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lynneshobbydomain · 4 years

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Vengeance Chapter 10

((Thank you so much @sinfulwonders for betaing this chapter for me. You’re always so kind. Also thank you all for the reblogs and for the likes. Just a heads up, not only is this chapter long, but it does contain two deaths that may be disturbing to you. Please be advised.))

Rating: M (Violence)

Summary: Amateur Detective Shuichi Saihara knew that searching for the "Usual 16" wasn't going to get him anywhere. The disappearances weren't being tracked in any news outlet, and very few families even tried to come forward to ask for help, let alone to report them missing. Yet, Shuichi can't shake off the feeling that there's a reason behind the disappearances, and he's close to the answer. He just didn't realize that the answer was going to hit close to home, in more ways than one.

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You can read this underneath the cut or at my A03

Shuichi knew that the tranquility wasn’t going to last, but he did his best to milk it anyway. He let Kokichi drag him out of the house, in clothes that would make anyone do a double-take. They hung at the ice cream parlor for a little bit, Kokichi smearing a bit of his ice cream on Shuichi's cheek when Shuichi sniped at him too much and didn’t let him get away with any of his lies. He let Kokichi sneak him into a movie theatre without paying, trying to ignore how his hands sweat with nerves and how his heart continued to pound and race even though he knew that there was little to no chance that they were going to be caught when the movie started. He let Kokichi drag him all over the city, trying to find an arcade that Trick wasn’t at so that they could have some fun.

Shuichi played Yu-Gi-Oh at home, and bartered with Kokichi to go up against him with Smash. Kokichi bantered with Koji, with Keiko, and tried to fill as much light and laughter in the living room as he possibly could. For the first time in a long time, Shuichi had forgotten about the case that he was working on.

It really didn’t surprise him when they were in his room, sitting on the floor, playing slap jack when his phone went off. It wasn’t just his phone either, Kokichi’s phone also went off at the same time. Both of them looked at each other and they both dived for their respective cellular devices. Shuichi half-expected it to be D.I.C.E. He thought that Shuffle might’ve already found a building to hop into, and was going to send the GPS coordinates with a “don’t be late”. He would’ve preferred it honestly to the Danganronpa email that was staring at his face. It’s Voting Time!!!!

Shuichi felt his stomach twist and the room spin uncomfortably. His throat squeezed tightly as he opened the email.

Pick a Death!

Falling?

Drowning?

It was...vague. Shuichi pursed his lips together as he read the question again. Both of them sounded painful, and neither of them sounded quick. Shuichi could imagine the fear and panic from both of the deaths. He knew from his time at the agency that both of those were common suicides. Most of the time those who decided to jump usually picked to jump into rivers, or off of buildings so that there was little to no chance of second-guesses or take backs. The worst suicides were those who decided that it was best to jump in front of a train. Plenty of people went into Aokiagahara Forest because it was quieter, secluded, and less people around to try to talk them out of it. Of course Shuichi knew there were people who constantly wandered the forest to see if they could offer their assistance, their shoulders and ears.

This didn’t sound like a suicide however. Shuichi was certain that the death was going to have to do with a murder of some sort. Falling would be the quickest, but the luring would be hard to do. That person would have to trust the other a lot, especially if they were being coaxed to the edge. Shuichi doubted anyone in that group could call themselves that close. Yuya might fall for it, because she was hyperactive and friendly. Shirogane might, just because she would want to fit in. If Aki wanted to exploit her friendship or if Kokai thought that he could kill Aki or Rantaro, he might be able to convince them to get close and personal with the edge of a building.

He was very certain that Oda would laugh in someone’s face if they tried. Everyone else was too paranoid and not willing to trust anyone with a ten foot pool.

That meant that the most likely way to die was to drown. Shuichi didn’t recall anyone mentioning a pool or a body of water that was nearby the school. The courtyard had a fountain, but...the water would be too shallow for a proper drowning. Shuichi pursed his lips together. It meant a stronger chance of survival. At the same time, Shuichi could easily be misjudging how deep the fountain was.

He didn’t want anyone to die. He didn’t want anyone to suffer. He looked over at Kokichi who was staring at his phone, his thumbnail being bitten between his teeth. His eyes were focused on the small screen, and his brows were furrowed. He was distressed and Shuichi worried for a moment that something happened at home. Kokichi’s parents rarely ever reached out to him in worry or in care. They pretended that he didn’t exist, and Kokichi...well...he tended to like the idea that he didn’t exist. It meant less problems for the three of them, even if Shuichi wished otherwise.

It didn’t mean that his parents didn’t surprise him. Sometimes, Shuichi knew that they’d reach out, only if they thought they could manipulate him to go back home for whatever reason. He sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case. He looked back at the email, and his heart stuttered. How was he going to watch this when Kokcihi was with him? He couldn’t. He couldn’t risk Kokichi looking at it either. No it was best to vote and it was best to delete the email. It was best to pretend that the episode wasn’t happening…

He wasn’t sure he could watch it, knowing that it could be Aki’s murder that he was actively voting for. He wasn’t sure he could watch it thinking that Aki actively murdered someone. He doubted both of those routes, but they were in a killing game. The two day deadline was up.

Someone was dead and he knew it.

Someone was going to pay for it, and he knew that too.

“Shuichi-chan?” Shuichi jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up, trying to hide his phone away from Kokichi’s gaze. He knew that outed him as suspicious immediately. Kokcihi’s gaze flicked, Shuichi wondered what exactly crossed his mind, before a smile played at his lips. “You spaced out there for a minute, beloved~. Did something happen?”

Shuichi had his suspicions on Loki being Kokichi, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go down that rabbit hole yet. Especially since the voting was actively trying to goad people into picking someone’s demise. There was no right way to respond to the email. Someone was going to die in whatever the majority decided on, and as much as Shuichi loved and wanted to protect his cousin, he wasn’t sure he could vote for someone else’s death too.

Aki wouldn’t want him to. Shuichi knew that this could bite him in the ass later, but...Aki wouldn’t want him to vote. Not this. Motives? Probably a way to help. Murder? He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t find a reason. Danganronpa wanted him to be an accomplice. He wasn’t going to push someone into hell. He wasn’t going to do that to the victims or their families. With that firm resolve in mind, he gave Kokichi a slight smile. “Danganronpa.” He admitted. “It uh...it was a weird email.”

“I bet...you okay?” Kokcihi pursed his lips tightly. “What did they want?”

“Something I couldn’t give.” Shuichi wished that he had more confidence in his words. He knew that sounded shaky and false, even to him. “It’s okay. I just...it was...a lot.”

“Okay.” Kokichi murmured quietly. “Let’s forget about it for now then. Come on beloved!” He suddenly grabbed Shuichi’s arm and started to pull on him. “Let’s go annoy Keiko-chan in the kitchen.”

“She’s going to hit you with a spoon if you annoy her while she’s cooking, Kokichi-kun.” Shuichi admonished as he let himself be tugged out of his room and out towards the kitchen.

“Then it’s all in good fun!”

Later that night, Shuichi woke up. Being a light sleeper that he was, he was used to being woken up at strange times in the middle of the night. Sometimes, Aki couldn’t sleep and suddenly would start playing music as softly as she could in her room. Sometimes, Kokichi would have nights where he tossed and turned and would accidentally kick him awake. Sometimes, Shuichi’s brain just decided to randomly go on high alert and remind him that he was alone in his room and that for whatever reason something was amiss. Shuichi glanced over to the side to see if it was the Kokichi situation when he registered that the boy wasn’t even in his bed.

He reached over to the side and felt the sheets. They were slightly warm, which meant that Kokichi had left and his side was starting to become cold. He must’ve been up for a while. Shuichi carefully pushed himself up into a sitting position and reached over to his bedside table to turn the lap on. The room immediately flicked into soft yellows and irritated Shuichi’s eyes and head as he rubbed the sleep away from the corners of his eyes. Kokichi wasn’t anywhere in his room. Did he think he would be too much of a disturbance and decided to go out into the living room?

Shuichi looked over at his desk and noticed that his laptop was missing. Shuffle mentioned last night that Kokichi would take his laptop and would drag it down to the living room and watch it. Feeling as though he was about to step in on some private mystery, Shuichi walked out of his room with his heart pounding in his ears. This could be his chance to figure out once and for all if Kokichi actually watched the show. He had his suspicions, he had some of the evidence to back up his claims, but nothing would be as concrete as this. He kept his footsteps light and attentive, making sure to keep his back against the walls and keeping note where the shadows are. It was easy to slink into detective tracking mode, even in his own home.

He could strain to hear the little things that the house hid when no one was paying attention. Keiko was asleep down the hall. The small creaks and groans the house made as it settled down into the earth. The small noises that were made outside, the humming of faraway traffic. He noticed that the living room light was on. The table side of it anyway, since the glow didn’t reach too far towards the hallways or the kitchen. Shuichi peered over the corner, and saw Kokichi on the ground cross legged, his laptop up.

There was an investigation that was happening. Shuichi’s eyebrows furrowed as he decided to let his presence be known. “Danganronpa?”

Kokichi jumped six feet in the air and he scrambled to find some way to save his face, despite that there was no way he could recover from the jumpscare. “Shuichi-chan!” He hissed, pulling his headphones off. Shuichi hadn’t noticed that they were missing or that Kokichi was wearing them. He was still a little shell-shocked that Kokichi was watching the show. “What are you doing?” He whispered. “Go back to sleep, beloved. I’ll-”

“You watch Danganronpa.” It wasn’t meant to sound like an accusation. He didn’t want Kokichi to look at him like that. His neutral expression was just breaking enough that there was a hint of fear that was in his eyes. He was thinking that this was going to be a showdown of some sort. Shuichi didn’t want a fight. He didn’t want a confrontation that didn’t mean anything. “I do too.”

“I know you do, beloved.” Kokichi sighed, his shoulders relaxing only a fraction. “I see you in the chat logs.” He looked at Shuichi and Shuichi could see the anxiousness. The fear. He was just as afraid of this game as Shuichi was. Yet he was watching it by his lonesome. Shuichi wondered if it was because Kokichi thought he needed the sleep, or if he was worried about the same thing he had been worried about previously. About whether or not Aki was the murderer or the victim. “Aki-chan’s still alive.” He paused the recording and stood up, taking the laptop with him. “We should move this into your room. We can talk there.”

Shuichi nodded and they headed back into his room. They got comfortable on his bed, Kokichi placing the laptop between them and tossing the headphones to the side. Shuichi gave him a small glare for it, those were his good noise-cancelling headphones but Kokichi wasn’t paying attention or caring. He quickly adjusted the volume so that it was comfortable before hitting play. “Should I go back to the beginning?” He asked, hovering his mouse over to the replay button.

Shuichi shook his head and Kokichi took his hands off of the computer, and instead found Shuichi’s under the covers. Rantaro was looking around the crime scene and Shuichi’s throat bobbed when he saw the body of the mangaka on the floor. A scalpel lodged deep into her throat. It looked like someone had tried to slit her throat, but either changed their mind last second, or didn’t realize there was a proper way to do it without getting the weapon caught.

“So Shinigami-san was wrong in thinking the chemist was the murderer.” Kokichi mused softly. “I don’t think this would be her thing.”

“Could be the doctor since I’m sure that’s one of his supplies.” Shuichi mused thoughtfully. “Oh they found the bottle of the chemicals used to knock someone out...or kill them.”

“I think it was a knockout. If it was a killing proportion, then why get stabbed in the neck?” Kokichi theorized as Rantaro started to badger his classmates about alibis and where they were. Shuichi noticed that Aki was looking around the room too, casually going over to Rantaro when she found something to help move the case along.

The scene of the crime was interesting too. It was in an abandoned classroom. If the mangaka was going to die somewhere, Shuichi would’ve thought that her lab would’ve been the prime spot. Someone wanted to have a chat. “Did they figure out the time of death or anything?”

“So far, we don’t know much.” Kokichi murmured. “Apparently this is something new they're trying out.”

“What do you mean?”

“According to some of the backlogs that I was reading before the recording showed up,” Kokichi gestured vaguely to the screen. “Monokuma used to tell the students the time of death, type of death, and little other factoids. This time, Monokuma is giving students free reign. I suppose it’s because they have a doctor on their talent team.”

“How do you feel about the talents?” Shuichi asked softly.

“Hmm...nothing really. It’s just a gimmick isn’t it? I bet that’s why Monokuma isn’t exactly being helpful. If the doctor does a botched up job, well...that means that everyone gets killed besides the blackened riiight?” Kokichi drawled softly. The violinist, Akamatsu if Shuichi remembered her name right, came back with Yadori and gave Rantaro a slip of paper that merely said the words midnight on it.

“So they were meeting up in the classroom.” Shuichi concluded. “To talk probably.”

“About what? Did someone know something? Kind of pointless to start having secret meetings now.” Kokichi scoffed a little. “Honestly some of these kids have no clue what they’re doing.”

“You don’t either, Kokichi-kun.” Shuichi winced a little as Kokichi gave him a mock offended look.

Bing. Bong. Bong. Bing sounded through the computer’s speakers and both of the boys’ shut their mouths as Monokuma appeared in the monitor, looking pleased as the cat that got the cream. “It’s now time for the class trial!” He sounded overly gleeful, like this was the best part of the game. The murder was just the cherry on top of it all. He directed the students towards the elevator, and Shuichi watched as fifteen students climbed into the cage like device and go down deep into the underground.

The trial room wasn’t like anything Shuichi had seen before, and he and Kokichi both had been in court rooms. The podiums were like witness stands, all in a circle facing each other so that there was no way to try to hide anyone’s expression or their actions. Everything was for everyone to see. There was one podium in particular that had Chatani’s death portrait, a large X painted in a bright red substance that looked suspiciously like blood.

The room itself was a little insane looking too. Black and white tile reflected a blue light that came from the ceiling, bouncing off of stained glass windows and mosaiced down to the ground. On a red and gold chair sat Monokuma and down in front of him like jury members waiting to hear the deceivsiness of the trial were the loudmouth Monokubs that Shuichi rarely paid attention to.

The rules were simple. Discuss until there was nothing left to discuss. Vote and pray that it was the right answer. If it was wrong, everyone but the blackened would die. Vote correctly and the blackened would die and everyone else would live.

“Usually in trials everyone’s on the witness stand has to say their name and their ultimate.” Aki suddenly spoke up. “And since we know that this is being recorded, we may want to do that just for it to be on the record.”

“Didn’t realize you were the Ultimate Lawyer, Mayumi-chan.” Oda teased.

Aki paused. “My name is Mayumi. I don’t have a last name. I’m the Ultimate Guitarist. I’ll also be bold enough to say that I’m pleading innocent too.”

Everyone in the trial froze. Kokichi let out a high pitched noise that sounded like he was trying to hold back a snicker or a laugh. Shuichi watched as everyone looked at each other, a little nervous. A little less thrilled with the idea that they might be recorded, that someone could actually use this in an actual trial.

“My name is Maeji Sena. I’m the Ultimate Cheerleader.” Shuichi remembered her credits being fun. Her background was usually a gym of some sort with a bunch of people in the stands. He knew about the cheerleader part though mostly because her yellow and blue pom poms that she carried with her gave her away. She was a nice looking girl too. With a side ponytail and a couple of the same colored ribbons. Her uniform supported the color theme. “I’ll also be bold and say that I’m pleading not guilty.”

“Wow. This trial is going to go by so fast.” Shimahara stated, looking completely bored out of his mind. The sparkles of his shirt caught the light of the stained glass, making it shimmer brilliantly. The looks that his classmates were giving him however, were enough to make him shrink. “Fine, fine. My name is Shimahara Yuji. Ultimate Dancer. Ultimate bored out of my fucking mind. I’m not a part of this. Can we move on?”

“Dick.” Yuya grumbled, flapping her sweater sleeves nervously around her body. “Heyo. I’m Yuya Chika and I burn things for fun!”

“Innocent.” Everyone said together at the same time.

“Yuya-chan can’t be a murderer because we’d have a burnt body instead.” Yadori giggled, though there was something off in her posture. Shuichi noticed that she was too tense for that to be genuine. The laugh also sounded shrill, like a panic. “Okay, okay. I’m Yadori Miki. I’m the Ultimate Figure Skater. I’m pleading not guilty.”

“Yeah maybe we should all just agree that we’re all going to say not guilty and maybe not do that.” Oda sighed, taking out a monocoin and flipped it. He watched it fall down to the ground and bent to pick it up. “So you all know me-”

“Pretend we don’t.” Aki cut through quickly.

Oda gave her a small look. “Okay I’ll humor you. Oda Touru. Ultimate Thief. I’ll steal anything so long as it benefits me somehow.”

“Annnd there’s our jackass.” Yuya happily gestured.

“Maybe not everyone’s not guilty after all.” Ajishi gritted her teeth. “Ah, right. Forgive me.” She cleared her throat and adjusted herself and her posture. Shuichi had to admire how quickly she threw on her persona. “My name is Ajishi Misa and I’m a chemist.”

“Ougai Eiji.” The doctor quietly murmured next to her. “I’m a doctor. We should try to remain objective while we’re on trial.”

“We’re not...always going to go around the circle introducing ourselves right?” A boy asked. He wore the same sort of uniform the thief did, but his had a bit more of a flair to it. It was fitted loose on him and Shuichi felt like all he was missing was the cape. “I’m only stalling, I'm sorry. My name is Nakaji Katsuji. I’m the Ultimate Actor.”

“Ultimate could be murderer got it.” Shimahara deadpanned.

“Now, now.” Rantaro quickly held his hands up. “Let’s not get into a fight. We’re all in the same boat here. My name is Amami Rantaro. I’m the Ultimate Adventurer.” He looked over at Kokai. “Your turn.”

“I’m Kokai Seijo. I’m a falconer.” Kokai nervously adjusted his gloves. “I’m na a murderer eider.”

“So now it’s my turn right?!” Shirogane asked. “My name is Shirogane Tsumugi. My talent is being the Ultimate Cosplayer. I’m not surprised if no one remembers me.”

“You’re right. No idea who you are.” Shimahara deadpanned.

“Well you didn’t have to be so mean about it...but I get it.” Shirogane winced.

“Why didn’t anyone think to kill you off is a mystery.” A girl with blonde hair spoke up. Shuichi really did try to rack his brians, the familiarity of her just bothered him sometimes. “My name is Akamatsu Kazue. I’m the Ultimate Violinist. Let’s solve this mystery together.”

“Horrible catch phrase.” It was a teasing tone and a gentle smile that graced that sentence. The boy had on a heavy utility belt and it was full of different kinds of equipment. His hair was all over the place, and he looked to be in the same boat as Yuya when it came to burns. “So formally I’m Gonoji Yoshitaka, but you guys can call me Yoshi-kun. I don’t care.”

“That leaves me. I’m Kai Yako. I’m the Ultimate Singer.” Kai mused, shifting on his feet.

“Oh. Right I was supposed to say that I was the Ultimate Electrician. Sorry.” Yoshi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Now that we got that all squared away, and it’s on record.” Rantaro spoke up, “We should start by talking about the obvious.”

Ougai straightened his tie. “To slit someone’s throat effectively, you would go from ear to ear with the head tilted downwards to expose more veins. Tilting it up, you expose the knife to different obsticals and instead of making a fast clean death, you made the victim suffer and you fuck up the kill. You don’t look dramatic. You look like an amateur. We can rule out myself and Ajishi automatically for it if that’s the case.” Ougai paused. “Also there were some defensive wounds that were on Chatani-san’s body. Indicating that there was a struggle.”

“Okay so we’re dissing the culprit before we even start, cool.” Oda drawled. “But sorry doctor and chemistry teacher, but I think you two shouldn’t count yourselves out just yet. We know the murder weapon was a scapal. Therefore it was one of yours. I’m thinking the doctor did it. Anyone else?”

“What would the motive be? The flashback light?” Yuya tugged on her sleeves nervously, winging and flapping them around, nearly hitting her peers that were next to her. “I mean, we don��t even know if it’s real or not. Monokuma could’ve just said to throw all of us off.”

“Yes, but that does not mean that someone else would believe the lie.” Ajishi adjusted her goggles over her eyes. “Let’s hypothesize that someone’s motive is the flashback light. Let’s hypothesize that they believed that there was a memory in there that they wanted back.”

“If we’re accusing me first, I can easily say three things. One, I have an alibi. Two, if I’m going to murder someone why would I pick the most obvious weapon that can be pointed out to me? I know more ways to murder someone and get away with it than to do a botched job and leave my own work too behind. Three, I don’t care about the flashback light. I don’t care about my lost memory. If anyone should be worried about their memories, it’s Mayumi-san who doesn’t have a single thing to her name.” Ougai gestured over towards Aki, who was mindless chewing on her finger.

She froze like a deer in headlights, and bit at her nail a little harder, but otherwise stayed silent.

“Why woul’ she go af’er Chadani dough?” Kokai frowned, tugging on his gloves and keeping his gaze down. “We dun dalk da her much.”

“If she was going to go after anyone, it’d be Oda-kun you’re right.” Akamatsu said, as she held her pointer finger up in the air. She had another hand on her hip and she immediately turned the conversation. “So we need to start looking at people who are close to Chatani-chan and who would want to hurt her.”

“So basically all of us and none of all all at the same time.” Oda rolled his eyes as dramatically as he could. “Because none of us are really all that chummy with each other, violin.”

“She’s the weakest member here though, isn’t she?” Yadori asked as she was redoing her hair, trying to pull it back into a nicer looking bun. Her hands were trembling, Shuichi noticed. She wasn’t trying to meet anyone’s gaze. If anything, she was trying to distract, but why? Shuichi covered his mouth with his hand, gazing on Yadori as though she could hold all of the answers. Maybe he was wrong, but...she was acting not herself for certain.

“Where was she during the investigation?” Kokichi murmured and Shuichi felt his heart plummet down into his stomach, icing his veins in the cold realization that Yadori was a suspect. She had acted weird when Ajishi confronted her classmates about her missing things too. Too stiff. Too afraid. Oda was too calm, too certain. He didn’t care that he was an accomplice. Only the murderer was going to get punished. He could do whatever he wanted and help whoever he pleased.

It made Shuichi wonder if Oda had a bigger part to play than the “Ultimate Thief”.

“Wow.” Tsumugi drawled, looking insulted. “That’s just plain rude right there. Chatani-senpai’s a strong person. Both inside and out. You didn’t know this, but when Chatani-senpai writes any kind of manga, she does her research. From experimenting with eating disorders to actually going to the gym and working out to be as buff as she can as a female, and asking male bodybuilders to pose for her to practice the anatomy. She isn’t someone that’d just lay down and take a hit.”

“Eating disorders aren’t exactly what you’d consider strength here.” Shuichi muttered, mostly to himself. He heard Kokichi snort beside him and he felt his cheeks flush. He was used to being by himself while he watched the show. He forgot that sometimes he mumbled to himself to get the gears rolling in his mind. That being said though, Tsumugi had a bit of a point. Her determination and perseverance would be considered a strength. If she hadn’t died, she would’ve made it a lot longer than she had, that was for certain.

“Is anyone else disturbed that she actually goes that far for her writing or is that just me?” Oda asked, looking around at the trial circle.

“I mean, I’m a performer.” Nakajima said, picking against his tie as he undid it and was re-doing it. “I also have to determine what weight I have to be if I’m going to be an accurate representation of my character. I destroyed my body in many ways and I recovered it in many ways.”

“I’m not much but a singer, but even my appearance gets me a side-eye every now and then.” Kai rubbed his neck.

Maeji shifted in her stand, “I mean, I was once told to lose some weight if I wanted to be caught easier during the pyramids or any of the tosses, but I never took them into too much consideration. It was a...thought though I’ll...admit that.”

Shimahara just sighed, “Yeah. All of us have body issues. I did the same. It’s stupid. Can we press on now?”

“Dear god, please get therapy, all of you.” Oda’s complexation paled.

“One of us cannot, she’s dead.” Ajishi frowned at Oda. “And also please stop being so insensitive.”

“We’re getting off topic.” Rantaro quickly intervened. “We’re not getting anywhere if we get sidetracked. So we know that whoever killed Chatani-san didn’t know how to slit a throat. We know that they managed to get into Ougai-kun’s lab and get the weapon. We also found a bottle of the mixture Ajishi-san told us would make a knockout gas rather than a poisonous one.

“To be on the safe side,” Ougai commented, “My lab is never locked.”

Everyone stared at him. Rantaro folded his arms and gave him a small look. “You mean to tell me that anyone can go in and grab what they can from your lab?”

“My lab is a medical facility. For me to close it could be hazardous to anyone. I want there to be free reign in case someone gets hurt or needs something and I’m not awake to provide. That being said, I do normally keep my door unlocked too.” Ougai explained. “So that if someone does have a need for me, they can get me as fast as possible. I’m used to not sleeping a lot, so I’m easy to alert.”

“Do we know when Chatani-chan died?” Aki asked, her voice wavering as she tore another piece of skin from her nails. Shuichi watched in muted horror as blood dripped down between her fingertips.

Ougai also looked pained, “Please stop chewing your nails, Mayumi-san, you can’t play guitar like that. Also...I can only give an estimate. I’m no way a coroner. My theory is that Chatani-san met her demise around twelve ten or twelve thirty.”

“So a thirty minute chat.” Oda mused, “What would they be talking about that could take so long?”

“Girls are like gossips. They never shut up.” Shimahara shrugged.

“I knew Oda-kun was a dick, but you, sir, are an asshole.” Yuya frowned, putting her hands on her hips. “Maybe you two should go find a room after this is over and get some of that aggression out.”

“Fucking ex-”

“We’re getting sidetracked again!” Rantaro snapped. “Will you guys cut it out, this is serious. If we don’t figure it out, all of us are dead.”

“Is that really a bad thing though?” Yadori asked, looking apprehensive. “I mean…we’re forced to die anyway. Isn’t this...quicker?”

“Wow.” Yuya stared at Yadori. “You have no balls.”

Yadori spluttered.

“I’m kinda sad really. I thought we were friends.” Yuya pouted, kicking at the stand and placing her hands behind her back. Her eyes looking downcast and her expression clearly betrayed. “I thought that you liked hanging out with me.”

“O-of course I do! I just…”

“Would rather want us dead than alive is all.” Aki muttered. Her finger was bleeding profusely now and she was already going on to the next one.

Shuichi couldn’t remember a time where Aki actively bit her nails. She was always so careful to make sure that they were short, but...had that been to resist the temptation of biting them? He was going to have to figure out how to ask about that habit to his uncle and his aunt. He couldn’t imagine Danganronpa being able to implement new habits, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure what this game was capable of.

They stole everyone’s memory and forcibly removed Aki’s for everything including her name. He couldn’t imagine it just stopped there either.

“Da no’ said dat dey were gonna mee’ up a’ midnigh’.” Kokai broke the conversation, his voice a slow thoughtful drawl. “We know dat dey had da abli-lie da use da chemical da knock ou’ Chadani-san.” He pulled the gloves. “We know dat dey dun kno how da kill eider.”

“You know I don’t know if this would help but here’s my theory.” Ougai suddenly snapped his fingers. “The culprit and Chatani-san both agreed to meet up at the classroom at midnight. The culprit already knew that Chatani only had few friends and therefore wouldn’t be missed. They used the knockout chemical mixture to make the death painless as possible, only misjudged on how to properly slit a throat. The throat is slit and the dead is done.”

“So we’re thinking the chemical was used on Chatani-san. Okay so we’re thinking that this was a mercy killing.” Akamatsu mused, coming back some of her hair as she looked to the side. “God, my sister’s much better at figuring out mysteries like this. I just can’t come up with anyone that’d go out of their way to hurt her.”

“Alibis then.” Rantaro nodded, “We should get those cleared out so that we can figure out who we need to start looking at.”

“Hold on a second.” Oda broke the conversation, looking at Rantaro with a deep frown on his face. “Why aren’t we questioning Mayumi-chan?”

“What do you mean?” Rantaro deadpanned.

“She’s the one with the lost memory, right?” Oda gestured. “We know that the flashback light would be the motive. Why are we ruling her out?”

“I never said that she was ruled out.” Rantaro frowned at Oda, his arms tightly folded against his chest. “What I can determine though is that Mayumi-chan wouldn’t go after Chatani on the mere fact that neither of them are close.”

“We’re stuck in a killing game. Should closeness really be a reason here?” Yadori frowned.

“Then why hasn’t anyone gone after Kokai-kun? Shirogane-san? Mayumi-chan if she’s such an easy target.” Rantaro gestured. “It’s because they’re all connected to someone yeah? A little bit of a threat. Shirogane-san and Chatani-san were probably the only friends that actively hung out all the time.”

“I don’t recall anyone asking me to hang out as of late besides Amami-kun, Mayumi-chan, and Kokai-kun.” Shirogane nodded. “As plain as I am, I’m not surprised that I’d be ignored in the background, but it was nice to see that Chatani-senpai saw a fellow fan and was willing to let me pick her brain so to speak.”

Kokichi let out a suffering sigh, “They’re going around in circles.”

“Yadori-san isn't helping that fact and neither is Oda-kun.” Shuichi murmured, watching the trial dissolve back into disaster. “Amami-kun’s on the right track though. Killers aren’t likely to kill strangers. They’ll kill people they’re familiar with because it’s easier to figure out routine. Getting trust means it’s easy to get them to do what you want them to do.”

“What’s your big detective brain thinking then?” Kokichi asked and Shuichi could feel Kokichi’s gaze on him.

“I think that it’s weird that Oda-kun stole the chemicals. I think it’s weird that Yadori acted strangely in the breakfast hall.” Shuichi murmured. “I wonder...Chatani-san had the chemicals in her possession. She had it there that night when she met up with her killer. I bet it was a struggle and a fight to get both murder weapons away from each other. Chatani-san isn’t strong physically and was most likely overpowered. She was easy to knock out and kill after that.”

“Psychology says that memory and personality are one in the same. If the brain is tempered with in any direction, the personality can change with it.” Aki agreed, speaking around a bleeding middle finger. Shuichi and Kokichi both stared at the screen as everyone else looked over at her. She continued to chew as she spoke, her words muffled against skin and blood. “Closeness isn’t a factor, I agree with Yadori-chan. We can’t rule any one of us out. If we were out in the real world then yeah, it’d be weird for a stranger to go up and murder someone, but that’s not what’s happening here.” She took her finger out of her mouth, blood lingered on her lips as she looked at everyone. “So here’s my thought. I find it weird and strange that Chatani-chan’s body has defensive wounds. While I know some of us are performers and have skills in makeup, I think that we should all offer our own bodies to show whether or not we have the bruises or scratches. Of course, I can always out you now if you’d prefer.”

“What do you mean “out”?” Oda asked, folding his arms.

“We know that Chatani-chan wasn’t late for the meeting, she was right on time because the murder took place around twelve ten to twelve thirty. Without an actual coroner to say anything about it, we can only go by a guess or two. I’m sure Shirogane-san can confirm that Chatani-chan wouldn’t be late to any kind of meeting because mangaka’s are always under strict schedules. Right?”

“That is right!” Shirogane proclaimed, looking excited. “Mangaka authors are used to working towards extreme deadlines, very rarely do they miss. Therefore, the meeting went exactly as planned.”

“What does this have to do...with anything?” Kai asked, looking perplexed. He wasn’t the only one that was lost. Even Rantaro was giving her a mild look.

“Because if the murder was about the flashback light, we would’ve found it in either Chatani-chan’s lab or her room. Both were negative.” Aki explained, looking at Yako. “Which means that’s not the motive. But...if I recall from all the meetings we had. Chatani-chan would always mention that a murder could happen. In particular, the conversation about the chemicals.”

“Now that you mention it,” Rantaro placed his hands on his hips, looking peeved. “I do recall Oda-kun getting upset with you about calling him out for stealing it.”

“Now wait just a-”

Aki barreled on, ignoring Oda’s protests. “Who else acted weird during that conversation, Amami-kun?”

“Yadori-san.” Shuichi breathed just as Rantaro spoke the name. The figure skater was always antsy around the mangaka. Especially when Chatani would mention that there was a method of killing, or that the chemicals and the imbalance of them would be a waste to use. “That makes sense.”

“You and Aki-chan go like seven different hoops and I feel like I’m stuck on level one world one.” Kokichi pouted a little. “How did you get Yadori from all of that?! There’s literally no proof unless…”

“Kokai-kun probably has it. Either that or Aki-chan is hiding her own piece of evidence. This isn’t a real court. Not everyone is going to want to show things off. They’re going to want to put the killer to the back of the wall and force them to see the truth of their crimes.” Shuichi gripped Kokichi’s hand. “This isn’t a game of who's going to go to jail. This is whether or not they survive for the next several hours.”

“But I never really spoke to Chatani-chan so...why would it be me?” Yadori frowned. “How was I acting strange to get the suspicion?”

“Because every time Chatani-san mentioned the flashback light or the chemicals, you tensed up as though you were waiting for her to act on it.” Rantaro continued. “You also keep looking away from us. I mean all of us aren’t exactly thrilled at looking at each other in the eye and accusing each other of killing one of our classmates, but you also said something that threw all of us for a loop. You thought it was a good idea for all of us to suffer and die.”

“I...I was only thinking-”

“That’s some balls right there. Really big cajones.” Shimahara narrowed his eyes at Yadori, and Shuichi watched her cower. “Because if it was the other way around and someone else had said that would you agree?”

“I just…”

“So we weren’t friends.” Yuya sounded tearful. “You wanted us dead so that you could go and get the flashback light, is that what you were after?”

“Chika-chan no, please.” Yadori begged, looking at her friend, tears springing to the corner of her eyes. “That’s not true. None of what they’re saying is true. I have an alibi. I was asleep like everyone else, I promise. I promise. I didn’t hurt anyone. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I was just trying to protect you. I swear.”

“So you did hurt someone.” Rantaro watched Yadori freeze on the stand. Horror started to carve itself around her face as she realized that she dug her own hole trying to assure Yuya that she wouldn’t go out of her way to hurt someone.

“You don’t get it.” Yadori whispered. “You don’t understand. You guys don’t…” She took a deep breath. “If you think you’re so clever, then come out and accuse me. You don’t have any proof. Everything you're saying is speculation. THIS IS BULLSHIT!” She suddenly screamed, gripping onto the stand like a lifeline. Shuichi felt himself back up a little away from the laptop, staring at her in surprise. The composure that she was was breaking at the seams. “I’D NEVER HURT CHATANI-CHAN. NEVER EVER. Yes I was worried about her being a murderer. Yes I went to check on her to make sure that never happened. BUT DIDN’T DO A DAMN THING TO HER! IF ANYONE SHOULD BE WORRIED, IT WOULD BE WHOEVER CHATANI-CHAN WAS GOING TO GO AFTER! SHE HAD THE BOTTLE OF THE MIXTURE IN HER POSSESSION!”

“But how do you know that?” Rantaro demanded, not daring to let Yadori escape his gaze. “None of us knew who had the chemicals in whose possession. You were there that night.”

“IF I WAS THERE THAT NIGHT THEN WOULDN’T MY CLOTHES BE BLOODIED?” Yadori shrieked. “HOW ABOUT YOU ACTUALLY GIVE ME SOME PROOF BEFORE YOU START COMING AFTER ME?!”

“Oh is that it?” Oda asked casually as he decided to fling a piece of fabric into the middle of the circle. Said fabric, Shuichi noticed, was one of Yadori’s leotards. The bright blue soaked in red. “Oops. My bad. I guess I should’ve been a little nicer and handed it over to everyone before this whole trial.”

“Where did you get that?” Yadori hissed. “You’re trying to set me up you-”

“I don’t like it when people try to toss me under buses. I don’t particularly care that you went off and killed Chatani-chan, but I thought it was cute you decided to try to assure us that you wouldn’t “hurt” anyone at the time very clearly admitting that you did. Also, I thought it’d be fun to watch you sweat a little. You almost got away too. Shame.” Oda taunted, looking completely smug. “Maybe next time I’ll team up with the investigator squad. They make things so much more interesting than you trying to act innocent.”

Shuichi watched Yadori’s expression break, and he knew there was no way for her to recover from this. Rantaro took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, “Here’s how this all went down.” Rantaro mused. “Yadori-san got concernend after the fifth or so time Chatani-san mentioned a murder happening or taking place or even hinting that a murder could have occured. She decided to ask Chatani-san to come meet her in the classroom at midnight. Yadori-san knew she might be dealing with an unstable individual so she snuck into Ougai-kun’s infirmary lab and stole a scalpel from his place. Considering that Ougai-kun does plenty of patrols around the campus, it wasn’t hard. She waited until midnight and at first tried to resolve things peacefully.”

Rantaro looked each of his classmates in the eye as he tried to sum up the case. “But Chatani-san was prepared too. She was paranoid that she might be the next victim or that someone would find her as an easy target. Using the chemicals that she asked Oda-kun to steal, and listened to Ajishi-san’s advice, she was going to knock out her supposed culprit and get help. Somehow someway, it became a struggle. Whether Chatai-san saw the scalpel or had an idea that Yadori-san might be her culprit, or that Yadori-san assumed the bottle and the cloth held the lethal amount of chemicals inside, we don’t know for sure and maybe won’t ever know.”

He folded his arms tightly as he stared right at Yadori. “But it became a struggle, didn’t it? You guys fought and you managed to get the cloth first. You could have left her there, and continued on, but no. You used the scalpel, and tried to slit her throat. Either you were too overzealous, or you really had no idea what to do. You ran off after the deed was done. You weren’t at breakfast this morning because you were trying to find a way to discard the bloodied clothes. However, while everyone was trying to find Chatani-san, Oda-kun came across your dumping grounds and decided to hold onto it for whatever reason. You joined up later and helped us find Chatani-san. All in all, the clues point to you, Yadori Miki, the Ultimate Figure Skater.”

“Was that….accurate?” Kokichi whispered breathlessly.

“More accurate than I can say.” Shuichi agreed. “Yadori-san was the murderer.”

“Jesus.”

“You were the murderer of Chatani Shinko, the Ulitmate Mangaka.” Rantaro concluded. “It was...you this entire time.”

“.....I thought she was going to kill me.” Yadori sobbed quietly, falling apart in the witness stand. “I didn’t know what to do, I panicked. I thought about getting help, but I was afraid to turn my back. What if she was faking. What if, what if…” She trailed off. “You guys wouldn’t get it. I have so much waiting for me at home. I...I was going to be in the Olympics. I was….I was going to be someone. Someone famous. Someone that no one could look down upon ever again! I worked so hard...I worked so hard…”

“Yadori-san…” Yuya whispered.

“I killed her. I stabbed her in the throat and then realized I could have slit it and I was trying to fix that mistake only it was too late.” Yadori whimpered, covering her eyes in shame, still sobbing. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Monokuma cackled from his stand. “Well now it’s voting time! Don’t go picking the wrong one now!”

Shuichi held his breath as he watched the votes get counted. He looked over at the chat log, seeing how many people were commenting about how they were kind of disappointed that Yadori didn’t make it through. Many of them were poking holes in the discussion that was happening, making fun of everyone for one mistake or another. Yet that wasn’t why most of the people in the chat were there. The trials were just like popcorn. A small snack to the bigger finale.

Monokuma hit a red button with a small hammer and everyone paused with a breath as an old fashioned 8-bit screen appeared. A small miniature Yadori standing in the middle of Monokuma’s path before being dragged off. The loading screen disappeared just as a metal grip attached itself to Yadori’s neck and physically hauled her onto a skating rink.

Everyone stared in shock as Yadori was in the middle of an ice rink. A spotlight flashed on top of her in a darkened room. At first it was peaceful. Yadori skated as fast as she could towards the exit door and yanked it open. At first she was greeted with a dark hallway that was still covered in ice. She was just about to move when she was suddenly shoved to the side and a bunch of monokuma bears appeared onto the rink, skating and recreating some of the twirls and catches.

She was about to try to skate through the herd of many Monokuma cubs, but she lost her footing and slipped onto the ice rink. Everyone watched in muted shock as she was being run over and sliced by ice skates. Her screams were muted, but if they were anything like the one she let out in the trial, Shuichi didn’t have to use his imagination. While the monokuma bears were busy tearing her body apart by thinking she was part of the ice rink, the camera momentarily disappeared and showed the real Monokuma at a thermostat, turning the heat up so that the ice rink would start to melt.

Soon enough the monokuma bears got bored and disappeared back into the hallway. She was left on the rink, bloodied and cut. She slowly got herself up on her knees, blood splattered onto the ice as she started to get up onto her feet. Her clothes were torn in a way that looked a bit fanservicey for Shucihi to be comfortable with. She was holding herself up as blood continued to spill down her body. She wobbled and tried to skate towards a different area, trying to keep towards the wall of the rink, a trail of blood following her wake. Whatever she was holding must have had an electrical current going through it, because she was zapped and was forced to let go.

Uncertain where to go, and thinking the other side might be safer, Yadori slowly started to skate her way painfully towards the otherside.

“Oh no.” Kokichi whispered.

She got to the middle of the rink. The ice was thin enough that it cracked ominously underneath her weight. She was in too much pain to try to skate faster and she fell into the water. Monokuma quickly turned the thermostat down…

All anyone could see was red blood going to the surface of the ice, and a small fist banging at the bottom of the ice for a while before sinking downwards.

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whatacartouchebag · 6 years

Text

Suppression, Chapter Eighteen

The What: What happens when Incan bindings meet Egyptian magic? Well, there’s a little crossing of the streams that never should have happened and amnesiac pharaohs find themselves flung into the future.

The When: Set immediately at the end of Bonds Beyond Time.

The Who: A band not appearing in this fic. Set in the world of 5D’s, so expect a bunch of peeps from there to pop up.

The Who’n’Who: Yusei Fudo/Atem, aka Synchroshipping.

The Rating: A nice and cozy E, since no-one is actually misbehaving or doing naughty things, but there’s talk of recovery and heavy depression.

The sun bled through the sky with the first light of dawn, rays warming the horizon as the city moved into life. Motion stirred within the heart of Neo Domino, and with it, the day began anew as people awoke; the sounds and sights of the city pulsing to the tune of commotion and commerce.

Even the outer districts stirred with that same life; people going about their affairs as the morning light brought new promise. The highways stretching across the ocean to Satellite stood dotted with vehicles, making their daily commute or trade; business continuing as usual.

Yet some life was not at all content with the promise of a new morning.

Aki lay upon the upstairs couch, eyes tracing the lines of the ceiling above her. Weariness wrapped about her like the very blanket she had burrowed beneath, but it had nothing against the worry that clung to her thoughts like a vice. What few hours of sleep had blessed her seemed to be worth naught as she drew in a quiet breath, releasing it in a gentle sigh.

No, there were so many things that had plagued her mind in the darkness, and laying there while the sun hung in the sky would solve none of them.

Pushing back her covers, she sat upright, feet grazing the rug as she ran fingers through her hair. She didn’t doubt that the others in the house had as little sleep as she did, what with the silent anxiety still hanging thick within the air.

She only hoped that there would be answers with the dawn of a new day, so with a quiet sigh across lips, stood and walked to where she knew coffee lurked.

With the silence that hung thick in Poppo Time, she knew that she was the first one to rise, and had it been any other sort of day, she may even have relished the time to herself. Now though, it felt almost stifling, and Aki knew there would be no enjoying this morning.

Slender fingers ran through her hair again, stopping midway as brown eyes closed and fingertips massaged her scalp deeply, almost relishing the feel as weariness tugged at her senses. It was an action she used almost religiously when it came to long nights of study, yet she never thought she’d be using it to relieve this kind of tension.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

The gentle voice startled her lightly, and she jerked about to face Crow. The redhead could only snicker softly as he finished descending the ladder, and the soft smile found her lips once more.

“You’re quiet as a mouse, you know that?” she remarked, shaking her head.

Crow could only wink at her. “You learn to tiptoe around kids that are light sleepers,” he answered simply. Fingers reached for a second mug, and Aki drew the sugar jar towards her, knowing his preferences. Another by-product of raising his children, no doubt; that sharp, yet occasional, sweet tooth of his.

“Not thanks to surviving in Satellite?” she asked with curiosity, eyes wanting to wander over to him as she made them both coffee.

The simple question lingered briefly in the air, and Crow only gave a brief noise of acknowledgement. He made his recent past no secret around the young woman; she was as genuinely curious as the twins, and he saw no reason to deny them the truth. There was no hesitation in his answer, and he shook his head lightly.

“Probably got it from there first, but it’s handy around the kids secondly,” he gave a quiet sigh between teeth as a steaming mug was slid towards him. “Makes it kind of hard to teach them proper morals when the only way to raise them is to use improper ones,” he added, lifting the mug to his lips and blowing on it lightly.

“Mm, you’ve lived there longer than they have, and I see no evidence of that in you,” Aki replied simply, as if it were as plain to see as the red in his hair. In her eyes, it really was. “You did more than survive off improper morals, Crow. You learned what was right and wrong, and you stuck to your beliefs.” Fingers dipped into the fridge, hunting for something suitable to eat, and she settled for eggs. Everything could be solved with eggs, her mother always told her as a child, and she saw no reason to ignore that now. Perhaps when everyone else was up, she could prepare some for them, too.

“Even if you aren’t with them now,” she continued, “you’ve given them a firm foundation of proper morals, as was given to you as a child. They know the difference between right and wrong; they’re good kids, Crow, and they’re in good hands.” She lifted her eyes, meeting his with a gentle smile. The redhead could only return the warm gesture, feeling something in his chest swell with something akin to pride at her words. He cradled the mug a little closer to his chest and could only give a soft nod for a moment, words faltering on his tongue in light of her praise.

Aki ducked her gaze away, feeling the weight of that gaze upon her as shyness crept through her once more. “It’s just... really easy to see how much they look up to you, so I doubt they’d do anything to disappoint you. Nor you disappoint them,” she finished softly, flicking the stovetop on and setting a frypan atop it.

“To answer your question, though... well... I was just worried about what today would bring,” she added, staring aimlessly at the empty pan.

Crow gave a faint murmur in response, casting grey eyes to the ladder. “You mean Atem,” he replied. “Yeah, today’s going to be... interesting.” He gave a heavy sigh and rubbed at the back of his neck. “He’s a strong guy, but so’s Yusei, and I’ve seen him break under the weight of something terrible before.”

The young woman’s brow knit as gathered her ingredients together. “You think this is just as bad...” she murmured, already knowing his response. The nod from the corner of her eye confirmed it for her.

“Without a doubt...” the redhead breathed, trailing off and closing his eyes as he took another sip of coffee. “Last night... when I found him, he could barely get his words out, but there was one sentence he couldn’t finish back there. He almost told me something about ‘everyone,’ and from his actions, I can only guess it was his friends from his own time.”

Aki blinked at him, surprise covering her features as she replayed the events of the previous night in her mind. Just what had happened in the Spirit World to cause all of this? Her brow knit faintly and she glanced at Crow, but the words dried upon her tongue. How best to phrase this?

The Signer drew her bottom lip between teeth, turning back to their breakfast as she poured it into the frying pan. “I might be overthinking things, but... the area we found him in last night... I don’t think it was a coincidence. He went there because it was somewhere familiar to both Yugi and himself.”

Crow could only stare at her, running the layout of that area through his head. Old Domino was... well, of course it would be an area familiar to him, but why would Aki be so sure of that particular place?

“When they first passed it a few weeks ago,” she began, as if dipping so easily into his thoughts, “Rua was quizzing him on places, helping him remember them as they were, and how they looked now; almost like a game between the two of them. Atem recalled the place easily, so I... I think it was somewhere familiar to both he and Yugi,” she finished softly, stirring her scrambled eggs.

“So he went somewhere familiar to them...” Crow trailed off, sadness creasing his brow. He gave a quiet sigh, grey eyes closing momentarily. “It doesn’t surprise me; not really. I mean, I guess if we all had the chance, we’d do the same, right?”

Aki watched him for a moment, gaze trailing back to breakfast as she lifted the pan from the stove. “I guess you’re right...”

“But?”

Her eyes met Crow’s once more, and he gave her a brief raise of his brows. “There’s a ‘but’ in there, I can tell,” he told her simply. The gentle smile found her lips and she split up breakfast for the two of them.

“Well... not so much a ‘but...’” she began, moving to clean her work as she spoke. “That area... even though it’s Old Domino, we... learnt about a little of it in history once; back when I was a little girl. Even now, they’re still teaching it to those who study duel history, but that area is as close as you can get to where the original Kame Game shop once stood.”

Crow stiffened with shock as grey eyes widened. Aki was surprised he didn’t drop his mug with the sudden reaction.

“Then last night... he...” the redhead breathed, realisation blanketing him. He reached up to bury a hand in his hair. “Geez, no wonder he was so distressed about everything... On top of what he found out, he also had to deal with finding that out.”

Aki gave a faint nod, sliding his plate over to him. “I didn’t realise it myself until this morning.” She stared down at her own plate, worry lining her brow for a brief moment before she closed her eyes with a heavy sigh. “But...”

The young woman reopened her eyes with a warm smile, fixing her gaze upon Crow. “No matter what, all we can do is help him the same way as we help each other.”

Crow returned her smile with a bright one of his own, lifting his coffee mug to clink against hers. “You’ve got that right. He’s one of the team now, and that’s that!”

With a gentle laugh from the young woman, it was decided, and the anxiety that ran through the silent building seemed to slip away, if only for a moment. The world about them relaxed, and took a deep breath as their eyes fixed upon the future.

As life began to stir within Poppo Time, the remaining residents descended into what could only be called a stifled sensation of business as usual. Everyone could feel the tension that lay thick in the air; even Aki and Crow, who had spoken at length with the others about their conversation earlier in the day, found the pressure of remaining hopeful to be an arduous one.

The only one who remained absent was the person at the centre of their concerns.

Yusei only confirmed that the pharaoh had chosen to remain where he was, refusing to budge from his place, buried beneath the covers, and could not deny him. Later, was all he had been told.

If the mechanic was seen throughout the day absently running fingers across the neck of his shirt, or along the back of his neck, or even chewing his bottom lip, surely it was a habit borne of worry, the others thought. Everyone was concerned, so of course Yusei felt the burden of worry upon his own shoulders, no matter the distractions of the day. If only they knew he still had the memory burning over and over in his mind of the pharaoh buried so close to him, sobbing brokenly against his chest until exhausted sleep claimed him.

As the sun rose across the sky on that second day, and hours slipped between them all unnoticed, the day seemed to come and go without any sign of Atem. Rua had been the first to anxiously peek through a crack in the door – just to make sure he was even still in the building. The sleeping form in a tousled pile of blankets did nothing to sate his worried heart, however, and the boy slipped back from the room, worrying his bottom lip.

Night soon wrapped about the city, the stars dotting the velvet sky as much as the twinkling lights of Neo Domino itself. Yusei slipped into his room, closing the door gently behind him and padding silently across the floor. Only when he neared the bed did the figured within stir faintly.

“Yusei..?” Atem breathed sleepily, voice dry and coming from somewhere beneath the covers.

The mechanic swallowed lightly, silent as he gently lifted the blankets and slipped in behind the duellist, curling an arm about his chest and holding him close.

“I’m here,” he replied softly, pressing his lips to the crown of Atem’s head. “I’m here...”

The pharaoh’s composure remained steadfast for only a handful of heartbeats before it began to fray anew, and fingers tightened over Yusei’s. The Signer merely held him firmly, feeling him tremble.

Even at the gentle feeling of those fingers holding him safe and sound, warmth enveloping his senses and threatening to ground him against the tidal wave of ache building in his chest, Atem could do little else but realise with startling clarity that all was lost to him. It was an entirely alien feeling and it left him feeling absolutely gutted; even in the wake of losing his partner so many times.

At least during those times, as heartwrenching and tragic as they felt, there was some small amount of comfort in knowing his friends remained by his side, supporting him, consoling him in times of grief, and simply being there for each other.

Yet here?

Neo Domino felt as cold and broad and empty as his heart.

“I'm here...”

True to his word, the mechanic stayed, warm and gentle at his back. All through the night, strong arms held him close, letting him spill his pain against their skin. As the first tint of deep purples began to settle across the sky, heralding the coming dawn, only then did the pharaoh succumb to slumber, exhaustion dragging him under.

Only then, when he felt that ragged form relax within his arms, and breathing slip to something less burdened, did Yusei close his own eyes, lips pressing gently to that dark hair.

As both of them held each other in rising of the sun, both remained oblivious in slumber to the tender crimson glow surrounding marked flesh, as if the Crimson Dragon himself shared the very grief of that burdened heart.

***

Blackbird gave an explosive roar of throttle as it began the slow approach to Poppo Time, its rider gearing down effortlessly and guiding the sleek machine along the final stretch of road. Crow almost bit back the heavy sigh as he drew closer, knowing that in the days that stretched on there had been little change within their normally happy household.

Still, as heartless as it sounded in words, life for the Signers and that of Neo Domino wound on for the next week. The duellist knew in his very soul that there was no coming back from what Atem had experienced that night - regardless of what that really was.

The frown creased lightly on his brow. Following what he knew, piecing together what information he had... there was only so much that could point them all in the right direction without the pharaoh telling them in his own words what that really was.

Crow suspected enough, and it was no wonder he was suffering.

He could never put a timer on grief, no matter its form, yet the pharaoh had reduced himself to an utter shell of what he once was. Something had to give, but he had to wonder exactly what that would be before the tension snapped, and something shattered all over again.

Grey eyes blinked as he nearly missed his destination, realising he'd been utterly caught up in his train of thought, and turned neatly about the fountain and into the awaiting garage. For all his thinking and overthinking, he was going to end up like Yusei, came the soft taunt in his mind, wringing the faint smile to his lips.

He glided to a stop within the warehouse, killing the steady thrum of the engine and sliding Blackbird forward on her stand. It was only as he was shedding the comforting weight of his helmet did he glance up to spy Atem watching him arrive from the landing, and Crow greeted him silently with a warm smile and a simple wave.

Grief may have had no timer in his mind, but there was something to be said for stagnation.

It was a subject that Crow himself knew all too well, and wished only to release the flow once more.

"Hey there, anything exciting happen while I was out?" he called to the pharaoh, sliding off his bike and setting his helmet upon the seat. It might not have been normal by any standard, but it was anything to help the young man cope. Atem parted his lips to reply, hesitation changing his mind for a moment in time.

"No, ah... though... Bruno did ask me to tell you he and Yusei have gone to register for the WRGP," the quiet words came from him like a whisper, and Crow had to fight not to frown at how frail they sounded.

"Oh right, that was today, huh..." he murmured, rubbing his chin in thought. Well, at least the opportunity gave him a chance to plan. Or at the very least, wing something blindly; something he was very good at. "Say, can I ask you something?"

The pharaoh stared back at him, a mute nod as he began to walk down to the garage level.

"You're just about due to have that thing off, right?" Crow tapped his forearm for effect. "If you don't have any other plans for this afternoon, I could take you."

Atem stopped at the base of the stairs, staring in realisation at the brace that still wrapped about his arm. Had it... really been two weeks already? Time seemed to be slipping from him faster and faster these days. Crimson eyes narrowed faintly, brows set to a light furrow as he avoided that piercing gaze. Perhaps, then...

"I'd like that," the words slipped from him before he could really think about it.

Crow walked to him, that warm smile never budging as he placed a hand to his shoulder, oblivious to the surprise that swam within the other.

"Great! Wanna head out now?"

That caught the pharaoh by surprise, and again he held a moment of hesitation on his tongue. No, his mind breathed from its depths; to make a decision is to follow it through to the very end. Something that he once told others so proudly and firm. Absently, he reached a hand up to lightly curl about the brace on his arm.

"It's not going to be a bother, is it?" he asked quietly.

"A bother? Psh! A bother is Jack spending all our money on that acidic slop he calls good coffee," Crow replied with a short laugh. He gave a gentle squeeze to the pharaoh's shoulder. "This is just a guy helping out a friend."

Atem finally raised crimson eyes to meet those knowing grey eyes, surprise swimming within their depths. The warmth of those words, something so simple, felt like someone pulling the stitches from a wound unseen, and he swallowed against the lump of coal that rose to his throat. The simplest thing, the simplest words, and still...

Warmth welled in his eyes and the faint smile found his lips at last.

"... thank you..."

He didn't trust his voice to say anything further, and Crow - bless his wonderful soul - did nothing to press the issue, merely gave his shoulder a gentle pat as he drew away, retrieving a spare helmet and tossing it lightly to him.

"Best get going while the day's still warm. It'll be a squeeze with two of us, but it's better than walking," he said brightly, sliding Blackbird back off its stand to turn it aboutface.

Atem stood still, eyes upon the helmet in his hands as a thumb idly traced a seam upon it. For all that he had lost, there was still so much to gain...

Crimson eyes narrowed for a beat. Perhaps, then...

The riding duellist slid himself upon Blackbird once more, the soft leather giving a faint creak of well-worn protest. At least she was warm, which made the startup just a tad quicker, Crow mused as he tucked hair back within the confines of his helmet. With the faint click of electrics connecting, Momentum thrummed in response and the engine exploded to life once more.

He felt Atem tuck in behind him, one arm snaking about his waist.

Crow gave a faint smile at the other duellist's quiet but solid response. It was nowhere near alright, but at least he was trying so, so hard. He reached up with a gloved hand and gave a faint squeeze to the other's.

With a short rev of the engine, he gently guided Blackbird from the garage, taking his time as they moved through the quiet backstreets of their little suburb and into the steadily growing traffic of the highways.

Neo Domino sprawled out in the distance from where they rode, all but ablaze in the light of the setting sun, and Atem couldn't help but stare idly at it as traffic streaked past them. It still felt like some lucid dream that he was waiting to awaken from. Yusei's world... how long had he been here now? Only a month? Two? And yet already so much had happened.

Brows furrowed as he recalled all the ways others had helped him from his arrival. The hospital staff, that officer - Ushio - a name that still seemed so strange to hear. Yusei himself and all his friends. Even though things had gone strangely awry between the Signers and their connection to Atem, they never once baulked at the chance to help him. To offer him assistance in this new world. To show him new things.

To be so patient and understanding.

Crimson eyes closed as he felt his grip tighten ever so slightly upon the riding duellist. He would never be able to repay their kindness, even if he were given another chance entirely.

Yet here he sat, realising all of this as the weight of grief began to shift. Ever since that night, it had all but blanketed his entire existence in a shrouding fog of loss. Everything had been pushed aside in the wake of that one moment as he learned the truth.

Utterly everything.

It was so oppressive that in his smothering wave of grief he forgot that there already were people here who cared deeply for him. Those who could help him heal, and those who never knew when to quit.

Atem opened his eyes, drawing a steadying breath and letting it slip from him in a shaky exhale. He brought his gaze up, glancing over Crow's shoulder and watching them weave between the traffic and below an endless array of signs as they began their approach to the city.

No, it wasn't alright; it would never be alright.

Yet there was always another tomorrow, and there were always others to help him see that tomorrow through.

The whisper of a smile glimmered on his lips.

It was time to start looking forward once more. One foot in front of another.

"Not going to sleep on me back there, huh?" Crow's voice cut through his thoughts like a hot knife through butter, and the pharaoh blinked at him for a moment, the smile still sitting on his lips.

"Just admiring the city... It's so beautiful in the sunset," he murmured through the headset. Memory tugged at the back of his mind, and he couldn't help the soft chuckle that fell from his lips. "...I never imagined the future of Domino City to be like this."

Crow matched that smile as he gave a firm squeeze to the hand still about his waist, not realising the significance of those words.

"It's something special alright," he replied, peeling off from the main highway and onto a nearby exit ramp, heading directly for the heart of the city itself. "I still prefer the nights, but that's just the Satellite boy in me talking," he added with a laugh. He raised an open hand to the sky, caught in his own memory for a moment. "That far out from Neo Domino, you can see the stars shining so brightly during the night; our own private light show. I mean, there's a good reason we chose to live so far from the city itself nowadays. Even Jack missed the view; though he'd never admit to anything."

His delighted words brought the gentle laugh from the pharaoh, knowing exactly what he meant. All those weeks ago, as they sat at the fountain in the plaza... the stars twinkled as bright as the moon, and they all shared it together without a care in the world.

It was also the same night... Atem's thoughts drifted further past thoughts of the clear night sky, settling firmly upon a darkened room, gently whispered admissions, fingers gliding across skin, and he ignored the way his memories brought the soft heat to his cheeks, swallowing lightly.

He really did lose so much... only to gain something so special...

Crimson eyes slid shut once more, and he laid his head against Crow's back, keeping a firm hold upon the riding duellist.

"...thank you... truly..." he breathed into the wind, barely caught by the other.

Crow almost missed the faint snatch of words at his ears, and he blinked lightly, allowing the warm smile to settle upon his lips. It would take far more than simple time needed to heal those wounds, but it was already a step forward.

One step at a time, Crow's mind whispered.

***

Atem sat quietly in the examination room, arm held out as the nurse looked over the simple brace about his skin. His fingers brushed smoothly over the fabric-like material and he made a positive sound, drawing back to reach for a small pen shaped apparatus on the desk.

“Looks like you've been keeping it clean and dry, which is always a good start,” the nurse told him. He placed the device to the inside of Atem's elbow, keeping it steady. “Just rotate your wrist one-eighty degrees a few times, nice and slow.”

As the pharaoh did so, there sounded a few small blips from the little device, a green light appearing at the tip as the nurse drew away. He reached for one of the bands near his elbow, tapping the device to it and allowing it to detach from him skin, like a shackle falling from his wrists. Atem blinked as that strange cloth-like material between them began retracting back into the one at his wrist; the nurse going about the simple procedure to remove that one as well.

“Alright, good as new,” he told him happily. “The doctor's got your report already-” he waggled the little pen, “-but if there's any issues, we'll be in touch. Other than that, you might want to give your arm a gentle, but thorough, scrub when you get home, and hold off on the strenuous stuff for another couple of weeks.”

He glanced down at the deck on Atem's hip.

“And uh, no riding duels for a while, okay?”

Atem gave a soft laugh at that, holding up his other hand in protest.

“Don't worry, I think I'll give up my license for a while,” he replied, standing up and brushing fingers over newly exposed skin. It felt strange, even after a mere couple of weeks. “Thank you, for all your help.”

The nurse got to his feet, heading for the door. “Not at all; it's my job to help people get back on track after something like this.”

The simple way he spoke struck the pharaoh, and he blinked down at his arm from where it rested in his hand. To anyone, it was a truly insignificant line, but to him, it seemed to be what felt like a string of little things lining up for him. He allowed the soft smile to reach his lips and he turned his eyes back up to the man.

“Well then, you've got one very satisfied patient,” he told him. The nurse gave a soft laugh at that.

“Good to know, have a good rest of the day then,” came the cheerful goodbye as Atem gave him a light wave, heading back into the sparsely decorated hallway.

Crow looked up from where he sat perched on a chair, idly flipping a magazine in his fingers. At the sight of Atem, he flicked it back onto the pile and strode up to him.

“Hey, how'd it go?”

Atem gave a brief nod. “All better. As long as I take it easy and look both ways when crossing the road, I don't think I'll be back for a while,” he smiled wryly at him. Crow couldn't help the snicker that fell from his lips and he threw an arm about Atem's shoulders, walking them both out towards the carpark.

“Well that's a relief! You seriously want to avoid this place as long as you can; it's bad for your health,” the redhead told him as they stepped into the twilight air. Crow stepped away from the pharaoh to stretch his arms up high, feeling joints pop lightly from sitting so long. “Mm... a long ride home is just what I need after all that waiting.”

Atem glanced away briefly, giving a soft chuckle. “Ah, sorry about that...”

“What?” Crow blinked back at him. “Pfft, I'm the one who offered, alright? Don't get so hung up on it.”

The riding duellist kept pace with his companion as they made their way to Blackbird, reaching for a helmet and slipping it over his head. He tossed the other lightly to the pharaoh, who caught it easily, and they both sat down in the limited space. Yusei hadn't been exaggerating when he mentioned that Jack or Crow's D-Wheels wouldn't have much room to accommodate two passengers; he could hardly imagine what it would be like trying to squeeze in behind Jack's tall frame.

Though the stray thought did bring the crease to his brow as Blackbird roared to life beneath them. Even if they didn't have the means, this group of friends always seemed to offer anything without a flicker of hesitation.

It was like a welcoming family who hadn't seen him for years, opening their doors and ushering him in out of the cold. Except in his case, it was rescuing him from the hospital and solving the veritable mystery surrounding his very existence in this world.

Crimson eyes narrowed lightly as Crow steered them out into traffic once more, the wind brushing past his skin.

He had the answers to his little mystery.

Now all that was left was telling the others.

***

“It's going to be perfect!” Bruno exclaimed excitedly as he scanned the diagnostics on the screen before him. “Maintaining the dissipation of energy as a scattered particle release will take the strain off the housing entirely, which means we can focus more on the increase of pressure within the generator itself.”

He couldn't help the bright laugh that slipped from him as he clapped a hand to Yusei's shoulder. The riding duellist returned the smile with one of his own, giving a brief nod to his friend.

“Exactly. You've done an amazing job with this idea, Bruno,” he told him, turning blue eyes over to the code on the screen. He reached up to scroll through it, his gaze drinking in the rapid blur of text as it zipped by. “I'm not seeing any potential issues from the outset... and it already sounds like our best chance at completing this new engine in time.”

Bruno beamed at that, giving his shoulder another happy clap.

“See? I told you it would work out in the end!” He pushed himself away from the desk, walking over to an adjacent workbench to the D-Wheels, placing his hands flat against the surface, already running the schematics through his head. “Though we'll still be down to the wire to push out both a test type and production type if we want to refit all of them...” Yusei gave a faint noise of thought as he stood, walking to his own D-Wheel.

“Perhaps, but at least it'll keep us as busy as Crow,” he replied, already tugging at the chassis release, drawing the laugh from his companion.

“You're not wrong there; I don't think he knows how to turn down a job,” Bruno said, already reaching for a blank blueprint and plucking a pencil from his jacket. “Alright, let me get started on this design, and I think we should be able to start collecting materials for a build in a few hours.”

Yusei nodded, kneeling down next to his machine as he began reaching through the wires and components, going through the motions of carefully disconnecting and rerouting things where needed for the upcoming barrage of tests it was about to receive.

He placed the tip of gloved fingers in his mouth, tugging the offending fabric from both hands, pushing his sleeves up and slipping fingers deep within the thick trunk of wires that lay before him. Some things were far easier to do by touch, and he already knew his machine intimately, so it was little effort to snake his hand into well up to his forearm, find the appropriate connections and tweak them out as needed.

Time slipped past his senses, and he soon found himself lost to the methodical task of withdrawing components and spilling thick coils of wire onto the ground, looking for all the world like tree roots bursting from the machine.

His ears pricked at the sound of an approaching D-Wheel, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Blackbird turning into the open warehouse door. It was only as he spotted Crow's passenger that he blinked in surprise, withdrawing his hands and standing up.

Crow drew to a stop and tugged his helmet off with a satisfied sound, shaking his wild hair loose. “Good thing I know this place like the back of my hand, or the rest of that traffic would've been a nightmare,” he laughed brightly. Atem mirrored the sound as he placed his own helmet on Blackbird's seat, the soft laugh causing Yusei to draw a faint breath.

“I think you had it covered,” the pharaoh told him. “Having a bike in heavy traffic is an old move. It's probably been around longer than I have,” he added with a wink, drawing the laugh from Crow once more.

Yusei couldn't help the warm smile that blossomed across his lips. Seeing Atem looking brighter than he had for some time now, joking and even laughing with someone else... it warmed his heart immensely. He knew his journey was far from over, but if he'd actively taken the first few steps to heal-

“Yusei,” Atem's voice cut into his thoughts and blue eyes blinked back at the young man. The pharaoh realised he'd interrupted whatever it was going on upstairs, and he raised his arm, proudly showing off the lack of a cast. “Look, all better.”

The riding duellist gave a mute nod at the action, knowing it must seem rather awkward that he was doing little else but stare at the young man. He walked towards him, stopping before him as words seemed to evaporate on his tongue. Opening his hand, he held it out to the young man.

“May I?” he asked, and Atem placed his wrist in that waiting hand. Yusei couldn't help but be relieved beyond compare at how much change Atem had undergone in the last couple of days. What kind of decision had he reached to draw such a response from him? He swallowed lightly as his fingers sat upon warm skin. Whatever was on his mind, whatever had settled in his heart, he was so, so glad for it.

“See?” Atem's voice whispered as he reached up, placing his own hand atop Yusei's, secrecy not even on his mind. “All it needed was a little time...”

Yusei's fingers gave a gentle squeeze as the soft laugh fell from him, slipping back from that warm touch.

“Good to hear it...” he breathed, wanting nothing more than to draw him tight in his arms and hold on.

“Ah, that means an extra pair of hands to help out!” Bruno exclaimed happily, drawing everyone's gaze as he kept his eyes firmly upon his blueprints, pencil still making short, quick marks on the paper. “We're going to need as much help as we can to get this engine done in time.”

Atem let the soft chuckle slip from him. “Of course,” he replied smoothly. “Though I do still need to take it easy. No... strenuous activities. Doctor's orders.”

Dark blue eyes widened, and Yusei couldn't help but glance back at him, taking full note of that faint smirk sitting ripe upon lips. Oh he wouldn't...

No. No, he really would.

“Don't worry,” he told the pharaoh, facing him fully. “I'm sure we can find some light duties for you. You're still quite capable with your hands, right?”

Crimson eyes blinked back at him, feeling the flush of heat under his skin at the words as he glanced away. Of course Yusei wouldn't be easily dissuaded by such a simple bait. He parted his lips to reply when Crow cleared his throat loudly, drawing their attention.

“It's been a long day so if you don't mind, I'm going to hit the first shower before Jack steals all the hot water,” he told them sharply, grey eyes widening slightly in fierce, unspoken warning to the pair.

Yusei gave a brief nod, his brain furiously hitting rewind as their shared words began to hit him one after the other. True, Bruno might've been oblivious with his head buried in schematics, but he sure wasn't blind, and continuing like they were was likely to get themselves burned. He ducked his gaze away briefly, mentally tucking himself back into shape and gave Crow a brief smile.

“Ah, sure thing. We'll get finished up here and get started on dinner,” he assured his friend.

“Alright, just remember it's only for five tonight; Aki and the twins won't be joining us until the weekend,” came the stern reply as he began to head up the stairs. That drew Atem's attention, and he brought a hand to his mouth in thought. That meant he had to wait a couple more nights for everyone to be together.

He gave a brief nod to his own thoughts; so be it. If he had to wait a little longer to tell everyone, then he would do just that. He couldn't see the point in sharing his story to the occupants of Poppo Time, only to have nearly half the team miss out on the very same information. That certainly wouldn't be very fair at all.

“What's the matter?”

Yusei's perceptive gaze stared back at him as Atem lifted his head. Of course he wouldn't miss a thing...

“Just thinking to myself,” Atem replied softly. “I... want to tell everyone, but the timing...” he trailed off for a moment, shaking his head lightly. “I'd rather wait for everyone to be together.”

The riding duellist didn't have to guess what was meant by those words, and he offered a soft smile to the pharaoh, reaching up to place a hand on his shoulder.

“It's alright. I think everyone would rather you take as much time as you needed,” he told him gently, fingers giving a faint squeeze. “I'm just glad you've got your smile back again.” Atem couldn't help but feel the warmth settle deep in his chest at those quietly whispered words, ducking his gaze away briefly.

“Thank you... truly.”

Fingers gave another gentle squeeze to his shoulder before slipping away. “We should really keep our promise to Crow. You head up and get started; I'll be there once I've finished here,” Yusei continued, the amused smile sitting on his lips. “It's best not to get on the bad side of the person who helps keep everyone fed.”

Atem couldn't help but snigger at that, holding up a hand in acquiesce. “Alright, that's a very good point,” he replied, already walking past him and heading for the stairs. “Bruno, we'll call you when it's ready.”

The mechanic, not moving his eyes from the schematics before him, raised a hand in a half-hearted wave of acknowledgement, caught somewhere between mathematical problems in his mind. The pharaoh, already smiling and shaking his head, knew it would be pointless to try and garner any further attention from the man, and he headed up the stairs.

Whilst he may not have had the skills of one Crow Hogan, he certainly knew his way around the kitchen. Yugi himself was instrumental in his acquired knowledge, and he reached down for where he knew the larger pots were kept, placing a couple upon the stovetop. Perhaps something that would use up the rest of the vegetables altogether... a stir fry? No, they had something similar last week.

He gave a sudden snap of his fingers as inspiration struck. Goulash would be perfect, especially with the nights starting to cool off a little. Something hot, hearty and filling would be just what everyone needed. And it would last them all for quite a few meals. With a quiet hum, he started reaching through cupboards, collecting what spices, sauces and ingredients he needed and placing them within easy reach.

Recreating the recipe from memory wasn't all that hard, he thought, and luckily Crow kept most of the basics here, ready to use. He reached for a knife, and one after another, began dicing through the vegetables and meat needed for dinner, placing each one in their own bowl. It was quiet, methodical work, and it gave him a simple moment to himself, using skilled hands to make short work of the ingredients.

It was only as warm arms suddenly encircled him from behind that he startled lightly, staring over his shoulder as Yusei's cheek came into view, that bright splash of yellow marker tracing his skin. He relaxed in a heartbeat, fingers reaching up to rest gently on his arm, enjoying the quiet moment of contact; how warm and content it made him feel, as if his very presence could still the turmoil in his heart.

Crimson eyes closed briefly as he lay his knife down, letting his head rest against the cheek of the other, as all dinner plans were suddenly put on hold in that simple respite.

“I've been thinking about this all day...” Yusei's words breathed across his ear.

Atem couldn't help but smile at him. “If you were that hungry, you should have said something earlier...”

The soft chuckle tumbled from Yusei like a waterfall, and he squeezed his gently.

“Maybe I wanted something else from the menu,” came the quiet tease of voice. Now it was Atem's turn to smirk.

“Pity for you the kitchen's been closed for repairs.”

That got the desired reaction, and Yusei had to turn his head away as the sharp laugh tore from him, short and bright; a tone that Atem hadn't really heard before, and he couldn't help but let his own smile split across his lips. He felt those arms give a brief squeeze to his frame before slipping away, leaving hands to linger at his shoulders.

“Don't worry; I know a good mechanic,” Yusei told him softly. “Now, what are we making?” Atem stared back down at his handiwork, everything sorted and ready to start cooking.

“Something that Yugi's mother showed me how to make,” he replied quietly. “Though I suppose in hindsight, it was more her showing him how to make it,” he added.

Yusei cast his gaze over everything, taking note of the extra spices and sauces off to the side with a nod. “It looks basic enough,” came the soft reply. It was also the first time in... a very long time that he'd heard Atem mention anything about his home.

“It is, but I'm sure you and the others will appreciate it.” The pharaoh reached for the large frypan, settling it onto the burner and flicking it on, taking a step to the side. “Tell you what... you stand here, and we'll make it together.”

The smile never left Yusei's lips as he watched him for a moment. He really was trying so hard to pick himself up and continue on. Even if it was only for this one day, he had pushed himself forward with all his strength and was allowing himself to heal, little by little.

He took the handle of the frypan within his fingers, reaching for a little cooking oil as Atem told him to, and he began the step-by-step process of cooking up the different ingredients. Time wound on as Yusei listened to the simple instructions dictated to him, and together they began to prepare something that smelled utterly wonderful, filling Poppo Time with a rich warmth.

All Atem was attempting to do was try, and that was all Yusei could hope for.

He would do everything in his power to make sure he healed with a smile on his face.

#Synchroshipping #Yusei Fudo #Atem #Suppression #Cart writes #Cart actually writes #all aboard the rollercoaster kiddos!!

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ifwegettherebysunset · 7 years

Link

y’all mind if i continue to heap affection and appreciation onto yusei ‘cause that’s what you’re getting

this is 834 words of fluff ok no ulterior motive just fucking Fluff(TM)

also under the cut!

Yusei actually sleeping, let alone in an actual bed, would be surprising, so Atem isn't worried about empty sheets, or a quiet apartment. The area's immersed in Neo Domino, but the window tech blocks just enough sound to relax in, even on the lowest floor. He takes his time stretching.

It's a peaceful summer Sunday, not quite eight. Atem's getting better at sleeping in.

Peeking into the garage, he figures he needs to get healthy sleep for two people anyway.

Yusei's passed out on his D-Wheel again.

Half his face will have marks from the way his cheek's scrunched on the seat, and Atem can only imagine the back ache from being curled in an awkward ball against a motorcycle. His hair, too, will be even stranger to look at when Yusei finally untangles those goggles. At least he hasn't accidentally hit himself with the wrench clutched in his hand. He's usually a still sleeper, but nightmares sometimes throw punches.

Atem shakes his head, trying to be annoyed. He ends up smiling fondly.

In Poppo Time, there had been a special box next to one of the desks, put there by Crow Hogan the day he, Jack, and Yusei moved in. Atem had taken it to the new place, where Yusei still raises an eyebrow at it. Inside is a well-loved, faded blue blanket. It brushes against the box label as he hefts it: The Yusei Blanket! Use Every 24 Hours!

After placing the blanket over the back of the couch, Atem quietly approaches Yusei. Taking the wrench away needs a few tries―Yusei's like a baby with a rattle―but it's taking the goggles that wakes him.

"Good morning," Atem murmurs.

Yusei hums, accidentally rubbing more grease on his forehead. "Morning."

"Sleep well?"

Yusei winces at the sunlight. "Ah. I don't remember falling asleep." He takes Atem's offered hand, blinking swollen eyes. "How are you?"

"I'll feel better when you've had a shower and your blanket."

Some people might think Yusei's glaring at said blanket. Atem knows he's just squinting.

"Ah," Yusei says again.

Atem presses against his back, gently but sternly leading him from the D-Wheel. "Go wash up."

"But―"

"Yusei."

Yusei's shoulders tap his ears. Atem's perfected Martha's tone. "Okay."

Another thing Atem's picked up from Martha is a couple simple recipes. Now that there's money to spare, the fridge can be stocked with things other than old milk cartons. Once he hears the shower turning on, Atem gets to work. It has to be something light, since Yusei's stomach is useless in the morning, especially after another attempted all-nighter. Maybe if he gets her on a video call later, Yusei could remember what a bed is.

The shower's still running when Atem's finished. Opening the bathroom door sees Yusei's forehead pressed against the tile. Sleeping.

As if Atem needs another reminder how much he adores this man.

"Yusei?"

Yusei starts, blinking rapidly. He blushes when he realizes what he was doing. "S-sorry."

Atem pulls his head from the spray to kiss his cheek. "Breakfast is on the table. Don't let it get cold."

Yusei's eyes shine. "Thank you," he whispers reverently.

Atem chuckles and pecks his lips. "Hurry up."

And he'd thought Yugi had been bad.

While they eat, Atem carefully avoids questions about Yusei's current projects. It'll only push him back to his workshop. He talks about how much he's going to relax today instead. Read a book, perhaps, or call Judai―who still looks younger than Yusei, which always makes Yusei smile.

Yusei likes creating a space for people to talk instead of filling it. He gladly listens, chin propped on his free hand. Even half-asleep, his expression is open and interested. Atem keeps working on him, adding an extra languid tone to his words, carding through Yusei's hair. Eventually, not even Yusei can stay awake.

"Come on," Atem murmurs.

Yusei rubs his eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean―"

"I'm sure I can tell you all about how nice reading a book is later."

No matter how many eyebrow-raises the Yusei Blanket gets, the fact is Yusei sleeps better with it. Maybe because Martha had knit it herself, or that Jack and Crow had reserved it specifically for him. Probably both. Either way, Yusei gracefully concedes defeat when Atem drapes it around his shoulders.

Atem lays him on the bed―the actual bed!―and presses against his back, nosing his throat. Yusei's asleep in seconds.

Atem takes a picture and sends it to Yusei's friends, including Kiryu and Martha. He gets a gif from Crow, a Thank goodness! from Martha, thumbs up from Rua and Ruka, and Aki's teasing Even his gloves are off. You're a miracle worker. Neither Kiryu nor Jack reply, but they seldom do.

That done, he props himself on the headboard and pulls up an e-book. Eventually, Yusei rolls over and throws an arm around Atem's waist. Without looking, Atem tucks him against his hip.

Neo Domino can survive without its hero for a day.

#synchroshipping #writing by sunset

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bakugouscentedcaramel · 5 years

Text

Sleepy Bois Hour

Since it's 3am and I'm still in a writing mood, why not take advantage of it? Have some sleepy cuddly Bois to lull you to a blissful sleep, All for the low low price of 420 payments of 69 uwu's

@1a-imagines have these Bois to lull your sick ass to sleep

Warnings: prepare your hearts y'all, this one's the fluffiest shit I ever wrote, feast my darlins

Bakugou

He was laying on his back, his arm wrapped around your shoulders with his hand resting on your upper arm. Your head was on his chest and you wrapped yourself around him. His chests rhythm rocking you into a blissful daze.

You had woken up to him muttering in his sleep about something, it was all just incoherent ramblings. You studied his features in this rare opportunity. His lax eyes looked so peaceful, the way they darted around in his sleep only made you smirk knowing he had no idea how love sick you looked. His mouth moving and quivering slightly in his dream only made you more dreamy-eyed. His jaw complimenting his toned neck. He was just so, handsome.

"-y/n.."

You snapped out of your daze and looked back at his eyes, expecting tired filled rubies staring back, only to find him still soundly asleep. You smile knowing this newfound secret.

He suddenly wrapped both of his arms around you and pulled you closer to him before, "-love you.. y/n.."

You heart was swelling with love, normally he's more brash like-

"..love you.. dumbass.."

He was going to be the death of you

Midoriya

Your study session with Izuku turned into a Deku watch. He was hunched over the desk, his arms crossed providing a pillow of sorts for his head. His eyes closed and calm, his eyebrows slightly raised from the bliss of sleep, his mouth slightly open and.. drool? He must've been really tired then.

You go to wipe off the little bit of drool that started to run down his chin before he murmured your name and sank deeper into his arms. You smiled at him and gently played with his hair, twirling a lock around your finger.

You really were so lucky to have him. He was such a sweetheart and honestly one of the best things to have ever happened to you. He'd do anything for you, even if that meant putting himself on the line. You were so "lucky to have y/n.."

What

You snapped out of your daze just in time to hear "I'm.. grateful for.. Y/n.." he shifted in his sleep and had a gentle smile on his face.

You tried not to wake the wild Izuku with your heart fluttering.

Todoroki

You two were just watching TV when you glanced to see your lover fast asleep. He was parked out on the couch with his head in his chest and arms crossed. You were confused on how that was comfortable but before you could think of waking him up to go to bed something caught your eye.

It could've been the light or just this angle but he looked so, happy. He wasn't smiling or anything but you could see it in his face. Contentment. You brushed some of his hair out of his eyes and he groaned softly. You couldn't help but smile at his reaction and you gently stroked his cheek with the back of your hand. You felt his face subtly press back into you. You were trying to calm the butterflies in your stomach from assaulting your heart when-

"-mean everything to me... Y/n..." He softly groaned out as he nuzzled into your hand further.

Once you overcame the sneak attack of love you decided to gently wake him up so you both could go to bed together.

"Shouto, hon"

"nggnnm?"

"come on, let's go to bed darling"

"ngmmsn"

He tried getting up half awake but nearly stumbled back into the couch, which prompted a giggle from you.

Kirishima

Well, this was a predicament.

You tried to wake up your boyfriend but unfortunately he was a heavy sleeper. And to make matters worse he was heavy. Really heavy.

Eijiro came home from a particularly hardcore workout only to greet you and promptly fall asleep on top of you. You've been stuck for about 34 minutes now. He was exhausted and even if he could get off of you he would probably have to peel you off of him due to the amount of sweat on him. After you gave up struggling and just accepted your fate, you decided to just play on your phone until he woke up.

58 minutes since this boulder fell on top of you, now you were considering pulling a 127 hours and just gnaw off your body parts to escape until he started to stir.

"mmng y/n..." A smile graced his lips and you couldn't help but get warm and fuzzy at the sight. You instinctively started running your hand through his hair to which he nuzzled into you more.

All of a sudden you didn't mind being trapped now, even if you were mildly disgusted by his BO.

Iida

You two decided to take a nap together after a particularly stressful day. He was laying down and you were laying on top of him, his arms wrapped around the small of your back. You were sound asleep until you were woken up but his arms tightening slightly and him whispering in his sleep.

You groggily opened your eyes and blinked slowly as you were returning back to earth.

"y/n... Marry me..."

Now wide eyed you whip your head to him, you would've thought that he would've proposed formally, what is going on? You freeze only to see him still sound asleep. You laugh softly now knowing what he was dreaming about. You couldn't help but feel lovey dovey after hearing that. You rubbed his cheek adoringly. His face relaxing and his head seeking the warmth from your hand. You nuzzled yourself deeper into his chest before planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Of course Tenya, my love"

Shinsou

He was up late just reading on his phone. You were sound asleep next to him with your back to him. He told you about an hour ago "just one more chapter". You were going to hold him up to that until you fell asleep yourself.

Once he realized how carried away he got he put his phone on the charger and on the nightstand as quietly as he could. He didn't mean to stay up so late, especially if you were waiting for him. He turned his head to see your sleeping form.

The blanket hugged your form, he could see the gently rising of your breathing. You curled slightly into a ball and your hair was splayed out on the sheets. It was really unfair how beautiful you looked. He smirked to himself before he brushed some hair away from your face and pulled the blanket up more for you. He shifted slowly so he could lay behind you, moving your hair as needed so he wouldn't accidentally lay on it. He pressed his form into yours gently, his head laying right behind yours. He sighed contently once he got a whiff of your shampoo.

"It's really not fair Y/n.." he whispered mainly to himself. "it's not fair how gorgeous you are.. I've truly been blessed" he planted a loving kiss on the back of your head, silently praying this didn't wake you up.

You stirred in your sleep and pressed back into his warmth giving him a happy huff.

He really was blessed with an angel.

Dabi

You were laying in bed just waiting for your boyfriend to come home. You texted him asking how much longer but got no reply. You groaned at your phone for not giving you an answer. You laid on your back with your arms behind your head, wondering where he was.

The front door rattling made your ear twitch as you focused in on the sound. Familiar footsteps laced with exhaustion flooded the hall to your room. The bedroom door opened revealing your mess of a lover, he looked like he got hit by a freight train.

"About time you're home babe, how was the league?" You sat up on your elbows, studying his sluggish movements as he made his way to the foot of the bed.

He just growled at you and slipped off his shirt with a forced effort. He fiddled with his belt and you couldn't help but giggle at how tired he really was.

He was finally ready for bed and you thought he would've collapsed a few times. Once his hands touched the matress he knew his body would give out at any given moment. He crawled into your lap, plopping his head on your stomach and snaking his arms around your back.

He groaned and repositioned his head so he was more comfortable.

"... Missed you... Y/n.." he whispered breathlessly before succumbing to sleep.

Shigaraki

Tomura wouldn't sleep with you, no matter how much you begged and pleaded. He would always shoot you a firm "No".

It's not that he didn't want to, it's just because he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ended up hurting the one thing he cared about in this world. He's has a whole series of nightmares where he touched you and all he could feel was dust. He's not going to take any selfish chances with your life like that.

But when he saw you sleeping on the couch he couldn't help himself.

Your peaceful expression numbed his mind. Your eyes darting in your deep sleep forced a smile to carve itself onto his lips. You shifted and moaned softly as you repositioned your breathtaking body.

His eyes softened in your beauty and he couldn't help but gently stroke your cheek with his index finger. Your warmth sending shockwaves through his spine. You truly were the best upgrade he could've hoped for.

"My trophy..." The grumbled before snatching the blanket from the floor and draped it over you.

You snuggled into the fabric and he could've sworn that simple action could've killed him on the spot. You were like a weapon specially crafted for him and he loved it. He turned on his game and made a silent vow to be your guardian for as long as you existed.

You woke up to Tomura asleep with his back to the couch and controller in hand. The game pleading for someone to reconnect the controller. You couldn't help but return his favor and covered him with the same blanket.

Tokoyami

Tokoyami was sound asleep. But you were wide awake. And not alone.

You and Dark Shadow were talking for a couple hours hoping it would tire you out, but to no avail. Rock paper scissors, tic tac toe, I spy, 20 questions, nothing tired you out.

Your dark lover was shifting in his sleep constantly as if subconsciously begging you to come rest with him, but you didn't feel tired.

"You know, he loves you more than anything."

Your eyes widen at the sudden information "What do you mean by that"

"He obviously loves you but I don't think you know to what extent~" Dark Shadow chimed playfully and swooped to the bottom of the bed.

You smile a bit knowing you were about to get some juicy gossip from your inside man. You look at Dark Shadow expectantly awaiting his follow up.

"His contact name in his phone is 'My Eternal Queen'"

"No way" you tried containing the giggle trying not to wake up the sleeping bird.

"He secretly hopes you hold his hand constantly. He steals glances at you regularly. His heart flutters every time you laugh. Sometimes when you laugh he has to hide his smile." Dark Shadow kept rambling off thing Tokoyami would've dreaded you to know about how weak you really made him.

The entire time Dark Shadow rambled you were just eyeing your loving boyfriend with a lovestruck expression. You tenderly stroked his arm and he shifted toward your welcoming heat.

Click

You whip your head to see Dark Shadow holding his phone. He took a picture of your vulnerable state.

"Delete it now you glorified Sock Puppet" you growl with a burning blush on your cheeks as you try to snatch the phone from his misty form.

Now you're playing keep away with a shadow at 3 am.

Kaminari

You don't know how he managed it but there he was. Sleeping on the back of the couch like a cat. He took up all of the back rest with his sleeping form. Even drooling on it, which was probably going to stain later.

"Denki? Deeeeeenkiii"

No response

"Road work ahead?" You attempt to bait him

No response again

He was out cold. There was no way of waking him up so you accepted your fate and became an unintentional guardian for him, stopping anything that might wake him up. Sitting down on the couch you just scrolled through your phone peacefully, nagging anyone who was being too loud. Everything was so relaxing it almost put you to sleep yourself.

Some time had passed and your eyes were getting heavy and you were at the edge of dreaming. You decided it would be best to take a nap with him and you laid down on the couch cushions, letting sleep take you away.

"y/n..."

You groan at the intrusion that broke you from the cusp of sleep and shifted to find the source of the interruption.

"y/n's mine... You ass..."

"..Denki?" Your eyes shift to your boyfriend who was still very much asleep.

His brows were knitted and his mouth was in a slight frown. Was he having a nightmare? You rub his arm gently to give some comfort to him. His brow relaxed and you could feel him get goosebumps from the touch. That seemed to do the trick.

"..y/N.." he rolled off of the couch back and on top of you nearly knocking the wind out of you.

Looks like you're not getting up anytime soon.

#bnha imagines #bnha x reader #bakugou x reader #todoroki x reader #midoriya x reader #kirishima x reader #mha imagines #shinsou x reader #mha x reader #bnha headcanons #iida x reader #mha headcanons #kaminari x reader #dabi x reader #tokoyami x reader #shigaraki tomura x reader

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