Chapter 3 – 10th Street Park, lunch

/ / /

Masami smiled as he handed a boxed lunch across the counter to his customer. "Thank you for your business, sir. May you have a wonderful meal."

The man accepted the box with a nod and walked away, back to the bus stop.

Masami maintained his smile as he surveyed the passers-by. The day shone bright with the midday sun, and his bentō stand offered an excellent view of the adjoining park, filled with playing children. Voices and cheers and yells mingled with the background rumbles of city traffic. Teenagers ambled along in laughing groups, and children shouted and ran playfully. The most eager voices came from a very little girl darting in circles around her parents' legs, with her brother warding off her tagging pokes, yelling and–

"Daydreaming, Masami?"

He looked at the approaching police officer, and his smile widened. "Koji! Welcome back – how was your fishing trip?"

"One for the history books. You should join me next time – you're not too old to get on a boat yet."

Masami chuckled, well aware of the grey that peppered his closely-trimmed black hair. "And leave all the excitement of this job? I never could."

Koji nodded at the cooler of cans. "I have to get back to patrol soon, but how about a ginger ale?"

"Right away."

The money and soda traded places across the counter easily, and the officer stepped aside to sip his drink while Masami served the next customer.

The merchant bowed modestly to complete the transaction. Once the customer left, he turned back to his friend, who was scanning the crowd, bored. "Seen any criminals today?"

Koji scoffed. "The closest thing to trouble is that baseball game."

Masami glanced past the basketball and duel courts to the baseball diamond. He could just hear the distant roar of rowdy excitement, which had drawn almost all of the park's spectators. "Eh, I know those teams. None of their fans have caused any trouble this month."

Koji's eyes twinkled as he took another gulp of soda. "Speaking of noisy kids, I hear you have a new grandkid."

The older man's face lit up. "A grandson this time, and he's wonderful. I'll bring a picture tomorrow."

"Congratulations." The officer finished the can and threw it into the stand's trash bin. "I'll see you later, then."

"You be careful out there," called Masami with a grin as his friend proceeded away in a sweeping route towards the baseball diamond. The merchant returned to scanning the crowds of passers-by and playing kids. As time passed, he reflected on his new grandson, plus his granddaughter, who was already talking, walking, and running so well. She's already as big as... well, that girl right there.

He blinked in surprise. That girl was dueling, yet she couldn't be any older than three years. She wore her comparatively-giant duel disk calmly as she summoned some kind of bright-eyed fairy.

Her opponent was a lanky young man, flanked by his teenaged friends, and he laughed at her card as he summoned a scowling gorilla. The primate leapt across the field, but the little girl set off an effect that protected her and her monster.

Well, I'll be... That kid's got some talent. He saw her take her next turn, playing a spell that let her search her deck for another card. Her little fingers leafed through the cards slowly and steadily... very slowly, in fact.

Then, she picked out her card and opened her duel disk's slot for field spells. She played it, and its image appeared behind her – a lush, green forest with sunlight shining through its branches–

The girl staggered, and the card wavered.

Masami felt his blood go cold as the girl's eyes fell shut, her legs buckled, and she collapsed silently onto the pavement. "Oh, my God..."

The teens were dumbfounded, none of them speaking. Then, the duelist grinned and approached the girl.

Masami looked all around, expecting the cry of distressed parents. But he heard nothing in the city's noise. The girl had had no audience. There was no one...

...no one but the approaching duelist. His eyes had fastened onto her dropped deck, and he grinned a little too sharply.

Masami's hands flew without thinking, slamming his cash box shut and locking it. He sprang out the door of his stand, locking it behind him and then running across the park. "Hey! You get away from her!"

The teen looked around, saw him, and recoiled away. He gestured to his group, and they all slunk away from the duel court.

Masami reached the girl, wheezing for breath even as he kneeled beside her. Shakily, he looked for a pulse, couldn't find it, looked for breathing, saw the faintest movement of lungs. With his heart pounding, he scanned the park in every direction. No one ran to him. No one yelled at him. I know I saw this girl enter the park with someone... surely...

There! On a bench several meters away sat a boy with hair and eyes just like those of this girl. His eyes were glaring at a handful of cards that he was clumsily passing from hand to hand.

"Hey, kid on the bench! With the deck!"

He stirred awake, dully looking around.

"Is this your sister?"

Those round, yellow eyes opened very wide. "Ruka!" The kid crammed his cards into his pockets and ran straight at the duel court. "Ruka, no! What happened?" His eyes fastened on Masami. "W- what did you do to Ruka?"

He stood up quickly. "Your sister fainted. She was dueling, and she fainted." He calmed his voice. "Where are your parents, young man?"

"Mommy... Daddy... I- I don't know!" He looked all around, yelling, "Mommy! Daddy! It's Ruka, she's–"

Masami scanned the crowd too, seeking anyone familiar, anyone worried. He saw nobody.

The little boy dropped to his knees, hyperventilating as he took the girl's shoulders and started shaking her. "Ruka, please wake up! Please wake up!"

Masami kneeled to push the boy's hands away. "Don't do that, you might hurt her–"

At this, the boy wrapped both arms around himself, sobbing, "R- R- Ruka... Mommy... Daddy..."

"Young man, calm down and listen to me. We'll get your sister some help."

The boy sniffled and stared up at him with wet eyes. "Help?"

His thoughts whirled. Can't leave her... This is absurd... but there's only one way. He looked far away, searching the crowd one last time and glimpsing the right spot of color. He looked back to the boy. "My name's Nagahama." He pointed across the park. "You see that baseball diamond?"

"...Y- yeah."

"There's a police officer there. Do you know what a police officer looks like?"

"B- b- blue clothes? With shiny boots and a hat?"

"Very good – you're a smart boy. The officer's name is Aihashi. He's my friend. You need to go there and get him."

"But... I can't–"

"You have to. I'll watch over your sister."

The boy kept gasping for breath, but he blinked back his tears, and something sparked in his eyes – almost suspicion.

Masami took heart at this awareness, but he kept his voice strong. "This is the only way. Go. Get help for your sister. Go!"

The boy nodded, scrambled to his feet, and dashed towards the ball diamond.

Masami stood up, moving one step back and away from the girl. He saw that she still breathed, but he didn't touch her. He kept an eye on her as he watched the boy close the final distance, homing in on Aihashi Koji rapidly.

An indignant yell broke his concentration. He looked and saw the far entrance to the park, where a blond woman in a business suit was running towards him. She paused only long enough to yell at the suited man standing some distance behind her. He had a green ponytail, and he broke off from his cell phone conversation as he beheld the scene. With his own yell of outrage, he canceled the call and ran also, barreling past her and up to the older man. "What the hell happened here?"

"Sir, your daughter, Ruka–"

"What? How do you know that name? Who are you?"

"She fainted in a duel, sir! I am Nagahama Masami, I run the concession stand there–" he waved distantly "–and I saw your daughter faint."

The father's eyes twitched with fury. "Fainted in a duel? Of all the bull–"

"Rua!" The mother's eyes darted every which way. "Rua! Where's Rua?"

The father picked his phone back up. "I'm calling the police."

Masami steeled himself. "Rua – your son? – he has gone to get an officer."

The man's finger paused mid-dial, and both parents looked at him as though he had grown another head. The father spat, "Don't be ridiculous–"

"Mommy! Daddy!" Rua was flying across the pavement on the heels of Officer Aihashi, who finished barking orders into his radio.

The mother caught Rua in her arms, and he hugged her back, then wriggled away to hug his father's legs. A moment later, he was back on his knees, calling, "Ruka! Hang on! Help is coming. Please hang on!"

Officer Aihashi began, "I've called an ambulance–" which earned him a glare from the father, who hung up on the emergency operator and joined his wife and son around their fallen Ruka.

Masami let out a painful breath, wiping the sweat from his brow. He caught Koji's glance and did not leave the scene. He glanced back long enough to see that his stand was still safe, and then he looked back to this girl, surrounded by her frantic family. It was far too easy to see his granddaughter in that vulnerable face.

His heart went out to all of them, especially the kids. Whatever had happened to her, the healing couldn't come too soon.