Growing Up in the Satellite (12)- Love and Lies

Crow came over the next day to find an exhausted Yusei with Scarlet’s duel disc. “Hey what happened? You look terrible.” He asked in a mix of concern and humor.

Yusei did not look up at him, rather kept his eyes on the duel disc while he spoke. “Scarlet was caught by Security last night.”

The orange haired boy stopped. “What?” He asked as if he misheard. When Yusei did not respond he knew it was true. “How did it happen? She was at home…”

“She followed me to the junkyard, said she had a bad feeling and wanted to make sure I was okay. A gang showed up and we dueled, but Security arrived…” He took a deep breath. “We ran, but with her ankle we didn’t get far. She stayed behind so I could get away.” He sat with his elbow to his knee and hand to his forehead. “How could I have been so careless? Of course there would be duel gangs after the parts.”

“Hey knock it off.” Crow snapped it him. Yusei looked up. “How could you have known what would happen? Things like this sometimes happen.” He assured his friend.

The other teen shook his head. “I couldn’t protect her Crow, because of me she’s being shipped off to the Facility. It should have been me in that car.” He despaired.

His friend sat next to him on the couch. He was equally upset that Scarlet was getting sent to the Facility but there was nothing he could do now. “It’s her first offense and breaking curfew isn’t the worst crime. Second, she’s only 15, they’ll probably let her off with a warning, maybe some time in the detention center.” Crow spoke from his experience of multiple Facility visits.

“Do you think so?”

He nodded. “She’ll be back by the end of the week. No worries.” Crow patted him on the shoulder. It made Yusei feel a little better but he still had a pit in his stomach.


       Scarlet was lead through the halls of a large building. A guard was on either side of her with her hands handcuffed behind her back. She struggled to keep a steady pace with her ankle and wondered how much further they had to go. They stopped in front of a large door and the guard rang the buzzer. “We have the suspect Director.” He rang. There was a muffled response then the door clicked open.  “Get in.” One of the guards forced her in roughly.

       She stumbled a bit and almost fell due to her ankle. “Take a seat.” The other guard forced her to sit on a chair in front of a desk. She looked over and saw a man staring out the window at the city below. He had white hair pulled back with a sharp looking grey suit. “
Without turning around he spoke. “Thank you, you can leave us now.” He instructed.

       “Are you sure Director?” The guard asked.

     “Your jobs are done. If I need you I will call.” He ordered in a sharp voice. The two guards bowed to him before leaving. Once the door closed Scarlet was left alone with the Director. “Scarlet Spirit Houshi.” He said her full name, which surprised her. Even Yusei didn’t know her middle name. He turned to face her. She could see his cold eyes looking down at her. “Or do you prefer Witch of the Satellite?” He set a file down on the desk.

“Why am I here?” She asked sharply.

He returned to the window where one could see the Satellite off in the distance. “You were caught breaking curfew, one of the many safety measures we take for Satellite residents. It is only natural that you would be punished. However,” He turned back to her. “This presents an opportunity for both of us.”

“Opportunity?” She asked a little confused.

“You wish to come to come to the city one day, as all Satellite residents do. But unlike them you have something of value, that is beneficial to the city.” He tapped a button on the desk and a series of images popped up. “Do these look familiar to you?” He spoke in a friendly voice.

She stared at the photos. They were of Yusei and Jack over the course of months. Her expression said it all. “What do you want?” She demanded.

“You can relax, I mean neither of them any harm. Rather, I would like to help one of them make it to the city.” He replied. She stared at him, unconvinced. “Both of them are incredibly talented duelists, either one of them could make it here. However, only one can come, the other would have to remain in the Satellite. I want you to find out which one has a mark of the dragon, they would be the one chosen by destiny to come to Neo Domino.” He pulled up another imagine of an ancient dragon mark.

       The symbol looked familiar to her and her right arm ached a bit but she kept her poker face.  “You’re asking me to betray my friends.” She replied sharply.

       “Betray is a strong word, you would simply be assisting one of them. I would even be kind enough to allow them to begin a few unmarked friends.” A picture of Yusei’s friends popped up. She swallowed uncomfortably.

      Her heart pounded so loudly that her chest hurt. How could he have so many photos of her friends? How long had be been stalking them? Or worse, how much did Security know about Yusei’s duel runner?

     Godwin interrupted her thoughts. “Of course you would be getting a reward as well. Should you help me you will be allowed to join them in the city, I will have your citizenship renewed.” He then gave a cold smile that sent a chill down her spine. “Lastly I would give you protection from the Phoenix Organization.” He pulled down the collar to her hoodie revealing the tattoo on the back of her neck that read S-00-27 in neat black font. “Isn’t that right subject number 27?”

     All the color drained from her face when he called her that. Suddenly it felt like the room didn’t have enough air as she struggled to get enough oxygen. Her heart raced faster than it ever had before. Fear gripped her at the thought of returning to that hell.
“You deliver the one with the Dragon Mark to me and you will have your reward. This is the best case scenario for everyone.” He could still sense her doubt. “Think how happy everyone would be if you were the one to get them to the city? Yusei wouldn’t have to struggle so hard to get duel runner parts. Jack wouldn’t be sitting alone in that empty hall.” He told her.

     She thought about it carefully. As good as the offer sounded how could she trust this man? She had been lied to before. Second, one of her friends would be left behind, how could she do that to them. As for the fear of the Phoenix Organization, if could never compare to the guilt she would feel at leaving a friend behind. “I refuse your offer.” She spoke with determination and held his cold gaze with her bold one.

    He saw that there was no changing her mind. “I was hoping we could accomplish things in a peaceful manner.” He tapped the button to buzz the officers back into the room. “Take her to the Marking room and ship her to the Facility. She’ll be there for the next month assuming good behavior.” He instructed coldly.

     Scarlet was surprised as the severity of the punishment. “That’s unfair.” She accused. The two guards seized her roughly.
“Those who break the rules must be punished. There are no exceptions.” He had the guards drag her out. She gave him one last hateful look before she was removed. He calmly went over and took a seat at his desk.
 
     “That was rather cruel.” A voice called to him. Lazar stepped out from the shadows with a large smile.

      Godwin gave him a glance. “She can still serve the initial purpose even if she is unwilling. By having her Marked we can track her movements, therefore the movements of Jack Atlas and Yusei Fudo. This Mark will also keep her in the Satellite, we will not have to worry about her destructive abilities here in the city. She will remain exactly where she belongs.” He replied coldly.

       Lazar laughed. “So you had no intention of allowing her to come to the city?” He asked.

       “The only people from the Satellite that matter are the ones with the Signer Mark. The others are the city’s garbage.” He spoke without remorse. Then he casually continued his work as Director.


       One week later Yusei and Crow stood at the dock where the people released from the Facility were dropped off. There were other people around them who were also waiting for their friends to arrive. Finally the boat arrived and people were being released. “Do you see her?” Yusei asked Crow who was standing on top of an old crate to see over the crowd.

      “Not yet, there are a lot of people.” He scanned the crowd.

       “She’d be the only one with scarlet hair.” Yusei replied.

       “I know what she look like.” Crow snapped. He continued to watch but he could not see her. The boat finished unloading and there was still no sign of her. “She’s not here.” He said a bit confused.

     “What? She has to be.” Yusei tried to see over the crowd. As people left it became easier but there was no sign of her. He began to push through the crowd to find her.

     “Yusei wait up!” Crow jumped off the crate. He joined his friend in the search for her. However they were unsuccessful as everyone else left the docks. “She’s not here.” He looked around just to be sure.

      “She has to be, you said one week in the Facility.” Yusei spun around the dock. But her was right, Scarlet was nowhere to be found.
“Something must have happened. Maybe she wasn’t processed right away.” Crow tried to justify it.

      Yusei watched the boat return to the city. “Do they return the same time everyday?” He asked.

      “Give or take 30 minutes yeah. Why?” He saw the look in Yusei’s eyes. “You’re going to keep coming back?”  

      “Until I know she’s back. It’s my fault she’s over there, the least I can do is be here when she returns.” Yusei promised.

      Crow sighed. “Alright, do what ever you want. I need to get back to the kids. I’ll see you later.” He left Yusei on the dock.
Giving one last look at the ship he began to head back, he would return tomorrow to wait for her.


One month later:
Rain was pouring mercilessly on the Satellite, one of the worse storms in years. There were barely any people on the dock, save for one spiky haired teen waiting for the boat to arrive. He ignored the cold rain, instead focusing on the boat pulling into the dock. When it unloaded one person got off after getting a ‘friendly’ push from Security. Even in the heavy rain the scarlet hair color was unmistakable. “Scarlet!” He called her name.

She stopped when she heard her name then saw him. “Yusei!” She exclaimed.

He ran over to her with a pounding heart. He needed to know that she was okay, this past month all that he thought about was worse case scenarios. But once he saw her face and those bright green eyes it would soothe his anxiety. He stood in front of her with the rain pouring between them. “Let’s get home before you catch a cold.” He took off his jacket and put it over her head. Taking her hand he lead her back to his hideout. Neither of them spoke because it probably could not be heard over the pouring rain.

Once they arrived at his hideout he released her hand. “Sorry about that. I wanted to get out of the rain.” He blushed a little.

She handed him he jacket. “It’s fine, I might have lost you if you didn’t.” She smiled at him. This was the first time he saw her face fully and his eyes immediately fell to the Marker on her face, a straight line under her left eye with a dot next to it. She saw the change in his expression and her smile faded. “It’s not serious. Just a little Mark.” She assured him.

He reached up and brushed his fingers against it in a gentle caress. His eyes were pained while he looked at it. “I’m sorry Scarlet, it should be me wearing that Mark, not you.” He apologized.

She put her hand over his, holding it next to her face. “I’m still me. This Mark won’t change anything between us.” She enjoyed the touch. This past month felt empty with out him there. But this simple gesture made it seem all right now that they were together again.

He gave a small nod but kept his hand there. His thumb traced the line where he could feel the difference between scarred flesh and her smooth skin. They stood there together with the sound of rain above. A breeze blew through the hideout and sent a chill through both of them. “I have towels and spare clothes. Let me grab you some.” He went to the back of his hideout to grab some clothes for them and towels for their hair. “Here you go.” He handed her some older clothes of his along with a towel. Then it occurred to him that this might be awkward. “If you want to change, I’m not implying you should.” He blushed.

She laughed at him. “It’s fine. I need some clean clothes anyway.” She took the clothes from him. “I’ll be right back.” She went to change.

He also began to change quickly into a warm pair of pants. Drying his hair he tossed the towel aside to remove his shirt. Scarlet walked in to see him in just his pants with rain droplets dripping down his chest.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize-“ She blushed and looked away. “Was he always that fit?” She awkwardly thought to herself.

“I’m decent, you can look.” He got the spare shirt on and turned to her. She was wearing his old long sleeve version of his everyday shirt with one of his spare pairs of his everyday pants. Her usual braids were gone so she could dry her hair better. The bright red hair shone against the dark clothes. “Did they fit okay?” He asked then felt stupid for asking.

She set her wet clothes on a chair to dry. “They’re a bit big but that’s to be expect. I’m a lot warmer now though.” She smiled at him.
“I have some ramen, you must be hungry.” He began to prepare some soup.

He felt a blanket around his shoulders. Turning around he saw Scarlet behind him. “Your jacket is soaked and you looked cold. I would hate for you to get a cold.” She gave him a small smile.

“Thank you.” He pulled the blanket around his shoulders. She gave a shiver as another breeze blew by. “Do you need one?” He looked around for the other blanket but it had gotten soaked from the rain. She was about to decline when he wrapped the blanket around both of them.

“Yusei?” She asked with her face growing as red as her hair.

“It’s fine, the other blanket is soaked anyway.” He replied. Her body was next to his while he heated the water. Some of her hair brushed against his face and it was softer than he imagined.

Once the soup was done they took a seat on the couch together still under the blanket. As they ate the soup rain poured through the crack in the pavement above the track in a waterfall, it was strangely soothing to watch. She finished hers first and set it down on the floor so she could pull the blanket around her. He finished his and did the same. “Do you mind if I come closer?” She asked.

He nodded. She moved her body closer to his so the blanket could wrap around both of them comfortably. His left arm wrapped around her so she could be closer to him. She rested her head against his shoulder. His warmth quickly spread to her body making her smile. He held her close and for once did not feel embarrassed about it. He enjoyed the feeling of her body against his, her warmth against his skin, and her breathing that matched his. This felt right to him.

“I missed you.” She told him softly.

“I missed you too.” He replied.

Shifting her head she looked up to see the royal blue eyes. They looked even more remarkable than she remembered. His left arm shifted and she felt his fingers against her Marker. She remembered the pain when they engraved it onto her. However his touch was gentle, soothing, it almost made her forget about it.

He pulled his hand away when he saw the pain deep in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” He looked away.

Her hand reached up and touched the side of his face. “A touch is just a touch. It’s the meaning behind it that defines it.” She traced his jawline. “Your touch is gentle and meaningful. It helps me forget about the pain.” She assured him.

He gave her a small smile. “Is that so?” His voice was playful. Before she could speak he leaned forward and kissed her Marker. She was blushing when he pulled away. “Did that help you forget?” He asked.

She nodded and curled up closer to him. “I could take a month in the Facility, but…I couldn’t bear a month of being away from you.” She confessed to him. “That’s why I decided I would tell you when I got out how I felt.” She looked deep into his eyes. “I love you.”

Her words made his heart race faster than any duel runner could. It was everything he could have hoped for. He pulled her close and kissed her fully on the lips. Electricity ran through his body and he didn’t want it to end. After a few moments he stopped and smiled at her. “I love you too.” He smiled. The two of them sat together wrapped in the other’s arms watching the rain fall. Neither of them wanted to let the other go.