. Shou came closer to Ryo's bed, peeking at his unfazed expression, posing the question, a tiny blush in his cheeks.

"Your heartbeats didn't go up just because you were surprised did they?"

"Of course not, you want to give me another heart attack?" he massaged his forehead. "Do you know how endlessly embarrassing this was? Did you absolutely need to bring that girl here?"

Shou chuckled lightheartedly, getting an angry glare from his brother. "I'm sorry, that was gold, you ripping apart those things and you had such a blank face I couldn't understand what was happening at first."

"I'm not made of steel. Even if my face doesn't show."

So the secret was to monitor his insides and dismiss his outward appearance? Was Ryo's heart beating this fast every time he got nervous in school too? And everyone thought he was just a cool guy that didn't get shaken by anything, but all it took was a cute girl.

Shou burst into delighted laughter again, wiping the tears that gathered at the corners of his eyes.

"I know it's wrong to laugh, but I didn't know you were so excitable when it came to girls..."

"I am not. It's just… it's been a while since I last saw new people."

"I didn't expect she'd be around the same age as you, I had a lady past thirties in my mind for some reason when they said some 'lady' found you."

"It must be shocking to you, Shou, that your older brother likes pretty girls enough to make his heart race when he sees one," he scoffed, not holding any grudge for his sibling's provocations. "I guess we never talked about topics like this one before..."

"I like my brother a lot more now that we can talk about these things."

"I am not a machine, so please keep in mind my current physical state when you want to surprise me next."

If my heart can only deal with this little , I'd rather save all the excitement for when I duel.

"I will."

Ryo observed his brother, they never had a conversation like this and the last time Shou had fun with him was when they dueled as kids. Perhaps the whole encounter wasn't that bad if it mended their strained relationship any bit.

His thoughts trailed off somewhere else, the recollection of the girl he saw when he first woke up at the shore.

So that was her… Well, it doesn't matter. She already got her thanks, it's over.

He spoke too early, because the very next day, there was that pink head, in his hospital room again, her eyes curiously locked onto his as she entered the precinct.

Why is she here again? What now?