all things in bad taste

“But don’t do anything too strenuous,” she cautioned, looking utterly mystified. “We still don’t know what caused that episode, so even if you feel fine right now, you shouldn’t push yourself, okay?”

“I understand,” Kotori agreed, smiling, even though she felt sure the cause had nothing to do with her physical health.

She should have just gone home right away, but she wanted to walk, to sort out her thoughts and clear her head, until eventually her wandering found her facing the ocean, standing at the aqueduct where she met her attacker.

The person she had spoken to online and the one she dueled had behaved completely differently. “Ka110” had seemed articulate and careful, straightforward but still considerate of the things she said to him. They’d picked the aqueduct together, because it would be more convenient to her. She hadn’t expected anything like who she got, with harsh, clipped speech, and dark, furious eyes.

Could it really have been just an act? It wasn’t like Kotori still believed in Ka110—but could the person she dueled really have put up a front like that?  He'd been so obviously angry, and his motives had been so violently clear.  He'd demanded her surrender of the cards she didn't have, not even following through on his false premise to at least see her supposed card first, to snatch and run off with it.  If it was an act, it wasn't one he was capable at all of following through on in person.  It didn't seem like a case of him being a different person online and offline—it seemed like a case of him being a different person altogether.  

But that didn't help her understand what was going on at all.

Kotori hadn’t even worn her deck in a holster for a full day before getting crushed by her own amateur level of skill. She couldn’t do anything in the match; her hand and field had been wiped bare only a few turns in, and no matter how she struggled she could never get a foothold to recover. She had been kidding herself when she had picked up her cards, as if she could do anything with them the way she was now. In a duel she was helpless. What she could do—all she could do—

All she could do was look for more leads.

She blew her pale bangs out of her face—maybe she would dye it later, so she didn't have to explain why most of her hair had gone white overnight—and contemplated heading home.  She could get back on the forum again, maybe.  She'd have to be careful with her posting if she didn't want into the same trouble again, but she could read over them.   Maybe check if any users had gone inactive suddenly after posting about acquiring a new card?  It was the only lead she could think of.

Fledgling plan in mind, she turned away from the waterfront, and her breath caught in her throat as she turned right towards a figure staring at her.  The features she found herself faced with overlaid in her mind with the boy's from before: sharp eyes set in a young face, the contours matching his almost exactly—so exactly, she nearly missed the obvious.  These eyes were red, and this person was a girl.  

Startled, she took a step back.  "You scared me!"

"Do you want an apology?"  The other girl didn't seem the slightest bit inclined to give one, despite her offer.  "And here I thought you came back to face your fears.  But it is too late for second thoughts."

"Back—!?"  Kotori reassessed the girl in front of her, and tensed, ready to run.  She learned from last time.  She definitely wasn't ready to duel anyone that was as good as the boy from before.  "How do you know about that?!  And what do you mean by that!?"

"I already frightened you, didn't I?" Ignoring Kotori's tension, the girl took her place next to her on the rail, and spoke, looking out towards the ocean, blankly.  It was bizarre.  Despite everything, she didn't seem to have any ill-will.  She didn't seem to have much of anything—she was impossible to get a read on, like she wasn’t even closed off, just… blank.  Somehow, it seemed like there was nothing there.  "Ryouga really is an awful worrywart.  He kept me up almost all night with his fidgeting."

"R. . . Ryouga?"  Kotori thought she knew who the other girl meant, but the conversation was so strange she suddenly didn't feel sure of anything.  She was being so conversational and casual, but every word was completely without inflection, and she didn't even bother to look at Kotori.  Kotori was still on edge, but she wasn't going to run—not if she wasn't in danger yet.  She'd come here looking for answers, hadn't she?  And answers had apparently walked right up to her.

"My brother.  You can't tell?  We really do look alike."  She turned her head to face Kotori again, and after barely a moment, Kotori nodded.  Her coloring was different, but the shape of her sharp eyes were unmistakable.

No.  She definitely couldn't relax, if this girl was involved with that.  Kotori took another step back, edging towards the end of the bridge, where she'd have more ways to run.  "Who are you?” she plied, voice straining higher and stronger.  “Who are both of you?"

"Isn't it clear?"  She had to be intentionally obscure, but it was like she'd forgotten the teasing tells, no mischievous smile on her blank face.  "I'm his sister.  And he's the boy that dueled you here the other day."

For as clear as she was being Kotori might as well have been speaking to someone in another language.  Frustration overrode her remaining fear, which had already mostly faded to wariness, confusion dulling it out.  "Geez!  I know that!  I meant, I wanted to know more!"

"That isn't going to serve you very well.  But you already knew that, didn't you?  Being the kind of girl that goes right back to where you were attacked isn't very bright.  It's going to get you in trouble."  

"Is that a threat?"  Another step back, in retreat, but this time the other girl took a step, following her.

"Accusing a stranger is mean.  I'm here to help you, you know.  I don't want to have to listen to Ryouga sulking.  Coming straight back here and demanding information, you fit right into the same mold as my brother.  You're both far too stubborn.  But the actions you're taking aren't compatible at all."  

"Do you mean. . ." Kotori thought through her words.  If she was equating Kotori's coming back with her brother's stubbornness, "Do you mean he's going to come after me again?"  She thought she felt the start of a tremble in her legs and held the railing tight, to hide her fear and sound defiant.

"He won’t need to go out of his way for it, if you walk right back into his path yourself.  If you don't change your mind, you'll be nothing more than a victim, just like before."

Something about the way that calm voice stated it like truth made Kotori mad.  "I won't be his victim!"

Her red eyes looked Kotori up and down, assessing.  "Is that so?  In any case, you'll certainly end up clashing with him again."

"Is that all you came here to say?"  Kotori stated defiantly.

"Hmm . . . I wonder, is there anything else."  She looked at Kotori, studying her.  "No, that's all for now.  If you end up being worth more words than that, you can look forward to another visit."  

"How could you—you're being really rude!" Kotori shouted, unable to stop herself.  

Then, as if Kotori hadn't spoken at all, the girl turned around, away from Kotori.  "Well, then.  If that's all."  Just like that, she started walking off, like the conversation was over.

"No, that's not all!  You haven't told me anything!"  Kotori suddenly regretted the distance she put between them, the extra steps as she rushed forward to grab her wrist and demand more information--

When she reached the spot the other girl stood, her hand was left grasping nothingness.  Before Kotori's eyes, she had vanished completely.  Kotori closed her fingers on her palm anyway, letting the air pass between her fingers.  Another strange thing in a line of strange things that happened since she had given Rei the key.  She didn't—couldn't—doubt the weird girl's words.  If she continued to look into this, she'd meet that boy again.

The last time, she really had been his victim, powerless before his dueling skills.  She hadn't been able to help Rei at all—she hadn't accomplished a single thing.  If she kept looking, it might happen again.  Even though she'd mouthed off to that weird girl, she really wasn't confident in herself.

But if she did nothing, she definitely wouldn't accomplish anything.  She was sure that if she stayed by Rei’s side, more trouble would come, trouble she'd be just as helpless against.  But she wasn’t about to abandon him. At the very least she had to try to prepare.  

She looked down at the closed fist of her hand and held it close to her chest, in promise.

---

Their most recent assignment had gone well—guard a new shipment of cards, beat up anyone that tried to take them, and turn in the would-be thieves when they were done.  It was the way things were supposed to go.  It wasn't strictly on the up-and-up, Alit knew, since by all rights him and Gilag should still be in school, but he liked the work.   It got his blood pumping, and at worst, injuries healed.

Shark's soul-stealing thing went way past that.  Them getting hurt was one thing, hurting innocent people was another.  Neither the girl nor the guy with her in that hospital room seemed like the type to deserve being one of their targets.  

Alit wasn't at all a brooder, like Shark was, so he'd barely made sure no one was around to listen before he opened his mouth.  "Hey, Gilag."  Alit nudged him in the side to see if he’d answer first; Gilag wasn't always in the mood to talk. If he was watching a Duel Idol programme or thinking about one of them, trying to get his full attention was hopeless.

"Yeah, Alit?"

Okay, listening, that was good.  "So, you know how I was late yesterday and you had to clean up the obstacle course mess and I said I'd owe you one?  Well, there was this girl. . ."

"A girl, huh?"  Gilag perked up, and elbowed him.  "Huuuh?  Was she cute?"

"Aaah, man, no! Now isn't the time for gossiping!  This is serious; she was soulless!"  

"That bad?"

Taken aback, Alit started to defend the girl's character, saying, "No, she was as lovely as pale Snow White—" before he cut himself off and shook his head.  Damnit, he was trying not to get distracted, here! "And in the same kinda cursed sleep!  That kind of soulless!"

"That does sound serious."  That at least seemed to impress the situation on Gilag, who stopped elbowing him meaningfully and was paying attention properly now.  "So how did you get mixed up in it?"

"Shark."

Gilag grimaced.  Alit aside, most of Mr. Heartland's crew avoided the twins like a particularly creepy plague.  "I should have known.  Other than that guy, who else could it be?  Besides his sister."

Usually, Alit would argue the point or at least point out that the twins had the looks to make up for their personalities, but right now his heart wasn't in it.  "Yeah, yeah.  It was Shark.  But Shark on an assignment!  Doesn't that strike you as fucked up, him stealing some girl's soul?"  

"You're the one that's friends with him," Gilag said roughly, not meeting his eyes.

"Yeah, I am!  So I'm worried, that he's getting these kinda screwed up orders!  It's not like he up and decided to do it on some whim yesterday morning, you shoulda see him!"  Not that Shark liked being seen when he was torn up about something.  "Or not.  Actually, he'd probably ramp up the asshole to cover up for it, but that's not the point.  You get my point, right?"

"That management is up to something that he's neck-deep in?"  Gilag shrugged, and crossed his arms.  "That isn't new.  Numbers Hunting has always been a do whatever it takes deal, and that guy. . .  That's the problem with him."  He sounded uncomfortable as he went on, "Orders are orders and nothing to be done about it, but he doesn't screw up or request a division transfer.  Just keeps taking down whatever gets in his way.  Don't know how you can be easy-going around that kind of guy."

"Well—c'mon, he has his sister to worry about too!"  Alit changed the subject before Gilag could make a retort to that too, saying, "Anyway, the point is the top brass is definitely being all kinds of shady, worse than usual!  Shark was ordered after a girl who didn't even have a Numbers!"  

"No Numbers?"

"Yeah!  That kinda stuff is usually our jobs! But even if she had one, it still wouldn’t sit right with me."  He scowled. "Mr. Heartland is mostly reasonable, right?  But this messed up business Ilkaitre keeps sending Shark out on sets my teeth on edge—there's gotta be something we can do about it."

He waited to see if Gilag would challenge the we part of it, but even when he shook his head, he didn't say Alit should take care of it on his own.  "We're not the good guys here either, Alit."  

"Yeah, but just because we're bad guys doesn't mean we've got to be the worse-than-we already-are-guys!"

Gilag stood there silent, looking frustrated as he towered over Alit, but eventually settled on a response.  “So what are you trying to say?” Gilag asked, more like an accusation. “Do you want us to go against Ilkaitre?”

Alit scratched the back of his head, glancing away.  “I hadn’t really planned up to that part yet.”

Gilag threw one arm to the side, fist clenched.  "Alit!  Don't underestimate him!  Ilkaitre's not a problem you can solve with a fist in the face!"

"He's not going to get solved at all if you just decide we can't do anything!  At least I want to try!" Alit shot back, defensive.

"Come up with a plan first!  When you've got one, then we'll talk!"  

"Fine!  Just wait, I'll come up with one!  And then there's no excuses left for you not to get on board with this!"  Alit punched one of his hands into the the palm of his other, showing his determination.

"Yeah, when you come up with one."  Gilag agreed.

Alit nodded, a grin back on his face at the tentative promise of comradery in his rebellion, but internally after a few seconds what he'd just promised to do registered.  Ah, man, why did it have to be plans?  Counter-strategies were one thing—he knew how criminals moved, so predicting and preempting them, getting his retaliation all lined up was no big deal, but he wasn't a big mastermind schemer.  He was bad at accounting for random elements, even if he could handle closed situations.  And unlike dealing with petty criminals, he had no idea how that boss of Shark's thought about anything.  But, hey, on the bright side, Gilag had agreed.  Could be worse.  His grin was firmly in place, as he asked, "So, hey, you mind covering for me again?  I think I've got a lead on where to ask to figure out more about those shitty orders."

"Go ahead."  Gilag said.  "I'll hold down the fort."

He was definitely still reluctant, but he'd said yes with his mouth even if his closed posture told a different story, and verbal was all the confirmation Alit needed.  "Thanks!  I'm going to owe you two, now!" he called back, as he dashed off.

As Alit jogged off down the corridor and Gilag watched him go, Alit heard his fading voice mutter, "It's a lot more than that," before he rounded the corner and couldn't hear him anymore.

The girl should have gotten out of the hospital by now, but her files would still be around. Whatever reason she was targeted, whatever Alit was going to do about it—it wouldn’t hurt to learn a thing or two about her.

Heartland had plenty of vehicles to spare, but Alit ran. Out the doors, down the streets; the hospital was close and the ground was solid under his thick-soled boots. He kept off the main roads, but even the side streets had their own afternoon foot traffic, and with his mind set on his goal, he didn't even stop to think that the first cry of “Hey!” from behind him might be directed at him.

“Hey, wait for me! Hey—Alit!”

But someone calling his name was impossible to miss.  There weren't even that many people that knew his name to call him by it—aside from Heartland staff, he almost never got to really get out and socialize.   And from an unfamiliar voice, that was doubly alarming.  He whirled, expecting a guard to drag him back, but who he saw instead didn't seem to be much of an improvement.  The red-head from the hospital, catching up rapidly, and Alit could already tell he had no hope of losing him, not unless he figured out how to sprout wings in the next few seconds.  

Ah, well, if there was anything Heartland had taught him, it was that if he pretended he didn't have any idea anything was wrong he might get lucky and get away with it.  He turned around and waved.  "Yo.  You wanted something?"  

The other boy reached him, panting lightly, and held onto his wrist— probably trying to make sure he didn't change his mind and book it.   "It's about the other day.  After you gave Kotori her soul back, she got better."

Score one for team Alit!  Was his inner goodness finally getting some of the credit it deserved?  He grinned, relaxing a little, and put his hand down.  "You just wanted to give me an update?"

"Well. . . no."  Dammit.  "I wanted to know why you had her soul in the first place."

"That's a long story."  Alit's eyes swept the area, looking around.   "Look, do we have to talk about this junk here?  People can hear."   Which was a concern, but mostly because he didn't want to get chewed out for leaving witnesses if he had to fight him off.  

Instead, the red-head's eyes narrowed, and he stood his ground, stubbornly.  "You're avoiding the question.  Is it because you took it?"

"What—no way!  Why would I take her soul just to put it back!?  C'mon, it wasn't me!"  Alit immediately defended himself.

"Then how did you get it?" His eyes widened at Alit beseechingly, and he felt a stab of guilt.  Shit, he really did have a good point.  And it wasn't that he was doing anything wrong—asking around out of concern for a friend was the opposite of a bad motive.  But Alit couldn't just go ahead and out Shark.  He was doing it for someone important to him, too.

"That's—look, I don't know!  It was just given to me, I don't know anything more than that!"

The grip on his wrist tightened painfully, "Who gave it to you?"

"Ow—just some scientist!  It was just a job—"

"You're lying," he hisses, lowly, and the the grip on his wrist was like a vice. Alit felt the bones grind together in building painful pressure, like they might snap at any moment.  "Don't you remember?"  He threw his free arm up defensively like he was trying to block his face from view, and his voice high with imitated panic, with a mocking edge dug into it, "I just wanted to fix it and get out.  See if I play the nice guy again!"  The acid he put in the words 'nice guy' could have eaten through a bank vault.  Alit recoiled away from just that mocking but the grip on his wrist held fast.  Since when was anyone other than Gilag stronger than him?  This wasn't right.  Was this really the same guy from the other day?

"What the hell is wrong with you!?"  Alit shouted and witnesses be damned, if a fight was what this guy wanted then he'd learn he picked on the wrong guy.  He drew his free arm back for a punch, and nailed him square in the jaw.

But the grip didn't get weaker, and the redhead turned his face back to Alit and smiled.  A chill spilled down Alit's spine at the sight of it—something was definitely wrong, here.  Shark, what the hell kind of people did you start trouble with?

"What's wrong with me?"  He tilted his head, repeating the words softly, before a grin lit up his face.  "Well, if you're curious. . . showing you would be for the best!"

---

The sting in his face after that blow was really laughable.  He couldn't help smiling—just as he'd always known, he always could be stronger.  It hurt, it ached, stirring with the beginnings of a bruise but it just didn't matter at all.  There was nothing frightening now, after his father.  Alit was half his father's size.  This was nothing.  

And thanks to the Number glowing a brand on his neck, his fear of himself was nothing too.  It was a feeling he never wanted to let go, this happiness, the roiling excitement at the prospect of violence and victory coming in on its heels.  A coward like him getting to be brave, it was unthinkable.

"Whoops!"  He laughed lightly and cocked his head.  "Sorry, sorry.   Did you think I was going to be easy pickings?  My bad, I didn't mean to give the wrong impression!  This time I'll be clearer."  He dropped the pitch of his voice to gravel paving over mania and pulled Alit in closer, speaking right into his ear, his lips a breath away from brushing it.  "I'm not!"

Alit struggled back against him, leaning back as far out of Rei's grasp as he could get with Rei's hands holding his wrists in place.   "But you're the one that started it!  Look, if you want me to leave you alone, that's great because that's what I wanna do too!  Let go, and I'll be right outta here!"

"But you didn't give me what I want."  Rei pointed out.  "Just some scientist isn't a name.  Think about how much trouble and time it would take to go through all the scientists!"  

Alit looked at him like Kotori looked at a scorpion, the one time one had gotten into the classroom—with intermingled horror and disbelief because this was Heartland and they weren't supposed to have scorpions here.  It wasn't fair for Alit to look at him like that.  If Alit wanted his words to do any good, he would have to know that Rei would have had to go through all of them.  It would be better for him to just give one name.  There was no reason for the disbelief in that look.

"Go through all of the scientists?  That's crazy!  You're crazy!"  Alit still was trying to get away from him.

Rei sighed.  "That wasn't what I asked about either."  It looked like Alit wasn't going to be helpful without convincing.

Well, that was okay too.  He knew just how to convince him.   Not broken fingers.  The other way.  He released his grip with one hand and Alit stumbled back, sudden recoil from his attempt to escape succeeding, but he wasn't going to get very far.  Rei pulled out his deck and set his disk. "Okay, then.  We'll duel, and when I win, you have to answer me for real!"

The world crumpled like a discarded sketch around them, and Rei grinned amidst the encroaching shadows.  It was different from the closed world Droite's card had created, the sweltering jungle where he'd run and hid and had turned it against her.  This world was a silver floor shining in the dark, a single floating dais in an ocean of dark mist, obscuring if there was anything below in blackness and shadows.   It was a field of pitch black night with nowhere to hide.

They were clearly outlined, and it was just as clear they had no escape routes.  It was just him, Alit, the platform below.

And, slowly taking visible form, Black Mist hovering at his side, replacing Durbe, the spirit he'd grown used to seeing at his shoulder.  

Alit whirled about, eyes wide and his head whipped wildly back and forth at the darkened world.  Rei laughed and Alit started, like he just remembered Rei was his opponent and not the shadows around him.  He cursed a quick dammit and set his duel-disk, and the skin around his eye lit up in a sharp curving tribal pattern, a brilliant shining orange as he connected to the network for a duel.  

He drew his cards, just as Rei announced, "I'll begin!"  In his own field he wasn't going to let someone else beat him to the punch.

His cards in his hand. . . He'd hastily had his deck altered by 96, so he'd have the level 3s necessary to make his XYZ form.  He didn't recognize all of them, and had to pause to start to read, as 96 beside him stuck his head over his shoulder to direct Rei's playing.  "Call out the Malicevorous monsters to overlay.  Use the power of my true form!"

Rei put a hand through 96's insubstantial face, to make him move away.  "I didn't take this power so you could boss me around.  I'll do this my way."  96 made a hiss like a cat, hilariously offended, as he floated out of Rei's reach.

"No one's bossing you around!" Alit shouted from the other side of the platform, and Rei brightened and nodded, pleased someone had agreed with him, even if Alit wasn't being helpful otherwise.

"Yes, that's what I said!  So, my turn!  I play set two cards face down and end my turn!"

"Shingetsu," 96 growled, "I will make you regret it if you ignore me."  Rei smirked at the theatrics.  

"Shhh, shhhh." He shushed him  "We'll miss what Alit is going to do, if you keep talking."

"You're the only one talking!" Alit pointed at him, voice loud and confused.  Rei smiled a little blameless smile and shrugged at him.  It wasn't Rei's fault that Alit couldn't see 96.  "But all right, my turn! I draw, and summon, Burning Knuckler Glassjaw!  And when I have a Burning Knuckler on the field, I can special summon Burning Knuckler Spar!  Overlay!"  

Rei watched as Alit's ace appeared on the field, and stretched.  It was a big thing, chained, on two feet.  It seemed Alit didn't understand how dueling worked at all in these kinds of fields.  He was the more experienced duelist, but Rei had the advantage here— he knew the rules didn't apply.

Well, no reason to tip his hand early.

"Trap, activate!  Phoenix Wing Wind Blast!"  Rei called out, paying the price from his hand , as before him a great phoenix appeared to flap its wings, the whirlwind aimed straight at Alit's monster— and Alit.   In the gale wind forces, Alit steeled himself on instinct, but the whipping of the chains that tied his monster down swung wildly, and knocked into him.  He staggered then flung himself aside, out of the path of his monster as force of speeding wind whipped it from its feet and flung it over the edge into the abyss.  Disappointing.  It would have been easier to win if it has just knocked Alit off with it.

"What—!?  What the hell is this!?"

"A trap card!  It made your monster go back to the extra deck!" Rei called out, knowing perfectly well that wasn't what was meant.  Saying it was real was redundant now, as Alit's skin was starting to bruise and discolor where the chain had bashed him.  Probably, he understood.  If he didn't get it already, then explaining it wouldn't do any good anyway.  Better to demonstrate!

"You know that's not what I meant!  Man—why am I even trying to talk to you?  Turn end!"  Alit left his field open, and glared at Rei, challenging.

Rei smiled back at him, unwaveringly upbeat, and drew a card.  Doing everything in proper order was kind of tedious, but it was worth it just for how much 96 was seething beside him, unwilling to give him orders again if Rei was just going to go against him to prove he could.  Rei drew his card and checked his hand again.  

Actually, he still didn't know how to use those cards.  "96, what did you want me to play again?"

"Wait, 96!?  A Numbers?  You're numbers possessed!"  Rei ignored Alit's shouting, making a shooshing gesture.  He wanted to hear what 96 had to say.

"Malicevorous!  Special summon fork, discard the spoon, summon the knife and call the spoon from the grave.  Do you see just how much you need my support, now?"

Hmm . . . Rei looked the cards over.  Oh, that made sense.   "Something like that."  He played, just as instructed.  The three imps were swept up in the whirlpool of an overlay, and Black Mist's form expanded a rose, towering above him.  Rei looked between the two of them, 96 and his monster form.  "The more threatening one, attack Alit directly!"  

You only have one monster on your field he expected Alit to reply, but this time his opponent had no interest in shouting at Rei while he wasn't listening.  Instead, his attention was entirely on the attack as Black Mist lurched a single step forward then shot forward.   Alit looked dead at the monster, bracing, his fists raised before him.   Despite the looming figure, the height that Alit must have known he couldn't defend himself from, he looked prepared.

What an idiot.  

One black arm rose up, to come crashing down on Alit and Rei leaned forward in anticipation, as it came down on Alit heavy, and he staggered beneath the weight.  A quarter of his life points gone, he dropped into a crouch, looking up.  

But then Alit grinned suddenly and called out, "Not bad!  Burning Knuckler Veil!"  Right between him and Black Mist, a boxer dropped down, mirroring Alit's earlier prepared boxing crouch with a shield mounted on each arm, ready to defend.  "When I take battle damage, I can summon this guy out and regain life-points equal to what I lost!"  He staggered upright, grin upbeat and defiant.

Oh, so he had a plan.  But he was still thinking about it all wrong.  If the damage to his body took him out, it didn't matter what his life points were.  Rei’s fingers drummed impatiently over the backs of the cards in his hand, eager to see the look on Alit’s face when he realized the trap he was in, but not yet. Rei would play by the rules for a little while longer. "Okay.  Then I'm going to end my turn."

Wasting no time, Alit took his draw.  "Burning Knuckler, Headgear!  This time, you're going down!  XYZ summon, Burning Knuckler, Lead Blow!"  

With a great reverberating thud, the monster returned to the field. Rei flicked a glance at his cards—nothing.  But he still had overlay units, so there was no problem.  

"Okay, now—attack!" Alit punched the air, commanding his monster to charge out and do the same.

"Huh?  Did you forget already?"  Rei tilted his head, nonplussed.  "With Black Mist's effect, that won't work."

"Hah!  That's what you think!"  He displayed a magic card proudly in his hand then slammed it down on his duel disk, "Overlay flash!  Lead Blow loses an overlay unit, and your monster loses it's effect, and Lead Blow gains 800 attack from its own effect!"  He mimed a blow at Rei.   "Your Numbers isn't anything special without its effect!"

Alit wasn't wrong. “Oh, no,” Rei breathed out, his eyes going wide and round, as he stared up at the oncoming monster—restraining himself for just a few seconds longer before he broke into a stretched grin and jerked his head upwards, staring directly at his Number.  "In that case—dodge!" Rei cried out, and dissolved into peals of laughter.

Before Alit could submit any protests, the monster fluidly collapsed into a dark shape across the floor, allowing momentum to carry Alit's monster past before it reformed itself, fully sized, where Lead Blow itself had been just a moment ago.  "Now, turn your attention to the real target!"  Black Mist advanced while Alit gaped openly up at its looming form, gone shock still. It raised its claws high, then sliced downwards with inhuman speed—a strike so vicious that Rei thought, with a sort of giddiness, that even if physical damage doesn’t carry over, his mind might not recover—

But Alit leapt out of the way just in time, Black Mist’s talons barely grazing the leg of his pants. It grasped at air, staggering to turn about face and pursue him, but it would be too slow—still in a crouch, Alit lifted his head and met Rei’s gaze with a light in his eyes that made Rei’s gut lurch. "No more rules, huh? Fine by me,” he called out, suddenly smiling, baring his teeth like unsheathing a sword. “A real brawl is just my style!”

Rei miscalculated: the fight, he might not have won fairly.  But a fight against Alit's fists, he definitely stood no chance against. He stepped back, turned halfway around to run—and froze, for only a second. His own coward’s impulse tasted like bile on his tongue, and for just that moment, his mind began to race, looking for any way to win that wasn’t his old, weak habit of turning tail all over again, gritting his teeth together so fiercely the scowl ached in his cheeks—

But that moment was all the time Alit needed to close the distance between them with bounding strides. Rei lashed out almost mindlessly at the sudden closeness, his hands more like claws than fists, only for Alit to duck out of the way and step to the side. Then, before Rei had the chance to recover, Alit struck him across the back of the neck with the blade of his hand. Shooting pain pierced Rei’s vision, and his consciousness with it—in his last moments of lucidity, through spots of spreading blackness, he could make out the color returning to the world around him, tilting waywards as he collapsed, face-first, back onto the asphalt streets of Heartland.

--

In a barren field of rocks and crystal, with flecks like starlight drifting through the still air, there lay an unearthly silence. Two cloaked figures sat at a distance from each other, one staring intently at the other’s closed eyes, neither so much as breathing, until—

“Nnnnnnnnrrrraaauuuggghhh!!” One let out a yell of pure frustration, an echo chamber quality to her voice as she leapt to her feet and cast her pink hood back from her head.“I can’t take it anymore! You, you might as well be sleeping!” She pointed an accusing finger at the other, who didn’t so much as deign to open his eyes. “Don’t ignore me!!”

At that, his eyes slipped open, pure gold without so much as whites or pupils, and he looked up at her, with a slow and unmoved gaze. “You haven’t said anything which I haven’t already heard you say.”

“You’re one to talk about changing things up!” she all but roared. “But now’s different! The Astral World is weak—we should strike now! If we wait any longer we’ll pass up a swift and easy victory!!”

He turned his head to look behind him, up at the massive, red-tinged crystal that he rested his back against, and at the dark silhouette suspended within it. “So strike.”

“You’re the—wha?” Ready for an argument, getting a sudden agreement instead robbed the wind out of her sails. She stood in brief, flabbergasted silence for a solid few seconds before recovering, propping fists up on her jewel-encrusted hips, her eyes narrowing from comically wide to critical slits. “There’s no way you’re leaving that easily.”

“I am not. I intend to remain here, as I have been.” He inclined his head, looking back at her once more, with an open gaze. “You should do as you see fit, and I will do the same.”

“Well—well fine!” She stepped—stomped, really, into a half-pivot, somehow making it into a grand, full-body movement that flourished the line of her cloak through the air. “Just watch me! You keep waiting right there—and when that person wakes up, you’ll be the one to share the news of my glorious victory for Barian!”

And with that, she swept out an arm and called up a portal, taking her leave with an immediacy that didn’t even give him time to wish her luck. He gave a soft sigh—only an echoing noise, really, with no nose or mouth to breath out from—and closed his eyes once more.