And yet again I write a chapter for this story because the writer's block about Dawn of Twilight persists. But this time it's the full version of that chapter! Sorry for the long wait, I had some personal drama going on, lacked the motivation to write on some occasions and just wanted to play some League of Legends again. So yeah, here it is at last. I'm still alive, who could have thought of that? First some review responses, then the remaining notes after them!

To Kyred: First of all, thank you for the kind review. Second of all, yeah, I get what you mean. When I started playing on Dueling Nexus I also got my butt kicked by the Impcantation-Creature Swap cheese strategy of the Blue-Eyes Bot who then OTKed me with Chaos MAX's double piercing damage effect. Let's not talk about how my first duels went against the Altergeist Bot since it was using a Meta Deck at the time. And about the banging one's head part, I sure was mentally doing so when I lost another game against that one Sky Striker Player at my locals who – like probably all Sky Striker Players – had a playmat featuring a semi-lewd illustration of Raye. God, I hate this deck so much!

To Insertname: Technically Yukemi only got one Tenryuu in that duel, you will soon understand why. And actually Playmaker almost used Storm Access three times as well due to Dominus Duel Rules. He got Bicode Talker and Firewall in that one duel, so that somehow balances it out I guess.

To ZarcEternal: Two words: Story continuation. It's technically spoilers in a sense (while it isn't in another), but Destiny Junction is the successor of Dawn of Twilight. Hence why Yuga appears in it, because he survives the events of DoT quite fine (now those are indeed spoilers, but I guess you could already see the MC surviving, couldn't you?). About Fabled Neostorm, I wouldn't exactly call it BS OP. Sure, it is strong, but it is way more balanced in what it does than Bile Throat, who is just inherently broken is every aspect it has (which is the whole point of it to be fair). They share a resemblance in their absolute destruction ability though. Compared to Firewall I'd still say it is more balanced, because it has proper restrictions and a cost tied to its effect since it needs equip spells as fuel. Its evolutions are another matter though.

To And Then The Sky: We already talked enough I guess, but let me still express my gratitude for your long review and your continuing support for this story. Also thanks a lot for the line about the duel in the first paragraph, that one definitely made me proud.

To Lindia Fullmoon: I am planning to make some card trivia for a bunch of cards soon, yes. That includes artwork descriptions of course. But I am not going to do that all the time, as I am a person who cares more about the practicality of a card than the aesthetics. A card can look as nice as it wants, if it has a shitty effect and stats it sucks nevertheless. Though artwork can make or break some cards that already have decent effects and turn them either into an "OMG"- or an "It's okay I guess"-experience.

To SakushiRyu: About your Chapter 2 review, no, I'd say Yukemi's inferiority complex applies not only to girls (since it also came into play later when he and Yusaku and Shoichi talked in Chapter 3), but you definitely have a point with it being more prominent when he's dealing with females. It's mainly because his process of comparing himself to the girl he is interested in and evaluating if he is worthy of her is similar to how he 'competed' with his sisters earlier in his life, being compared to them by his parents. Since he was found useless compared to them, he now has the same sense of unworthy-ness whenever he deliberates about being deserving of a girl he likes.

Yeah, that one line was probably one of my better ones ;)

Unfortunately Yusaku didn't make an Extra Link in the anime, but at least he did one in this fic that was also kinda original in its pattern, right?

I'm glad that you enjoyed the duel, I tried my hardest to make it appealing despite its length. It was supposed to shed some light on how the Cyberse Deck plays out their turns IRL, and I guess I succeeded in making that look interesting. I also appreciate your fondness of the Dominus Format, it was one of those ideas of mine that could make things a bit more diverse, as I got a bit tired from the constant Speed-Master-Speed-Master changes in dueling. I just wished there was something different, like more IRL duels for instance, even if they were ultimately Master Duels too.

While PM might not duel Go Onizuka altogether, he will acquire his monsters in a different sequence with his new Code Talker lineup included. And actually, I didn't know that he got Link Bumper in that duel, I always assumed he would only get bigger monsters of at least Link-3 with Storm Access, pretty much exclusively Code Talkers that is. About Revolver, he already has a share of his cards, including Bomber. He will acquire different cards at different occasions, too.

About your Chapter 3 review, yeah, Firewall, Firewall. A slightly problematic card that could have gotten more presence in the anime, was it not so damn overpowered. Why advertise a card that is banned after all? Sure, they could have errata-ed it, but Konami usually takes a while for that. Much like I already said in a previous review response, I don't see it and Fabled Neostorm on the same level. Fabled Neostorm has its own strengths, but through restrictions and costs it's ultimately not as powerful as Firewall, even if the amount of different effects it has is higher. The main thing that makes the Card powerful is its relatively easy way of evolving, though even then I'd say destroying five equip spells for it to become Paladin Mode is a certain cost. The other evolution so far needs a specific condition that can only be forced when your opponent dominates the field in terms of monsters, so that's fine I guess.

Yeah, I also think the writers make all those references on purpose. Look at my namesake Zarc, the eastergg villain! He is named very similar to Zorc, has a monster card form where there is a hyphen in his name (Z-ARC), making him akin to Z-ONE, has a Zero and Infinity card like Darkness, has Supreme King cards and refers to himself as such, thus referencing Hao Judai, and even the same eye color as the latter.

Yup, that guy was indeed who you think he is. I was just very fond of that fan theory. Also, as previously mentioned, continuation of DoT!

To PhotonBlade2000: Indeed she has. And only this one.

Well, now a few things: First off, I originally wanted to scrap the idea of this being a more breather-like chapter with no duels. However, after I realized how long this would get if I would include a duel, I decided against it and stopped right there. So well, looks like my old promise still stands. The whole outline of the original events was just way too extensive for a single chapter. But it still should be quite entertaining. I furthermore renamed this chapter as a result. Also, as a new feature, I'd like to include a question of the chapter at the ending notes from now on. Previously I just occasionally asked a bunch of questions at the end of my chapters in either of my stories, but usually no one really bothered to reply to any of them. So only asking one and highlighting it should be directing the focus to it and hopefully get a few more replies, as I'm actually quite curious on how some of my ideas are received by the general readership. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and see you down there for the QOTC!

Chapter 4: Shifting Scales of Power

The next morning...

"Ah, looks like we have another day ahead of us! Is everyone awake?" Yukemi yawned, sitting up and stretching his arms.

"Not completely. Yusaku is still asleep." Hector responded, gesturing over to the soundly sleeping male next to Yukemi. Apparently he had gotten a more peaceful rest due to Yukemi's makeshift counseling, which brought a smile to the latter's face.

"I see. Ai, have you tried waking him up yet?" Yukemi addressed the Ignis.

"I have, but he didn't react at all. Usually he is pretty easy to wake, but today..." The eyeball said, glancing over to the dozing teenager.

Yukemi chuckled. "Usually? He had two nights of sleep since he captured you. That means that the only experience you have so far was his waking behavior for one night, given this one right here is one of the two. You're trying to form an empiric pattern with just one source of background information, are you aware of that?" He giggled, amused about Ai's demeanor. Trying to standardize everything, that was just so AI-like.

"Well, I can only work with what I have so far!" The Ignis pouted. "Anyway, how are we going to get this guy awake? I really tried a lot of stuff, you know?" He questioned the young student.

"That's true. And really loud stuff too. But nothing could wake him up, as you can see right here. I figure Yusaku is currently experiencing sleep as peaceful as paradise and doesn't want to get yanked out of it." Hector said.

Yukemi smirked. "Oh, don't worry! I have a foolproof plan to get him awake!" He told whilst grinning from ear to ear, approaching the other male with his head. Bringing his lips directly before Yusaku's left ear he began speaking.

"Heavenly..." He said, Yusaku's body slightly twitching.

"...Dragon..." He continued, the unconscious movements intensifying.

Before he could say "Lance", Yusaku shot upwards, sitting up at once, his eyes fluttering open.

"Oh, it worked indeed." Ai said, his voice expressing slight awe.

Yusaku looked around in confusion, seemingly disoriented as he was used to waking up in his own house. He then calmed down, remembering the events of the day before. He looked at Yukemi, now addressing him.

"Oh, good morning." He said before giving Yukemi a slightly confused look. "Why are you so close?" Yusaku asked.

Yukemi smiled innocently. "Oh, I just played the alarm and got you up by whispering a little something into your ear. You really seemed fast asleep, so I thought the only way to wake you up without throwing you into a tub was saying the attack name of my dragon form that almost defeated you yesterday. I assumed your body would react to it as people usually learn from bad experiences. And viola, it did!" He said, spreading his arms melodramatically.

Yusaku rubbed his eyes. "I see." He groaned, in minimal discomfort as the words had indeed influenced the peaceful dream he was having before, namely by a bladed dragon ending it abruptly.

"Anyway...", Yukemi said, standing up and gently pulling Yusaku out of the bed, "we have another day of school ahead of us! So do us all a favor and get into the bathroom already!" He said, playfully but firmly pushing Yusaku towards the general direction of the room he had mentioned.

"If I must." Yusaku sighed, somewhat wishing he could just return to the comfort of the peaceful sleep he had had before.

Den City, High School...

"Well then, he we are!" Yukemi said, he and Yusaku entering the classroom. "Do you want to sit in your usual seat or are you up to come over to mine in the center?" He asked.

"Your choice. I don't really care where I sit." Yusaku replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Yukemi nodded. "Then the center it is!" He proclaimed enthusiastically, advancing on the right side passage of the lecture hall. Halfway to his destination he spotted a female who reciprocated the eye contact upon noticing him. With an invitational look she motioned him to come closer, Yukemi and his companion coming to a halt shortly before her.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite old fashioned classmate! Good morning, Yukemi-kun!" The female addressed him. She had crimson hair reaching to her shoulders with some of the falling hair on her back being kept in thin braids. She furthermore had purple-grayish side tails and a few bangs on each side of her head that were bent upwards and secured with black hair clips. Her pink-purplish eyes gave him an attentive look while she ran a hand through her hair, briefly adjusting a purple ribbon with long bands that was fixed on her left front hair.

"Good morning, Elizabeth-chan." Yukemi retorted, the girl giving him a brief smile as he and his companion reached her.

"Er, Yukemi-kun, who is this?" Yusaku asked, not sure how to act, especially with the person whose identity he had no clue of being a girl.

Yukemi turned around to him, gesturing to the girl dressed in the usual female student uniform. "Forgive me, I forgot to introduce you to each other! This is Bessho Elizabeth, a good friend of mine!" He said, now switching his eyes to the girl and his hand to Yusaku. "And that is Fujiki Yusaku, a new friend of mine. I hope the both of you can get along." Yukemi told.

The girl chuckled. "Oh, sure thing! I should be thankful to the savior of LINK VRAINS after all, isn't that right, Playmaker?" She addressed Yusaku.

A pair of green eyes widened in shock. "What did you just say?!" Yusaku asked in disbelief.

Elizabeth smiled. "Ah, I forgot that you must be confused how I deduced your identity, so I'll explain it to you: Yukemi-kun and I are quite good friends, we duel for fun and practice from time to time. Usually that's in real life, but sometimes we duel in LINK VRAINS instead. Therefore I obviously know that Yukemi-kun is Heavenmail. Now, after the mess yesterday between Heavenmail and Playmaker, with Yukemi-kun showing up in school with a guy he never had much contact with before who also happens to have a strangely great resemblance to Playmaker, it's pretty safe to assume that said person is Playmaker. Seriously, why did you keep the eyes? The hair is okay, it looks different enough for me. But the eyes? I'm honestly surprised that the Hanoi haven't seen through your disguise yet." She explained while never dropping her sweet, slightly teasing smile. "But don't be embarrassed about me finding out, my family is known for their rather cunning mind. Especially my sister." She added before spotting traces of worry in Yusaku's expression. "But so you can rest assured I'll tell you something about my identity as well: I am Cherubini." She whispered to the other male.

"Cherubini?" Yusaku repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I think I've heard that name already. Wasn't that some Charisma Duelist?" He asked.

Elizabeth gave him a cocky smile. "Exactly! I'm the number two female duelist in the network!" She then shifted her arm down the seat ranks, discretely pointing at the brown haired female Yukemi couldn't manage to talk to. "And soon I'll beat that chick over there and take her spot as the number one network idol!" Elizabeth proclaimed confidently.

Yukemi's eyes widened as the meaning of her words sunk in. "Wait a minute, number one idol?! Does that mean that Zaizen Aoi is Blue Angel?!" He cried out in a hushed tone.

Elizabeth nodded. "That's right! Emma found it out recently when she met with one of her usual clients, Zaizen Akira. Naturally she told me as Blue Angel is my main rival. And as a fan of her I thought you might wanna know about her real identity as well." She told Yukemi.

"Thank you for the information. We will gladly take it." Hector spoke up, sneakily arising from Yukemi's duel disk.

Elizabeth smiled. "Oh, look what we have there! How are you doing, little fella?" She cooed, petting the white AI on the head with one of her fingers. To Yukemi's surprise that was super effective, as Hector was purring in comfort and nearly swooning, Ai looking mildly jealous.

"Looks like the charm of a Bessho works against any kind of being after all." Yukemi observed.

"Oh, most definitely." Elizabeth retorted before changing the subject. "Anyway, what was that with the whole dragon-merging yesterday, Yukemi-kun? I'd like to hear an explanation about those Tenryuus." She said in a halfway commanding tone.

Yukemi shook his head. "Unfortunately I know not a lot more about it than you do. A voice in my mind just spoke up at critical points of the duel and first told me to draw my sword and utter that chant, then told me to say another chant to merge with Fabled Neostorm, and finally gave me the knowledge on how to enter Heavenly Mode. Aside from that it mostly mocked me for being such a wimp." He narrated.

Elizabeth put her right hand to her chin. "Unusual. I wish we'd know a little bit more about the voice." She told in a monologue before frowning. "But I really dislike the manner that voice has been addressing you with! You and a wimp, as if!" She hissed in anger.

"Ahem." Yusaku cleared his throat, getting their attention. "I see that you are quite close with each other. Which is quite surprising with Yukemi himself stating that he had few to no friends. How did the two of you meet?" He asked them.

Elizabeth chuckled. "Oh, that's a funny story! It mainly involves dueling I suppose!" She retorted.

Yusaku's expression changed in surprise. "Dueling?" He repeated, startled by the reply. He only viewed dueling as a tool for his revenge after all, how was that supposed to create bonds?

"Yes, dueling." Elizabeth confirmed before continuing her story. "You see, I could only begin my career as a Charisma Duelist because of Yukemi-kun, at least in the way it turned out right now with me being the number one contender to hurl Blue Angel from her throne as the network idol and poster girl of LINK VRAINS. Back when we were eight, meaning eight years ago, a famous Italian card designer visited Den City. His name was Giacomo Alighieri, a descendant of Dante Alighieri himself. Based on the iconic book of his ancestor he had made a new deck with only two copies of it: One for himself and one for selling it. He just wished for only one other person to own a copy of it." She narrated, Yusaku nodding in understanding.

"Well, he started his selling trip in Den City as it was famous for its unique network which I planned on entering eventually. As he started here I had a chance to buy the deck, even with how little I was back then. I absolutely loved the Divine Comedy, so naturally I had to get this deck. There was just one problem." She said, raising a finger.

"The costs?" Hector guessed.

Elizabeth nodded. "The deck was pricey beyond everything I could afford. Even with the considerable treasure hunting savings from my sister I couldn't buy it. I begrudgingly admitted defeat and prepared for the designer to either visit another place or have one of the super rich people here in Den City buy it. But then I met someone." She said, smiling as she linked arms with Yukemi, who got utterly embarrassed by her teasing.

"Elizabeth-chan...!" Yukemi stuttered with dusted cheeks.

"As I said, I met Yukemi right here. He saw my predicament and chose to use some of the money his parents had left him." Her smile returned. "You should know, Yukemi-kun has a ridiculously big soft spot for girls. He practically must help them." She said sweetly before continuing her story. "At first I only was grateful to him because of necessity. Technically I had a debt to him after all, so I stuck around with him just for that sake." She told, her smile now widening. "But with time I realized that he was so much more than a sponsor for the deck I desired. He is kind, gentle and polite. Not always mind you, but to those he cares about definitely. Since then I've been pretty much best friends with him. I finally came to see him the way I should, rejecting the idea of viewing him as a goldmine I could use for my own profit, especially with my older sister occasionally giving me gold digger vibes with her behavior, making me realize that I never want to become so superficial and use someone like that. You should hear her when she drops statements like "I have no interest in men without money or power", ugh, disgusting! Sometimes I really believe that her patron saint is Mammon himself." She said, slightly agitated.

"Mammon?" Yusaku whispered to Yukemi.

"One of the seven princes of hell. Embodies the deadly sin of greed. Elizabeth-chan brings him up frequently since her sister's job is based on making profit, mostly at the expense of someone else. Therefore the patron saint thing." Yukemi responded.

"Anyway, how is that deck of yours called?" Yusaku inquired, switching the topic as he addressed the red and purplish haired girl.

Elizabeth smirked. "Well, it's one most fitting to my previous comparison. It's called Afterlife. But the name used by its Italian creator which I feel like is the proper name considering its basis is Abisso Bruciante – Burning Abyss. Though I think Afterlife still fits better as it alludes to all of the realms mentioned in the Divine Comedy, not just one of them. The deck depicts the travels of Dante Alighieri, the protagonist and writer of the Divine Comedy and also the ancestor of the deck's designer. Accompanied by Virgil, a Roman poet, he passes through hell and purgatory before switching his guide to his kinda crush Beatrice who leads him through the third and final part of his journey, heaven. At the end of that trip Dante has been purified of his previous sins and sees the Holy Trinity which essentially makes him understand Christianity as a whole and gives him a wondrous, yet inexplicable enlightenment. It's essentially a semi-historical, religious self insert fanfiction of the author so to speak." She explained while giving a quick and rather casual synopsis of the classical literary work her deck was based on.

"I see. Thank you for the explanation." Yusaku retorted.

"No problem." Elizabeth responded before looking at the clock at the wall of the classroom. "Anyway, it's almost time for class, I better get back to my seat." She told.

Yukemi nodded. "Of course. See you another time." He said, continuing to walk down the side passage. He looked back as another voice called out to him.

"Hey, Yukemi-kun!" A cheerful female cried out from behind them. Yukemi and Yusaku stopped anew, the former spotting the familiar white and light blue hair of the girl he had run in two days before.

"Oh, hey Atsuko-chan!" Yukemi greeted her, the female meanwhile reaching them.

"Er, and who is that?" Yusaku asked, once again facing an unfamiliar girl.

The pink-purplish eyes turned to Yusaku. "Oh, hi there! My name is Kogami Atsuko! And you are?" She addressed him.

"Fujiki Yusaku. Nice to meet you." He replied stoically.

"Pleased to meet you, too!" The female shot him one of her trademark smiles before turning to Yukemi. "Anyway, I wanted to talk to you, Yukemi-kun. I deliberated about your offer and decided that it would be really nice if you'd take me somewhere anytime soon." She then blushed lightly. "For your apology about our bump-in I mean." She added bashfully, avoiding awkward misinterpretations on Yukemi's behalf.

Yukemi's face lit up. "Really? That's awesome! Do you have anything in particular in mind already?" He asked enthusiastically.

Atsuko shook her head. "No, not yet. But I'll be sure to call you when I've come up with something."

Yukemi's joy intensified. 'She really wants to go out with me on her own accord?! Oh my god, yes!' He cheered in ecstasy on the inside.

"You're quite happy it would seem." Hector remarked to him internally, having reconnected to his brain.

'Of course I am! The day before yesterday it was more like me begging her for a date-like apology. But now she is the one to say that she'd like to go out with me! It's just a change of initiative, but that alone changes everything! Maybe she even likes me!' Yukemi retorted cheerfully.

Hector made a humming sound. "I guess that makes sense." He then transmitted the image of a smile to Yukemi's brain. "And I hope for you that she really does like you, you deserve happiness after what happened to your family." He said, which brought a beaming smile to his partner's face.

Meanwhile there was another internal conversation going on within the other conversation partner.

"Well done, Atsuko! You totally have this virgin boy on the hook!" Emerald cheered to her partner.

'Thanks, Emerald. This guy really is so easy to seduce. Just look at him, he's smiling like an idiot, thinking that I actually might like him!' Atsuko replied with a wide grin on the inside.

"Yeah, I figure. He's so desperate for a potential girlfriend, he would believe about anything you say. Like a dog gladly chewing down its poisoned meat." The Wind Anti Ignis giggled.

Atsuko returned her attention to the outside world and pointed at Yukemi's right wrist.

"That bracelet you're wearing. Were did you get that, it looks pretty nice!" She asked him with slight curiosity in her voice.

Yukemi's eyes darted downwards. "My little sister Yukari crocheted it for me with golden and light blue threads. Unfortunately she is no longer around." He said sadly.

Atsuko's mouth corners followed suit. "I am sorry to hear that. I cannot imagine how it would feel like if my brother died." She said with pity in her voice. Her eyes widened and she grabbed Yukemi's wrist, much to the surprise of the latter.

"Err Atsuko, what are you doing?" He asked, startled by the sudden move of the light haired female.

"Really, I feel so sorry for you! It must have been terrible to go through this!" She declared, clutching his wrist with both of her hands in concern.

Yukemi rubbed the back of his head, mildly bashful from the physical contact with a girl. "Oh, don't worry, I can deal with it. There is no need for exaggerated concern, I promise." He assured the female.

Atsuko smiled, letting go of his hand. "I see. Then have a nice day, I'll call you once I have decided on where I want to go with you." She said, leaving them at that.

While taking her leave, Atsuko looked at a small object in her hand, being a shard of scaly surface. 'These green scales, why were they on his wrist?' She contemplated, staring at the solid object in her hand. 'Is this because of that dragon he summoned yesterday, perhaps?' She went on thinking, pocketing the shard she had inconspicuously ripped from Yukemi's wrist.

"What was that all about?" Yusaku asked as stepped closer to Yukemi.

"Oh, I promised her to take her somewhere as an apology for bumping into her. Apparently she decided that she really wanted to do so, because when I brought up the idea she seemed a bit hesitant compared to me." Yukemi explained.

"I see." Yusaku simply retorted. Meanwhile Hector seemed to be in his thoughts, having looked leftwards into the seats as Yukemi and Atsuko had talked.

"Hmm, that's interesting. That Elizabeth looked really pissed as she observed Yukemi and Atsuko talking. Almost as if she was … jealous I guess. Maybe that could be an interesting observation to tell Yukemi, that girl really seems to like him on a more than friendly basis." The Iris Anti Ignis contemplated silently.

The ringing of bells indicating the beginning of the lesson Yukemi and Yusaku took their seats, bearing through their daily dose of education with the former occasionally preventing the latter from falling asleep or not pay attention to the teacher.

After classes...

Yukemi and Yusaku were walking down the hallways, leaving the building. At once Yukemi spotted a familiar shade though, turning around towards it.

"Yukemi-kun?" Yusaku asked in confusion.

"It's her again. Where is she going? The exit is the other way." The green haired male murmured, walking off to follow the person he had spotted, who was none other than the brown haired Zaizen Aoi.

"Yukemi-kun, where are you going?" Yusaku addressed the other male who had started to stealthily run after the female with the head start, forcing Yusaku to run too. 'Damn it, why does he follow that girl like that?' He cursed inwardly, slightly panting as he couldn't keep up with the overly enthusiastic Yukemi.

"He probably has a crush on that girl. I mean, for your human standards I'd say she's pretty good looking." Ai chimed in from the duel disk on his wrist.

"Be quiet." Yusaku sneered back, continuing to run after the other male. He came to a halt at a room saying "Duel Club", its closing door and the missing presence of Yukemi indicating that the latter had entered said room.

Yusaku looked at the door, contemplating.

"Yusaku-sama, why are you not entering? Yukemi clearly must be in there." Ai addressed the male in a wondering tone.

"I'm not sure if I can go in there." Yusaku replied after a while, his voice showing clear signs of hesitation to enter.

"What? You're not sure if you can go in there?" Ai repeated, puzzled by his reply. "What are you, socially awkward like Earth?" He asked.

"Who's Earth?" Yusaku retorted.

"Oh, no one important." Ai replied with played nonchalance, realizing his slip. "Anyway, why don't you just enter?" He then asked Yusaku.

Yusaku took a heavy breath, memories of the events from the day before resurfacing. "Fine." He finally said, reluctantly approaching the door and entering. Upon doing so he was greeted by a multitude of faces turning towards him, a familiar voice speaking up.

"Oh, there you are, Yusaku! I figured you would follow me in here! Well then guys, this is the friend I was talking about! I bet you would like to join the Duel Club as well, don't you, Yusaku?" Yukemi addressed him, having taken his spot among the other members of the Duel Club.

"Err, sure." Yusaku agreed hesitantly, slightly sweet dropping.

"That's great! Welcome to the Duel Club then! I'm Hosoda, the Club President!" A dark haired male with yellow glasses greeted the blue haired student.

"Hello." Yusaku replied. Before he could say anything else a loud voice became audible, the door of the room opening as a newcomer barged into it.

"Everyone, I'm here!" Shima Naoki proclaimed his arrival, prompting some of the other club members to roll their eyes at his melodrama.

"I can see as much, Shima-kun." Hosoda retorted.

Naoki's eyes turned towards Yusaku and Yukemi, showing a hint of surprise at their presence. "Hey, you two are here as well? Did you decide to join the Duel Club after all?" He addressed them.

"Obviously." Yukemi snorted back, earning a brief glare from the other male who shared his primary hair color.

Naoki looked at Yusaku's disk, noticing something about it. "Wait, you have a card insert disk too? Just how backwards are you and Shimizu-kun? We have the newest model here in the Duel Club! Thanks to Zaizen's older brother being a big shot at SOL Technologies that is!" He stated with a hint of condescension.

Aoi tensed up a little and shot him a stern glare, the male teenager slightly flinching. 'Why does everyone need to mention my brother all the time? Why can't they look at me without having him in mind rather than just me?' She lamented inwardly, majorly upset, but not showing much of her emotional state.

"As I said, even without the newest duel disk model I'll still kick your butt royally! We can sit down at the table and duel right here, good old table dueling without using anything but cards!" Yukemi spoke up to Naoki in a challenging tone.

"Really...? Right here...?" The obese student stuttered nervously.

"Yeah, right here, right now! Please sit down, I insist!" Yukemi went on, pulling out a chair and gesturing Naoki an invitation to sit down on it.

"Only if I can have a look at your deck first!" Naoki suddenly insisted.

"Sure, if you need an advantage, go ahead and look at it." Yukemi shrugged his shoulders, Yusaku meanwhile tensing up.

'Is he really just giving his deck to that guy? His identity is going to be revealed upon the sight of the first Goddess Card!' Yusaku thought in slight panic. An assuring side glance of Yukemi gave him some relief, understanding that the other male had prepared a dummy deck for situations like this. 'So he really took my words to heart and prepared a dummy deck. I guess he isn't a bad addition to the team after all, with the right advice he adapts quickly.' He added mentally.

Naoki received a pile of cards, skimming through it. "Those cards... why are they so..." He began before bursting into laughter. "So ridiculously bad! Seriously, your deck is just a bunch of monsters that cannot be summoned unless you control specific equip spells! The consistency of this deck must be abysmally low! Not to mention their outdated effects! Hahahaha!" He laughed, holding a series of equip spells and monsters, the latter labeled with the common term of "Guardian", in his hand.

Yukemi's facial muscles twitched. "What did you just say?!" He growled in a low voice, his eyes narrowing at the other male in anger.

"Didn't you hear me? I said your deck is trash! I don't know where you're even coming from with saying that you could beat me! The only somewhat interesting card in your deck is that Guardian Eatos, the rest might as well be dumped into the next trash bin!" Naoki chuckled in response.

The other students looked at Naoki in shock. Usually he never was so rude after all, this instance was a huge slip even for him when it came to his manners and honor as a duelist. But what happened next surprised them even more.

"YOU SCUM, I WILL DESTROY YOU!" Yukemi snapped at once, tackling Naoki and hurling him onto the table where he continued to hold him down on his arms, giving him a murder glare as his pupils narrowed into thin slits, a slight glow coming from his eyes. Naoki gulped as he continued.

"THIS DECK WAS USED BY SOMEONE WHO BEAT ONE OF THE STRONGEST DUELISTS WHO EVER EXISTED! I WILL NOT BEAR THE LIKES OF YOU LOWLY PEASANT TO INSULT IT! YOU SHOULDN'T UNDERESTIMATE ANY CARD, FOR THEIR POWER IS WAY MORE ANCIENT AND PRIMAL THAN YOU BIRDBRAIN COULD EVER FATHOM! YOU HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT THE GLORY AND SPLENDOR OF SPIRITKIND, SO BETTER SHUT THE HELL UP BEFORE I SLIT YOUR WORTHLESS THROAT!" Yukemi roared at him, Naoki and the other students including Yusaku and Aoi's eyes wide open in shock at his violent outburst.

"As you wish..." Naoki conceded after a while, his expression showing nothing but sheer horror. Whatever had just yelled at him, it seemed less like a human than something else.

Hosoda cleared his throat, sharing the nervousness of the other students. "No offense, but your reaction was maybe a bit exaggerated. I admit that Naoki's insulting talk about your deck was inexcusable, but that doesn't justify such violence, does it?" The president of the Duel Club spoke up, his tone submissive, fearing to be the next victim of Yukemi's anger if he wasn't careful enough.

"If you say so, alright! I won't do it again unless this guy shittalks my deck once more! But I think I was here long enough for today, so to prevent any further provocation from happening that this guy is practically guaranteed to give at some point, I think it's better for all persons involved for me to leave now! Otherwise this table right there might break as I dunk that guy right through it! Goodbye everyone, see you on another day!" Yukemi said, leaving the room in anger, the other students speechless, unsure what to say and which side to take. Yusaku followed him as Yukemi had been the only reason he had entered this room for after all.

Den City, Streets...

"Yukemi-kun, what was that just now?" Yusaku asked him, catching his breath due to having chased after Yukemi who had run off once more, upon leaving the room with hurt pride and upset dignity that is.

"Yeah, what was that about?" Hector chimed in, Ai sharing his sentiment.

Yukemi turned around to Yusaku, shrugging his shoulders. "No idea honestly. I just got super pissed at that guy and then everything kinda happened by itself. Even if that was me yelling all that stuff, it didn't feel like if I was in control. I probably got angry to the point where I had none, I guess. Like an anger induced out of body experience so to speak." He replied to them.

"I see. Well, it's not the end of the world I suppose. Also that guy had it coming. Even if I think you could have been a little more gentle." Hector stated.

Yukemi shrugged his shoulders again. "That's a fair point." He admitted.

"Hey, Yukemi-kun!" A voice called out to him at once. Turning around he faced Atsuko, who was apparently on her way home as well.

"Hello, Atsuko-chan! Nice to meet you here! Though I am surprised that you aren't home yet, I believed with me spending a bit more time in school after classes you should have gotten a head start to me." Yukemi remarked while the girl caught up to them, now walking beside the green haired teenager.

"Well, I was discussing some of today's subject matter with our teacher after class, so I stayed a little longer in school as well." Atsuko explained before giving Yukemi a questioning look. "But what were you doing in school after classes, might I ask?" She inquired.

Yukemi sweat dropped a little. "Well, I intended to go to a session of the Duel Club. Unfortunately someone insulted my deck and I got a little bit too upset, so I decided to leave earlier."

Atsuko opened her mouth and was about to make a comment about Yukemi's deck, however Emerald mentally addressed her before she could do so.

"Don't forget that he doesn't use his real deck in the real world. Mention the word 'Goddess' and your cover is blown." The Wind Anti Ignis stopped her.

Atsuko gasped internally. 'Right, Emerald, how could I forget that?! I guess I'm not used to spying on someone... yet.' She thought before beginning her sentence at last.

"Well, that must suck." She said compassionately, feeling only a hint of the emotion that she outwardly expressed to Yukemi. "I hope you'll have a better time and longer stay at the next session of the Duel Club." She added.

"Well, thank you." Yukemi responded before continuing as he gave her a look. "Anyway, why don't you try the Duel Club? It would be more fun with you being there as well." Yukemi asked her.

Atsuko blushed. "Me? Oh, I don't think I can join there, I'm not even a duelist!" She insisted bashfully.

"Innocent girl who can't fight for herself in a duel. Nice facade to eliminate his suspicions!" Emerald praised her.

"That's a lie!" A female voice cried out from behind.

Atsuko grimaced in slight discomfort. "Onee-san? Was that really necessary?" She spoke up upon recognizing the voice.

"It damn well was." The newcomer said, reaching their line as well. As Yukemi looked sideways he spotted a girl, having great similarities to Atsuko. Her clothes obviously matched as she wore a Den City High School Uniform, but even her hair colors were nearly the same, white and light blue, though her blue was slightly more radiant than that of Atsuko. She also had a white lock of hair in the middle of her forehead, with hers pointing leftwards instead of rightwards like the other girl's bangs. Furthermore she lacked the dark blue hair Atsuko possessed and the hair bottom of her reached only to the middle of her back, unlike Atsuko who got to the level of her hips regarding that. With the color white dominating her hair the only light blue parts she had were two sidetails and a short ponytail reaching to her neck. For hair clips she had a dark blue one on the left side of her front hair, mirroring the red clip on the opposing side Atsuko had. Standing around half a head taller than the other female the newcomer gave Yukemi a rather apathetic look with her bluish-turquoise eyes that expressed a feeling of slight indifference.

"And who are you, might I ask?" Yukemi addressed the new girl.

"Can't you figure that out from what you heard and saw?" The female retorted in a moderately derogatory manner, prompting Yukemi to assume that this girl thought that he was an idiot. "My name is Kogami Betsune, and I'm obviously the big sister of Atsuko right here. Unlike you I'm not a freshman and am a student of the second year, therefore I'm one year older than my sister." She stated.

"Sister?" Yukemi raised an eyebrow. "You have a sister, Atsuko-chan? Why didn't you mention that previously when you talked about your brother?" He addressed the younger female.

"She didn't? Well, my sister is forgetful sometimes, so don't mind her stupidity." Betsune said stoically.

"Hey! That's not nice!" Atsuko exclaimed in indignation.

"But it's the truth. Did you mention me alongside Ryoken or did you not?" The older sister asked the younger.

Atsuko sweat dropped in embarrassment. "Well, no, I didn't." She conceded in discomfort.

Betsune nodded. "Then everything I just said was true, wasn't it?" She continued.

Atsuko nodded in defeat. "More or less, I suppose." She admitted.

"Oh, and there my favorite partner goes again winning an argument! You show her, Betsune-chan!" A voice cried out cheerfully within the mind of the older female.

Atsuko, hearing the shout through her mental connection via Emerald, frowned slightly. 'Helena, I wish you wouldn't ridicule me so much all the time. It gets really annoying sometimes.' She retorted mentally, Emerald transmitting the statement.

"Oh, I am not rejoicing at your misery, dear Atsuko-chan! I am just happy that my partner won! I guess you can understand that, can't you?" The voice replied in a singsong.

'I guess so. But it's still slightly offensive to me, not gonna lie.' Atsuko hummed internally with a trace of upset emotion.

"Well, if you don't want Betsune-chan to roast you, stop ignoring her or leaving her out when talking about your family. She doesn't like that, you know?" Helena retorted in a sweet tone.

"She has a point there." Emerald chimed in, Atsuko giving in at that.

"Anyway, I should probably explain what I meant when I said that my sister was lying. You know, she is a duelist, though a terrible one. She could join the Duel Club, but she is too bashful because of you being there as well. She doesn't want to look weak in front of you, that's why she refused your previous offer." Betsune said, both Yukemi and Atsuko blushing at her words.

"Damn, there she goes again! Betsune just executed the romantic shipping process and it's super effective already!" Helena cheered within Betsune's mind, the other Anti Ignis of the Kogamis' currently present smirking as well.

"Onee-san...!" Atsuko lamented in a protracted cry, showing clear discomfort from the hints her sister had just made.

"What? You clearly like this guy, don't you?" She bluntly asked her sister, whose cries of protest got only louder at this. Betsune then faced Yukemi and his companion once more. "Anyway, it's time for us to go home. See you again sometime!" She said, taking her still protesting sister and a turn to the right at that.

"Sure. See you again!" Yukemi shouted as they left. Once he and Yusaku were out of reach, Atsuko spoke up to her sister.

"Nicely done! He really thinks of my of some weak girl who has a crush on him but can't admit it now! Thanks for interfering into my conversion with him, now he doesn't suspect me for sure!" Atsuko addressed Betsune with a smirk.

"You're welcome." Betsune retorted in her trademark stoic tone. "Can't have my little sister fail to honeytrap Heavenmail after all, can I?" She stated. A slight smirk formed on her face as she continued. "Also, that part about you being a terrible duelist wasn't exactly a lie. I mean, how the hell could you lose against that guy?" She chuckled, mildly gloating.

"He was really good, didn't you see that?!" Atsuko snapped, much to her sister's amusement.

"Well, he was. But that still doesn't justify your loss. Honestly, I was surprised that he didn't play an anti-dragon card against you. That's probably one of your biggest weak points, much like with onii-san. I never got why both of you were so fascinated by dragons anyway. They are just everywhere, it's almost like that "You get an x, you get an x, everybody gets an x!" meme was made to substitute the 'x' for 'dragon'. The type is so overused and way too cliche for my taste, hence why I don't rely on these oversized lizards to win my duels. Highly advanced technology is all that it takes so even a meek girl can slaughter whole armies."

"You're one to talk! You weren't even at the headquarters in the network within the last few days!" Atsuko complained.

"Well, obviously not. I had to spy on SOL Technologies from the inside using my connections and the obligatory internship we have to do because of school after all. It was your job to do things like capturing a freshly escaped Anti Ignis, while it was mine to observe SOL. So from my standpoint I did my duty while you failed to do so, didn't you?" Betsune countered.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Atsuko grumbled in annoyance.

"Anyway, did you find out anything helpful today?" Betsune spoke up again.

Atsuko shook her head. "No, but I got a lot closer to him which will surely prove helpful in the future. Also I got this." She said, pulling out an object from her pocket and handing it over to her sister.

"Scales?" Betsune asked in confusion, looking at the object in her palm. "Where the hell did you get those from?" She asked, puzzled by this.

"They were on Yukemi's wrist. I think they have something to do with that dragon transformation of his. What do you think?" Atsuko inquired, genuinely curious to hear her sister's opinion on that particular subject.

"I think you are right. If his body can change in the network, it might as well be able to do so in the real world, which would explain that part of his skin turning into those scales. We should give this to Genome, he can analyze the scales for more information." Betsune retorted in a deliberating tone.

"Alright then." Atsuko said with a nod.

Shortly after her response a young woman on the streets offered her a brochure, wanting to promote the product the company she worked for sold. With a brief smile Atsuko accepted it, the two of them then mounting a tram to get to their home faster.

Den City, Mansion at the Seaside...

"Who's there?" Ryoken asked as he heard the doorbell ringing, his sisters seated on the couches that adorned the living room of the spacial house they inhabited.

"It's me! Now open the damn door!" A male voice retorted.

"You know the usual procedure. Please act accordingly to it." Ryoken replied, still holding the door phone.

"Oh for fuck's sake, Ryoken, open the goddamn door!" The man went on cursing. As he received no reaction, he cursed again and spoke up. "Okay, fine then! Himiji Sokudo, password Ouroboros! Now open the door already!" He cried out in frustration.

"See, that wasn't so hard." Noctis remarked while his partner pressed the button to open the door. Shortly afterwards a relatively young man stormed into the living room, looking majorly displeased.

"I still don't get it why we need to say our names and a password on every meeting before you let us in! You could just give everyone the key to your house already!" The man with yellow hair styled a bit like a wing prodding to the right and red highlights complained, his purple eyes showing a major level of upset. He wore a red v-neck shirt with a yellow jumper, as well as pants of the same color as his hair.

"Because you could get caught and therefore hand the authorities the keys to our house and thus the Knights of Hanoi, that's why." Betsune chimed in from the couch she was relaxing on.

"Oh yeah, the authorities! Thank you for reminding me that I'll go to prison if this organization gets taken down by the government! It's always nice to know that you could end up in a cell at any given day!" Sokudo, the newcomer, retorted in a sarcastic voice.

"Then we just don't have to fail." Betsune retorted calmly.

Sukudo gritted his teeth. "I wouldn't even have a single problem or risk regarding that, were it not for your damn father! I remember when I was just a comic-reading 15 year old teenager doing an internship at SOL Technologies! Guess who I got assigned to, that's right, the crazy guy who abducts six children and does dubious experiments on them to create a freaking new life form! And I could just stand there and go along with it, as I was pretty sure that the authorities would have arrested me as well if I reported! I hesitated for a moment and allowed Dr. Kogami to kidnap those children, not preventing it, which according to law makes me guilty as well for not interfering and reporting when I could have! But I was just a brat back then, incapable of not being frozen in fear and doing something! I accepted my fate and hoped that the incident could at least be hushed up to minimize the consequences!" He lamented before looking at Ryoken, giving him a hateful stare. "But then a certain guilt-ridden brat got cold feet and reported the incident to the authorities!" He yelled in anger, boring his finger into Ryoken's chest. "Because of you I almost went to prison! And now I am stuck with this organization of yours forever until we either succeed and lay low in society forever or get arrested and visit the next maximum security prison together! I couldn't have asked for more when I signed up for the internship at SOL!" He commented cynically, dramatically throwing his arms into the air.

"You should not talk to onii-san for that! We also lost our father due to the incident!" Atsuko spoke up in indignation, pointing over to a bed with several devices attach to it, holding a comatose man.

Sokudo smirked. "Oh, you mean Dr. K's current state? Hmm, I wonder why that is? Maybe because he started something no sane person should consider doing in the first place! His past merely caught up to him!" He mocked.

Atsuko's eyes narrowed. "You take that back!" She whispered threateningly.

Sokudo turned to her, keeping up his jeering expression, not breaking eye contact with the outraged female.

"Make me!" He whispered back mockingly.

"That's it, you bastard! I'm going to-!" Atsuko roared, before being halted by her older sister who had grabbed the female by her arm.

"Leave it be. He has every right to be upset about his situation, just like you have about him talking so rudely about otoosan. However, pointless violence and conflict among us Hanois ourselves will only weaken us and take us farther away from our goal. So for the sake of this organization, please cease your aggression, Atsuko. You too, Sokudo-san." Betsune spoke up.

"Yeah, please stop. Fighting each other will accomplish nothing." Her Anti Ignis spoke up, arising from Betsune's duel disk as a small whitish-transparent humanoid with flowing white lines on its body and the for Anti Ignis typical sword and shield symbols on its wrists that were made from the same flowing lines. Its pupils and iris borders were of the same bluish-turquoise as the eyes of its female partner and its long flowing hair possessed the same coloring as the lines on its body, meaning a white that resembled Betsune's hair.

"Betsune and Helena have a point. Conflict among ourselves leads to nothing but difficulties. Please sit and calm down again, Atsuko." Emerald chimed in, also appearing physically.

Atsuko gritted her teeth. "Fine..." She finally gave in, sitting down on the couch again, though with remnants of her previous anger still burning in her heart.

"Well, if the big sister and the two wise Anti Ignis have spoken, I cannot really continue either, can I? Oh well, I guess." Sokudo joked, ceasing to provoke Atsuko at that.

"Thank you." Ryoken gave his sister a subtle nod for her successful diplomacy that lead to the end of the conflict.

"No problem, onii-san. I wish you were half as nice to my while I wasn't around." Betsune retorted to the male who was sitting next to her.

Ryoken raised an eyebrow. "Say what?" He asked in confusion, not sure what his sister was referring to.

Betsune sighed. "Helena, play the clip." She ordered her Anti Ignis.

"On it!" The brightly colored A.I. retorted enthusiastically, creating a scene before her with whitish energy beams from her arms that turned into a projection. Ryoken gulped as he recognized what it was.

"On the other hand though, she is our most capable duelist." The projection of Noctis said whilst smirking. "Well, apart from you of course." He added with a cocky grin, standing atop of Ryoken's – or rather Revolver's – duel disk.

"Oh, that much is certain. But even as only the second strongest among the Hanoi, she should easily succeed." The projection of Revolver retorted.

"Second strongest among the Hanoi?! Atsuko?!" Betsune addressed Ryoken with a piercing tone, the latter feeling a major amount of guilt and anxiety at that. "Didn't you maybe forget someone when you said that the day before yesterday?!" Betsune hissed at him.

"How did you get that scene anyway?" Ryoken retorted as he gulped again, dodging the conflict and question for now.

"Oh, I check the footage of our headquarters in the network on a regular basis, especially if I wasn't present at that time due to spying on SOL in the meantime." Betsune explained before continuing with a cold look towards Ryoken. "But anyway, how do you explain this choice of words? I demand an explanation, onii-san." She said icily.

"Yeah, tell her why you said something like that!" Helena chimed in from atop the shoulder of her partner with crossed arms and a grim tone.

'Noctis, I could really need your help right now...' Ryoken addressed the Anti Ignis who had retreated into his mind, cautious to not let either his sister of her Anti Ignis hear what he was telling Noctis by not using the inter-mind connection the Kogamis and their Anti Ignis usually used when talking with each other without outsiders hearing it.

"Don't pull me into that! You deal with this yourself! I'm staying here until this mess is over!" Noctis retorted from his mind.

'You started the whole thing with your comment, so don't you dare to play the innocent bystander and hide away in my mind like that!' Ryoken snapped back.

Before Noctis was able to respond, Betsune spoke up again. "Oh, and Noctis, please come out now. I didn't forget that it was you who started it all, so you are just as guilty as my brother who didn't protest or correct your degrading statement." She said.

"Oh shit. Now I'm screwed..." Noctis whispered in fear.

"Well, Noctis? Are you coming out on your own or do I need to make Helena pull you out of Ryoken's mind by force?" The white and light blue haired girl kept on inquiring.

"I'm coming out already..." Noctis said in defeat, appearing physically with a look on his face like as if he was on the way to the chopping block.

"Good. I will leave the execution of your punishment to my trusted AI. Helena, he is yours." Betsune said.

The white Anti Ignis nodded, turning to its brethren and cracking her knuckles. "Alright then! Don't mind if I break a few files, okay?" She asked Noctis in a sweet tone before charging at him, starting his long and painful punishment.

"Well, you definitely don't want to mess with Betsune and Helena I guess." Atsuko remarked while watching the two airborne AIs moving around the room, the dark Anti Ignis trying to escape the bright one who was constantly hitting him whenever he was in her reach.

"Definitely not. Out of all the Anti Ignis Helena is probably the one with the greatest physical powers. Getting hit by her must be like hell." Emerald added, sweat dropping as well.

"Good thing we didn't piss off Betsune then..." Atsuko retorted, slightly nervous with her tone.

"Definitely..." Emerald agreed evenly nervous, observing how her male counterpart received a major kick by the white Anti Ignis.

"Well then, while those two are having fun together, how about having a little talk, onii-san." Betsune said while shifting herself closer to her brother. "So, onii-san, why didn't you correct your Anti Ignis? You know how I feel about things like this." She addressed him, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry..." Her brother murmured, at a loss of words.

Betsune gave him a closer look, moving his away-looking face closer to hers. "Look onii-san, I'm not even that mad about you not defending my dueling skills. In fact, I couldn't care less about my ranking among the Hanoi duelists. But you didn't just put me in the third place, no, you simply forgot about me altogether when you spoke to your Anti Ignis. And you know that I hate it when I'm left out." She said, her initially aggressive attitude turning into something more like a sorrowful disappointment.

Ryoken returned eye contact at last, overcoming the shame he felt as he brought his downcast eyes back to normal level. "I'm sorry, Betsune. I really am. I know that you hate it when you are forgotten about, especially during matters concerning our family. But sometimes it still happens to me, don't ask why. Maybe it's because I constantly think about our father ever since he got infected by that virus and is in coma. Maybe it's because Atsuko is simply the more energetic and lively person out of my two sisters, distracting me from you. Ironic, since you and I are much more alike than Atsuko and I. I guess I'm just as forgetful as Atsuko sometimes, so excuse me for being such a terrible brother."

The expression in the turquoise eyes of the female before him changed, her lineaments becoming softer after Ryoken had spoken. "Hey, no need to say that. I know you are a good brother, you just made a mistake. Not for the first time maybe, but sometimes you just need to try more often until you finally succeed. But please promise me to always remember me from now on when you think of persons close to you or other groups of people in your life where I am included. It just really hurts me when I'm forgotten about. It makes me feel … useless." Betsune said.

Ryoken's own expression grew fierce. "Hey, don't say that! Even if I sometimes forget about you, for whatever reason that may be, I never consider you useless or unnecessary! You are a most precious person in my life, as well as in that of the others currently around you! In fact I think that you are not only the most important person of us three, but also the strongest duelist among us! So don't you ever say stuff like being useless again!" He yelled in emotion while pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me, onii-san." Betsune whispered back, reciprocating the embrace.

"Is this discussion over then?" Ryoken asked after a while.

"Yes." Betsune retorted, breaking physical contact with her brother at that.

"Alright then! Guess you're out of the woods then, Noctis!" Helena chimed in, ceasing to attack the Dark Anti Ignis at that.

"Finally..." Noctis wheezed in exhaustion, stopping to fly around as he dropped to the couch, letting out a protracted sigh.

"You seem tired." Ryoken addressed his AI with a glance to his side.

"Guess why!" The battered Anti Ignis snorted back. "While you got off the hook easily, I received the maximum punishment! While you got a hug from your sister, Helena beat the living shit out of me! It's not exactly what I would call the fairness of shared pain, partner!" Noctis snapped at him in an accusing tone.

"Well, it's not like you started this whole thing, Noctis. Therefore you getting the bigger punishment is fair, wouldn't you agree?" Helena addressed her brethren with her signature beaming smile.

"She has a point. Weren't it for you bringing it up, Betsune would have never felt insulted." Emerald chimed in.

"Yeah, that's right! Because you started that offending conversation, she felt worthless and ignored! So it's only fair that you take the blame and the hit for that!" Atsuko agreed with a nod.

"I'm not exactly happy for what happened to you, but then again you tried to backstab me by sitting out the outside crisis inside of my mind, letting me take all the blame. So I'm not particularly sorry about that." Ryoken said in a neutral tone with only a slight bit of empathy in it, much to the discomfort of Noctis.

"Ugh, battered and beaten up with nobody backing me up. What a great day to be alive." Noctis lamented, sinking deeper into the couch.

"Anyway, while the lot of you were having your little family drama, a few more of us came!" Sokudo spoke up at once, startling the Kogamis.

"Oh, and who?" Ryoken automatically asked.

"Those four." Sokudo responded, pointing to a group of people with his thumb.

"Aso, Kyoko, Genome, Spectre. Welcome to the meeting." Ryoken addressed the newcomers, making eye contact with the three men and the woman who stood a few feet behind the formation of couches that adorned the spacious living room of the Kogami mansion.

"Good afternoon, Ryoken-sama. We were waiting for the lot of you to finish family matters." Spectre retorted with a bow. He straightened his posture again and looked at the other persons sitting on the couch. "And good evening to you as well, Betsune-sama, Atsuko-sama." He added towards the remaining Kogami siblings.

"Good evening too, Spectre. And you as well, Aso, Kyoko and Genome. Do you want anything? Coffee? Water?" Betsune asked.

"No need, Betsune-sama. But thank you for the hospitality." Aso replied.

"Has there been ever a time we came here when you didn't offer to bring us a beverage?" Genome chuckled, sitting down on the couch with the others.

"Don't make fun of her for being a well-raised girl." Kyoko scolded him.

"Hehe, don't worry, I was just messing with her a little." Genome snickered, briefly raising his arms to apologize.

"Well then, we already have onii-san, onee-san, me, Spectre, Aso, Kyoko, Genome and Sokudo. That means that we're still missing..." Atsuko began.

"Me, for instance!" A voice interrupted her. Entering the room was an adult male with purple eyes and dark green hair with a goatee of the same color. He wore a black dress shirt, a red tie and dark green pants. Physically he seemed to be around a decade older than Sokudo, who in turn was in his mid twenties.

"Ah, Kazuki-san! How was your day?" Sokudo greeted him, showing a much friendlier tone than towards the youngest Kogami sibling.

"Oh, pretty great. I was in cinema for the newest Pacific Rim movie. Unfortunately, the Jaegers won yet again. But at least the Kaijus looked great. God, I love them so much!" Kazuki replied, taking a seat on the couch next to Sokudo.

"I figure." Sokudo retorted before smirking. "I mean, it's surely wonderful to just tribute away anything you'd like. Seeing your deck's inspirational origin in a movie must be amazing." He stated.

"Yeah, you're right. Anyway, speaking of inspirational origins, did you watch the latest Flash movie?" Kazuki retorted.

"Sure I did. And I don't regret it at all. The thing was amazing." Sokudo replied.

"Well, I guess we both got the daily dose of our respective passion then, giant monsters and fast-running heroes. Anyway, to get over the fact that my beautiful Kaijus lost yet again, I went to the casino." Kazuki began.

"And? How did you fare?" Sokudo inquired.

The older man grinned. "Six words: Poker, Royal Flush, very high stakes." He said with a smirk.

Sokudo whistled. "Hoo boy, that's really lucky! How much did you win?" He asked enthusiastically.

Kazuki shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, a couple million yens. The average when everyone just slaps all their money onto the table."

"Kazuki, you honestly impress me with your dauntlessness. I wouldn't have the balls to risk that much money all the time." Sokudo remarked.

"Well, sometimes you just have to go for a gamble. At least that's my philosophy. Yours is probably the opposite, given the strategy of your deck." Kazuki replied.

"You can say that out loud! He really is too cautious sometimes! I'm still surprised that he ended up telling me that he was a member of this organization!" A female voice chimed in. The newcomer was a decently tall woman of around Sokudo's age with blue eyes and dark purple hair with a decorative, but certainly not real rose in it. She was dressed with an alabaster top and a pink jacket. Red pants and a black choker with a red rose emblem as well as earrings with the same colors and motif concluded her outfit. She walked up to Sokudo and smiled whilst sitting down on his other side. "Hi, handsome." She greeted him, giving him a brief kiss.

"Hi, Akame. Everything alright?" Sokudo asked her.

"Oh, definitely. I'm just low-key upset about our canceled date and wondering about the reasons for this meeting, but I guess we will learn about them in time." Akame said.

"I think so. Anyway, where is Tamano? You didn't forget to bring your sister, now did you?" Sokudo inquired.

"Of course not. She went to the kitchen and got herself some water in the meantime. Look, there she is!" Akame responded, pointing over to a pink haired female that seemed to be a tad bit younger than Akame. Much like her sister she had a pony tail, though the bottom line of her hair was much higher than Akame's. Aside from the long hair-short hair difference it was also covering most of the right side of her face whereas Akame's front hair was more centered and left her eyes uncovered almost entirely. Similar to her sister she also had a fake rose plucked to her hair, though a turquoise one. Further mirroring Akame she had pants of the same color as the rose and wore earrings, though light blue diamond-shaped ones. Over a white robe with turquoise trim she wore a necklace composed of black and white pearls. With a kind smile towards Sokudo and the others she greeted them, addressing the former as she looked at him with her turquoise eyes.

"Hi, Sokudo-san. Are you doing well?" Tamano inquired.

"Well, now that my girlfriend and her sister are here, definitely." The yellow and red haired male retorted whilst wrapping his arm around Akame possessively. "And how about you?" He asked.

"Oh, I'm doing fine. I had a pretty wonderful day so far to be honest." The pink haired adult replied.

Sokudo opened his mouth to continue his conversation with Tamano. However, her sister distracted him from this plan as she tucked on his shirt, giving him a deep frown. Sokudo swallowed at his girlfriend's expression, addressing her nervously at that. "Er, Akame? Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something bad?" He asked.

"You could say so. I just talked a bit with Atsuko-chan and asked her about her day and whether she'd like to go shopping with me soon. Turns out that she was feeling a little bit sour over the fact that you verbally harassed her and her family." Akame said, her expression tensing up after that. "And you know how close the two of us are." She told in a threatening tone.

Sokudo gulped audibly.

"Any more of that and I'm not sleeping with you for a month, got that?!" She growled.

Sokudo nodded nervously.

"And apologize to her! Immediately!" Akame hissed at him.

Sokudo – knowing there was no other way out of this – turned to the white and light blue haired girl and bowed his head. "I'm sorry for offending you, Atsuko-san! Please forgive me for my insults towards your family!"

"Apology accepted." Atsuko retorted with a smug grin, having an unprecedented feeling of cockiness and triumph that was shared by her Anti Ignis.

Sokudo slumped deeper into the couch in defeat, exhaling audibly. Kazuki bowed towards him, whispering into his ear. "And that's why I don't have a girlfriend, Sokudo. Way too easy to get blackmailed with sex deprivation and other crap." His friend addressed him.

"Anyway, I was at the shrine today." Tamano spoke up, trying to lighten up the mood. "And guess whom I met there!" She asked the whole group.

"Probably Kenshi, our first division's first lieutenant. Or in other words, it was the only guy aside from my captain and the Kogamis who outranks me, wasn't it?" Sokudo guessed.

"Exactly. I enjoyed my time a lot more with some good company." Tamano confirmed.

"I figure. Your interests a very similar after all, kinda like mine and Sokudo's. Have you ever considered something more than just friendship with him?" Kazuki asked her.

The pink haired female blushed. "No, of course not! He is nearly ten years older than me! There is no way an relationship with him would be proper!" Tamano protested in embarrassment, though she didn't seem to fully believe in what she said.

"Oh come on, you worry way too much about age! If you like him and he likes you, just screw what everyone else thinks and be with him already! Even if it might look like an unsafe plan for you right now, I'm sure that it will work out eventually! If anyone here knows something about taking risks, it is undoubtedly me, so just listen to your local gambler right here and take that path! It will lead you to a happier state of mind sooner or later, I promise!" The dark green haired man reaffirmed his opinion.

"Wow, that was very … inspirational. Kinda unusual for you, Kazuki." Sokudo whistled, very much baffled by his friend's speech.

"Only because I like gambling doesn't mean that I am a no good for nothing type of person with no clue about life, Sokudo." Kazuki grinned at his friend.

"I will think about it..." Tamano muttered shyly, deliberating about the words of her fellow colleague.

"Feel free to tell me when the two of you start dating." Kazuki smirked at her, which earned him another embarrassed reaction from Akame's little sister. It increased once she heard the voice of the person in question.

"Greetings everyone! Am I too late?" A new voice called out to them.

Sokudo grinned inwardly. "Speak of the devil..." He whispered.

Betsune looked at the newcomer, greeting him at that. "Hello Kenshi. No, you are not too late, in fact you are one minute early. Honestly, I wonder how you always manage to get to our meetings just barely before they officially start." She said.

"Oh, I guess I have just the right amount of punctuality to not be late." Kenshi laughed, rubbing the back of his head. He was a tall man of about half a decade less age than Kazuki, going even with Kyoko, Aso and Genome. He had jet black hair and golden eyes, the colors contrasting themselves from each other. Similar to Kazuki he merely had a few stubbles instead of a grown beard like Aso. His outfit consisted of a purplish suit with a white dress shirt and a yellow tie. Finally he had black pants, as well as designer shoes of the same color – unlike Sokudo, Kazuki, Akame and Tamano whose shoes were far more casual. He sat down next to Tamano who slightly jumped in nervousness, much to the amusement of the remaining persons aside from Kenshi himself.

"Oh, hello Kenshi! You had a good day so far?" Kyoko addressed him.

"So far definitely, Kyoko! We'll see if that still holds true after our meeting!" Kenshi laughed.

"What? Afraid that you could be getting demoted?" Genome snickered.

"With his performance he will much rather be promoted to a captain to be honest." Aso chimed in before taking the time to stand up and walk over to Kenshi, extending his hand to him. "Good to see you around."

Kenshi smiled back, shaking his hand. "Likewise! You, me, Kyoko and Genome are the seniors here after all! We have been in this organization from its very beginning, so it's only natural that we should stick togther."

"More like were assistants of that madman Kiyoshi from the very beginning..." Sokudo mumbled.

"Gaiton Kenshi, if you can call one person a senior of this organization, it's definitely me! Wouldn't you agree?" A newcomer chimed in.

"Oh, Genryu-san! You came as well?" Kenshi addressed the man who now approached, accompanied by another. While their lineaments and clothing was very similar, the difference in age clearly distinguished them from each other. The previous speaker was an old man, easily in his sixties, with brown eyes and black oval glasses. His hair had already turned white, further emphasizing his progressed age. Contrasting to that though his skin was still relatively smooth with few wrinkles. He had a beard of the same type as Aso, though his one had the bright color that came with his age. He was dressed with a white suit and a black dress shirt, a green tie and dark blue pants, as well as black shoes of the same quality as Kenshi's.

The one accompanying him was much younger, though he resembled the older man in various aspects. He lacked the glasses and the beard he had was much more like Kenshi's. His eyes and hairstyle however matched that of Genryu, aside from the difference in color as his eyes were of a turquoise-bluish tone, and the difference in hair length as his was longer, as well as grayish in its color. His clothes followed a similar pattern where they resembled the design of Genryu's entirely, with only some color differences as his tie was purple and his dress shirt blue. Opposite to the older man he wore black pants and chose white shoes rather than black ones. He quietly followed as the older man approached the group of people.

"Of course I came. Are there any recordings of instances where I didn't come to one of our meetings?" The elderly man asked Kenshi.

"I don't remember anything in that regard, no. You are two minutes late though." Kenshi remarked.

Genryu chuckled. "Oh ignorant child, if you had any idea about the agility of one's body at my age, you wouldn't dwell in such minor details. I'll be looking forward to the time when your bones start aching and moving slowly, Kenshi. Besides, it is considered polite in various countries to be a tad bit too late to an appointment." The white haired individual retorted.

"Always a provocative response at the ready. That's Tomore Genryu for you." Kenshi said with a smirk.

"Hakashi, do me a favor and get me a coffee! I'm feeling like I could need one before this meeting begins!" Genryu said, sitting down next to Kenshi.

"Alright, otoosan!" The younger newcomer retorted as he left for the kitchen.

"Having such a solicitous son must be amazing." Kenshi remarked.

"It sure is when you get older. You first have to raise him to adulthood though, which I luckily managed to do quite well." Genryu remarked before his expression changed. "Speaking of sons, were is the oldest child of my friend Kiyoshi? I haven't seen Ryoken yet. He isn't sick, is he?" The white haired man asked with a trace of concern in his voice.

Kenshi waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry! He briefly went to his room to work on something and left it to Betsune to open the door for us! He's fine, I assure you!"

Genryu's face lightened up. "That's good to know. He has already suffered enough from the loss of his father, there shouldn't be any additional burdens laid upon him, now that he is the leader of our organization. At least outside the network, since Kiyoshi is, well..." Genryu stammered, his eyes drifting to the bed where the comatose man slumbered.

"Your coffee, otoosan." The gray haired adult said, returning to the couch with the beverage his father had asked for.

"Thank you, Hakashi!" Genryu said, taking the cup and a sip from it, his son sitting down next to him at that. The sound of someone walking on stairs prompted him to place his cup on the nearby table, addressing the incoming person. "I see that you're back, Ryoken! I hope that you succeeded in whatever you were working on." He said.

"I did, Genryu-san. It was a program that could potentially be a great help in the near future. But anyway, welcome to our meeting! I'm glad that you're here!" Ryoken said, approaching the old man as he descending from upstairs.

"Likewise! I already said that you and your family can always rely on me! Just repeating it in case you weren't unshakably convinced of that yet!" Genryu retorted as he stood up. The two briefly shared a platonic embrace before both of them sat down on the couch again. Kazuki spoke up at that.

"Well, that leaves only one missing member of our high command. I wonder when he will come – or rather IF he will come." The Kaiju-enthusiast said.

"The possibility of him having forgotten about it is not exactly small..." Tamano said, sweat dropping.

"With that dumbass about anything is possible." Her sister chimed in, huffing in exasperation.

-"Language!"- Genryu and Betsune reprimanded Akame in unison, to her slight annoyance. A few minutes later they heard the doorbell ringing, prompting Ryoken to stand up and take the door phone.

"Hello?" Ryoken asked.

"It's me! Sorry for being late again!" A male voice yelled through the speaker, his tone indicating his nervousness.

"Name and password?" Ryoken simply asked in an even tone.

"Amara Daisuke, password Ouroboros! Please don't demote me!" The latecomer retorted in a fearful voice.

"Don't worry, I won't. But try getting here ten minutes earlier next time. Now come on in." Ryoken invited him as he pressed the button that opened the door, the newcomer storming in immediately as he did so.

"Oh, hey Daisuke! Late again?" Sokudo addressed the final member as he entered the living room.

"Yeah, sadly. I had a lot of lessons today, but I would have made it in time. But then our stupid, son of a-", the latecomer began before halting his sentence, realizing that his incoming swears would get him into even deeper trouble, only muttering them to himself before he continued, "teacher thought that it was a good idea to just stretch the final lesson of the day by ten minutes because he wanted to get something done. Had he not done that I would have arrived here in time..." He growled angrily.

Sokudo smiled. "And that's exactly why I'm glad that I finished school. Bear with it, it's only two more years." He encouraged the other male who was apparently very young in comparison to the others, around Atsuko's age to be exact. He had short dark blue hair and orange eyes, wearing a dark green yukata with orange trim. The clothing on his lower half matched that color scheme, reaching to about his ankles. He furthermore wore sandals and a necklace with a tooth of some sort of predatory animal, most likely something relatively small though.

Daisuke nodded. "I guess so. But I have a feeling that it won't get any better after school." He cogitated.

"Oh, definitely not." Sokudo agreed. He then tilted his head. "But despite your lack of time you still managed to change into your casual clothes before coming here." He addressed Daisuke in a slightly questioning tone.

"Of course I did! What, do you expect me to keep on my school uniform like these two for the meeting?" He asked, pointing at Atsuko and Betsune, which mildly bothered the former while the latter didn't seem to care much about his words. "I'd rather wear my usual outfit for an occasion like this! Cultural identity and everything!" He added, pointing to his outfit.

"I get where you're coming from with that. Fully agree, Daisuke." Tamano chimed in, agreeing with the young male who seemed to share her traditional sense of fashion.

"Anyway", Ryoken spoke up, earning everyone's attention, "now that everyone is there, let us begin our meeting!" He said whilst standing up and taking a spot where he could overlook all of the fourteen remaining people sitting on the couch.

"Right, why did you call us here, Ryoken? Me and Akame originally had a date scheduled for today. I finally got a reservation for a table at one of the finest restaurants in Den City. Needless to say I had to cancel that because of you, so you better explain yourself." Sokudo addressed him, his aggressive tone remaining not unnoticed by the oldest Kogami sibling.

"Wait, you don't know? Do you even watch the news, bro?" Daisuke laughed. As Sokudo gave him a questioning look that prompted Daisuke to open his mouth in an attempt to explain himself, Ryoken raised his hand, cutting him off.

"As some of you may have heard, a new duelist has appeared. One that is the origin of an Anti Ignis." Ryoken said, his eyes now narrowing. "An Anti Ignis that has recently escaped from SOL Technologies' prison." He added in a dead serious tone.

"A new Anti Ignis?! I had no idea! Guess I was just way too busy with watching Kaiju movies and gambling at the casino!" Kazuki exclaimed in surprise.

"As was the rest of us I suppose. Me and otoosan knew about it though. As do all here that deal with the matters of our organization on a more frequent basis." Hakashi spoke up, embarrassing Sokudo, Kazuki, Akame and Tamano due to their lack of interest in the Knights of Hanoi, specifically the gathering of relevant information.

"Well, a new Anti Ignis popped up. The fourth one we desperately needed. So, what happened? Did we get it?" Sokudo asked after a while.

"I sent out my little sister to capture it. Unfortunately she was defeated by the origin of said Anti Ignis who defended it, a duelist named Heavenmail. Due to that we were unable to retrieve the Anti Ignis." Ryoken admitted, looking at Atsuko who let her head hang in embarrassment and disappointment of herself.

Sokudo burst into laughter. "So that's what that scene with Noctis and you was about?! You sent her into battle, claiming that she was the second strongest among the Hanoi while totally forgetting your other sister, – and then she fails?! This is gold! Precious and utter gold!" Sokudo enthused about the failure of his unofficial archnemesis within the organization.

"Shut up, you moron! You would have lost too had you dueled in her place!" Akame hissed at him, violently slamming her elbow into his stomach, causing a massive exhale as the air was painfully removed from Sokudo's lungs. Atsuko gave her a small smile of gratitude which Akame quickly reciprocated.

"So that's it about the Anti Ignis, is it?" Tamano asked.

"Not yet. We did miss our chance to take the Anti Ignis at that point, but we still have a lead to it. Namely because we know the identity of Heavenmail, the origin of the Anti Ignis who is now in possession of it." Ryoken spoke up before looking to his sister again. "Thanks to Atsuko that is. She figured it out." He added, trying to restore some of his sister's lost honor who gave him a grateful smile in response.

"Oh? She did? So who is it?" Sokudo asked in surprise.

"A teenager named Shimizu Yukemi. He's in the same class as Atsuko." Ryoken replied.

"Shimizu Yukemi? Classroom Police Yukemi?" Daisuke asked, referring to Yukemi's prominent attitude of reprimanding students who misbehaved in class, like most recently Yusaku for instance.

Atsuko grinned at him. "Exactly that Yukemi." She retorted victoriously.

"Wow, that is big for us! Then we can just get it from him, right? Let Aso pay him a little visit and steal the Anti Ignis!" Akame chimed in.

"Unfortunately that won't be that easy. You know how hard it is to harm someone who is in a symbiosis with an Anti Ignis." Betsune spoke up.

"Oof, right. Increased physical strength and resilience and so on. He would probably knock out Aso instead if he tried to kidnap him." Akame admitted in realization.

"Yeah. Because of that it would probably be easier to go for the other Ignis instead." Aso told.

"The other Ignis?" Tamano asked.

Ryoken gave a nod to Genryu, who started explaining in his stead. "Alongside the Iris Anti Ignis there has been another acquaintance we already had our eyes on. You remember the Dark Ignis who shut off the Cyberse World from us, don't you?"

"The Dark Ignis? Wait, you mean THAT Dark Ignis?" Sokudo asked in disbelief.

"Exactly that Dark Ignis. My wretched counterpart." Noctis responded, frowning as he vocalized the name of his polar opposite.

"And where is it now? From Aso's words I conclude that we didn't get that one either." Kazuki questioned.

"Indeed, the Knight of Hanoi that I dispatched to apprehend it was beaten as well. By Playmaker." Ryoken told.

"Oh, that Playmaker? I heard about him a lot in our reports, he is quite the pain in the butt for our organization." Sokudo stated.

"That is an understatement. He defeated over a hundred of our knights already. He was already a target for us before, and now that he has the Dark Ignis in his custody he has only jumped higher on our priority list. Someone must exterminate him. Soon would be best." Betsune voiced her opinion.

"Alright. So we can choose to fight one out of two incredibly strong duelists to get the job done. So who do we pick?" Kazuki asked.

"I vote for Heavenmail. Playmaker's name has been in our casualty reports often enough and I don't want a new guy appearing there on a frequent basis as well. It's time for him to go down. Also he has dishonored Atsuko-chan – and nobody does that without punishment!" Akame proclaimed.

"Fully agree!" Sokudo yelled, trying to get on his girlfriend's good side again by supporting her on her personal crusade against Playmaker, even if the person he was helping with that was his least favorite Kogami sibling whom he constantly got into arguments with.

"I think that's a rather bad way of procedure." Spectre opposed their votes.

"Why that?" Akame asked him in surprise, slightly annoyed by his disagreement.

"Because Shimizu Yukemi is more than he first appeared to be like." Ryoken replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Akame asked him, exasperated about his confusing response.

"In his second public duel, Heavenmail faced Playmaker." Hakashi explained while his father was busy with sipping on his coffee. "And there he did something incredible: He summoned a dragon with both a type and an attribute that was a subcategory of Dragon-Type and Divine-Attribute respectively."

"Divine-Attribute?! As in the god type of Divine-Attribute?!" Kazuki repeated in shock.

"Exactly that one. But that wasn't all. This Tenryuu-Type, Heaven-Attribute then merged with Heavenmail through the power of some sword he was holding, turning into a dragon wielding a gigantic version of the aforementioned blade." Hakashi continued.

"What?! He merged with his own monster?!" Sokudo screamed in disbelief.

"Yes, and that's still not all, my dear Sokudo. That dragon and its evolved form that later appeared at the climax of the duel had a certain ability, according to Heavenmail that is. They inflict a portion of the damage they deal in the network to the opponent's real body. As he attacked Playmaker, the latter took real damage." Genryu finished for his son.

"Real damage?! How is that possible?!" Akame chimed in, equally aghast as her boyfriend.

"I don't know how he does it exactly." Atsuko spoke up, earning her attention. "But I think that Shimizu Yukemi is not a human. At least not fully." She finished, now startling everyone besides her own Anti Ignis, as well as Betsune and Helena.

"What makes you think that?" Ryoken addressed her, surprised by the conclusion his sister had reached.

Atsuko reached into her pocket and pulled out an object, prompting everyone to stare at it as she raised it into the air. "This is what I found on his wrist today. It was somehow attached to him, like his own skin had changed to turn into this."

"Scales?" Genome asked, looking at them with interest. "May I have them? I want to analyze them, if you don't mind." He asked the girl.

Atsuko nodded. "I was going to give them to you for research purposes anyway. Please, have a look at them and tell us what you found out." She said, handing the scales over to him.

Genome nodded. "Right on it!" He assured her, pulling out a bunch of devices for genetic research – his specialty.

"A human with dragonic scales. That is beyond unusual. I'm feeling like the legends of my youth have just awoken." Kenshi stated in awe.

"Definitely. I remember when we visited the shrine today and looked at the inscriptions of ancient dragons. Suddenly I don't think that they are only legends anymore..." Tamano chimed in.

"Whatever he is, we will find it out. Genome, any results so far?" Kyoko asked her friend.

"Hold on, I'm still testing something!" Genome retorted. After a while an exclamation of awe escaped his lips, causing the other Hanois to look back at him.

"What is it?" Genryu asked him.

"This is wonderful! I just tried bringing the scales into contact with something else! Namely one of my hairs. And see and marvel, for some reason the ripped out hair was fully repaired, returning to its original state upon contact with the scales! Seems like they have some sort of regenerative ability!" Genome cried out in astonishment.

The faces of the present Hanoi members changed in surprise and awe. While the lot of them shared a similar awestruck reaction, Atsuko, infected by a sudden idea, not sure whether it was either brilliant or total nonsense, stood up, taking the scales from underneath the microscope lens of Genome and leaving the table at that.

"Atsuko? What are you doing?" Ryoken asked her in bewilderment. The other Hanois shared his confusion.

"Yeah Atsuko, what are you playing at?" Emerald questioned, confused about her partner's actions as Atsuko made her way to another section of the room.

"If the scales have regenerative power and can rebuild a hair...", Atsuko began, running over to the bed where her comatose father rested, "...it might be able to restore far more than just that!" She yelled, raising her arm and thrusting it downwards.

"Atsuko, have you gone mad?! What is that supposed to accomplish?!" Ryoken screamed at her, standing up and going after her. "We know one thing about this object, yet you believe that it has some sort of omnipotent healing factor that can save anything! It only rebuilt a single hair! But for some reason you think that it can get rid of our father's computer virus, cure any illness including cancer and save the world while we're at it! Get real, Atsuko! You're living in a world of foolish fantasy and unrealistic dreams!" Ryoken bellowed at his sister, grabbing her by her shoulders and shaking her violently.

"Why are you so angry?! Why aren't you at least giving it a try?! We can't lose anything that we didn't lose already!" Atsuko sniffed, saddened by her brother's exclamation and still holding the scales pressed to her father's exposed neck, despite the tears that began falling down her cheeks.

"Because you're giving us false hope! It shattered me when he had to leave us for the first time! But when he came back from SOL's custody, I was hopeful! Just as hopeful as you are right now! But when I saw what had become of him – an unconscious man, a mere shell of himself – that hope was crushed to bits! That was when we lost him for the second time! And I cannot bear to lose him for a third time, so stop giving me hope already, Atsuko! It's pointless, mere wishes and some small hopes won't bring him back!" Ryoken yelled back, surprising Atsuko as moisture started forming in his eyes as well.

"Er, onii-san..." Betsune spoke up a little timidly.

"What?!" Ryoken addressed her, his tone still a mix of sadness and anger.

"I don't think that Atsuko's believes are but a distant dream." She replied.

"And why do you think that?!" Ryoken asked, furrowing his eyebrows as his anger grew.

"Just look at the monitors." Betsune commanded him shyly, intimidated by his current mood.

'What is it now?!' Ryoken inwardly cursed as he turned his head. His eyes widened as he finally followed his sister's instructions, looking majorly disturbed.

"This can't be...!" He finally stammered, his expression one of utter shock and disbelief.

"The doctor's life functions! They're returning to normal...!" Kyoko shouted, evenly shocked as Ryoken. The Hanois and Anti Ignis let out a collective gasp of disbelief at that.

"Holy shit...!" Noctis murmured.

"That's impossible...!" Genryu murmured.

"Yet it is happening." Hakashi added to his father's statement.

"Can he really...?" Ryoken whispered to himself, he and the others holding their breaths.

One minute passed.

Betsune noticed that Kiyoshi's breaths had fully assumed their normal frequency, that without the influence of the virus.

Two minutes passed.

Atsuko saw muscles constringing that hadn't moved in years as she gazed onto her father.

Three minutes passed.

"Otoosan...?" Ryoken slowly whispered. He kept his eyes on his father, virtually glued to him. And then slowly, very slowly, the eyes of Kogami Kiyoshi opened. They gradually started exploring their surroundings, visibly unused in fulfilling their purpose after such a long time of not doing anything. After a while they settled on the white and blue haired male, fixating him.

"Ryoken, is that you...?" Kiyoshi asked, his voice containing some of his still lingering tiredness.

Ryoken nodded, wiping his eyes. "Yes, otoosan. Welcome back." He replied, trying to get ahold of his ocular moisture.

"Oh my god, otoosan! You're finally back!" Atsuko squealed, throwing herself into his arms.

"Ah, Atsuko. You look so grown-up already." Kiyoshi said, trying to ignore that his daughter was practically choking him to death with her joyous hug.

"Er, could you let go of him, Atsuko? Or at least loosen your hug? You're almost choking him to death with it." Betsune spoke up with her signature courtesy.

Atsuko blushed. "My bad, I wasn't aware of it. Sorry, otoosan." She apologized.

Kiyoshi chuckled. "No problem. But please do me a favor and get this device out of the way." He said, looking upwards.

Atsuko nodded. "Of course, otoosan." She obeyed, tipping up the part of the health monitoring system that covered Kiyoshi's head. With that out of the way her father quickly sat up, looking at his surroundings. He noticed the large amount of present people and spoke up.

"So this is how one of our meetings looks outside the network. I see." He remarked before he shifted his gaze to Betsune. "And that must be my other daughter. I almost didn't recognize you and Atsuko. You look so different compared to back when I saw you in the real world for the last time, Betsune." Kiyoshi addressed her.

Of course he had looked at digital pictures of them during his time in the network. But that was only fresh after his return to home where he had already been comatose. At first he had looked at the visual changes of his children in the three years of his absence while also monitoring their further progress in terms of their looks. But that was when he still believed that his virus could somehow be healed. As time and hope passed he had stopped doing that however, seeing no sense in keeping up with a world he would never return to. Turns out how wrong he was with that – he managed to return to it, though he was not sure how. Kiyoshi made a mental note to ask about how his resurrection from the coma was made possible. Before that he wanted to properly greet his children though.

"We do." Betsune responded, like her sister embracing him, though a lot more gently. "But that is only normal. It has been ten years after all." She whispered before adding. "We missed you, otoosan. I missed you." She said, silently breaking into tears as she remembered the harsh decade that had transpired.

"I know. But don't worry, I am back now." He patted her back soothingly. "Though I don't really know why. Does anyone of you know why I woke up from coma?" He addressed his children.

Now it was Atsuko's time to show off. With a wide grin she showed the scales to her father and explained. "It was with these scales, otoosan. You remember that boy who got in our way, Shimizu Yukemi? The one who merged with his dragon monster yesterday?"

Kiyoshi nodded.

"Well, today he had these strange scales on his wrist. It probably has to do something with that merge from yesterday, so I figured it would be a good idea to retrieve them for research purposes. I snatched them and had Genome analyze them." Her smile widened. "And guess what he found out! They have regenerative abilities, being able to restore a ripped out hair to its full extent." Atsuko's expression now changed in embarrassment, her bashfulness affecting her facial color. "It might sound a bit crazy and like a hasty assumption, but I thought they could possibly heal your virus, so I tried them on you without further research." Her smile returned. "But luckily it worked just like I assumed it would and you came back! I'm so happy, otoosan!" She rejoiced, wrapping her arms around him once more.

Kiyoshi chuckled, gently petting her head. "I see. Looks like your overhasty temper hasn't changed one bit in those ten years. But that is good, since it occasionally leads you to an outcome your deliberate siblings wouldn't achieve. Hesitating can be very detrimental sometimes." He praised her, to Betsune and Ryoken's embarrassment. His next words rapidly reverted that though. "However, being so hasty often also leads you into a pinch. Very often to be honest. Try to keep that outcome to a minimum and your temper in check, Atsuko." Kiyoshi criticized her, his soft voice dispersing the reprimanding undertone of the message.

Atsuko nodded. "I understand. I will try to be more deliberate from now on."

Kiyoshi nodded. "Good." He looked towards Betsune. "For you I don't have any criticism of that kind. Yet I still have one piece of advice: You should be more self-conscious and prideful in yourself. Don't be afraid to ensure that everyone is aware of your presence in the room. Of course not in an overly obtrusive manner, but it's fine to show a bit more participation. If you do that, people will remember that you're there and not forget about you, solving the issue that you experienced over and over."

"I understand. Thank you, otoosan. I always thought that the problem was with the others for always forgetting about me, but I guess it was just me not doing anything memorable. I didn't care about the attributes that made me interesting either, thinking little of my dueling skills despite them being..." She paused in search for a word.

"Extraordinary?" Helena suggested.

"Over the top?" Atsuko added.

"So good that even Ryoken kicks the bucket in the majority of your duels?" Noctis chimed in, earning him a slap from a slightly angered Ryoken.

"Yeah, that I suppose. Maybe I'm really good indeed..." Betsune said after a while, still with her shy undertone.

"Say it again." Kiyoshi commanded.

"I beg your pardon?" Betsune asked in confusion.

"Say it again! But with confidence!" Kiyoshi repeated, raising his voice.

"Maybe I'm really good indeed." Betsune said, this time without her previous undertone.

"Maybe?! A Kogami does not know that word! Again!" Kiyoshi yelled at her.

"I'm really good indeed!" Betsune reiterated, now shouting rather than speaking.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Her father bellowed at her.

"I'M REALLY GOOD INDEED!" Betsune roared back, shouting at the top of her lungs.

Kiyoshi smiled in satisfaction. "Good, you finally got the spirit! Now try to apply some of it on your daily life and people will start noticing you more!"

Betsune nodded, embracing him at that. "Thank you, otoosan. I wish I had this kind of advice earlier." She said before adding. "But I don't blame you for not giving it earlier. In the network it would probably not have worked as well as it did. Here it just felt more ... touchable, real, I guess." She stated in a deliberating voice.

Kiyoshi chuckled. "That's why we call it the real world, Betsune." He joked before looking to a nearby desk. It was occupied by pilot gear and several aircraft-related figurines. "You dream of navigating across the skies, yet you settle for the ground when it comes to your prominence in the groups of people you are part of. You need to set your sights higher! People are usually forgotten if they don't remind others that they exist. Take Genryu over there for instance!" He said, gesturing to the man that eclipsed even him in age. "Had he not sought me out and the other way around, we would have not became longtime friends like this. He would have just been someone from school who was four classes above me and I would have just been a student who was four classes below him. But because we constantly remained in contact we became friends despite our difference in age and worked together on the...", He paused for a moment, "you-know-what Project." After finishing this rather awkward section he continued normally. "It's like this with many things in society. Had Julius Caesar not conquered so much, stood atop one of the greatest empires in human history and been murdered in such a spectacular manner, nobody would remember him as more than the average Roman emperor he technically was. But he didn't – and that's why he is so well-known today. So try to learn from that and do things that get the attention of others, even if they are only little."

Betsune smiled. "But by 'do things that get the attention of others' you hopefully don't mean to get stabbed to death like Caesar, do you?" She giggled.

"No, definitely not." Kiyoshi chuckled, laughing with his daughter for a while.

"Yay, happy family reunion!" Helena cheered, having listened to the conversion with a smile of her own.

"Ugh, please not. Sentimental ruckus is always so tiresome..." Noctis groaned.

"Be a decent person and shut up, Noctis! This is a big day for them!" Emerald reprimanded him sharply.

"Yeah yeah..." Noctis huffed, still visibly uncomfortable. Emotional events really weren't his forte.

"Anyway, I should probably turn towards my son at last. So, Ryoken..." Kiyoshi spoke up as he broke the embrace with Betsune, going towards his son. But Ryoken was faster.

"I'm so sorry, otoosan!" Ryoken shouted, throwing himself into his father's arms where he stated crying anew.

Kiyoshi looked confused. "For what, may I ask?" He addressed him in a questioning tone.

Ryoken retreated so he could face his father, speaking up after that. "For reporting the incident to the authorities of course! I sold you out to them because of my own selfish guilt! Don't you remember that?!" He retorted, his voice full of both sorrow and regret.

"Of course I haven't forgotten about it. But I don't intend to punish you, if that's what you are expecting. If I intended to do so, I would have already punished you a long time ago." Kiyoshi replied, much to the surprise of his son.

"But you can't just fade out the past! I exposed your doing to the police and SOL! I betrayed you! I made not only my own and your life miserable, but also that of both Betsune and Atsuko and that of all our your friends who had to bear with your ten years of coma! Punish me, otoosan! A traitor like me cannot just be forgiven like that!" Ryoken insisted, his yelling making it obvious that he had made up his mind regarding suffering consequences for his prior actions.

Kiyoshi sighed. "And that's exactly why you struggle to make further progress, Ryoken. You always cling to the past and the events that transpired in it. Instead of looking forward where you can still change your destiny, you look back where you cannot. As Shakespeare said, what is done cannot be undone. So it's better that you focus on what you are doing rather than that what you want to undo. If you do the latter, that will literally become your undoing." His father said before adding. "Sorry for the terrible pun at the end."

"But...!" Ryoken protested, his father interrupting him with the raise of his hand.

"Also, do not forget that I was at fault for it. I should have brought neither of my children to that environment, but because I couldn't fully let go of all of you I still took you with me, Ryoken. It was not only extraordinarily foolish, but also incredibly inappropriate and immoral to expose a young child to this type of environment. It was bound to happen that you would eventually be unable to bear it any longer and call the authorities. So in retrospective I'd say that I merely received the punishment I deserved for my actions." Kiyoshi briefly paused before continuing. "That also counts for all the children that had to be sacrificed for my dream to come true. It was a selfish dream – one majorly illegal at that given what we had to do in order to achieve it – and you see what it brought us: My wish to create the successor of humanity ended up creating its potential demise. So compared to me, your sin is a very minor one." He reflected his past.

"But my sisters! Because of me they had to...!" Ryoken tried protesting again, only to be silenced and cut off once more.

"I already told you, I provoked fate to lead to my own arrest. The Lost Incident was already bad enough, but taking you with me was the final nail in the coffin that resulted in my imprisonment. I'm sorry for Betsune and Atsuko too, but their childhoods were deprived of their remaining parent because of me, not you. I and only I am responsible for what happened to me and them as a result." Kiyoshi told.

As Ryoken wanted to speak up again he continued to cancel out any final complaints. "Look, I get why you want to be punished, Ryoken. If you receive a penalty for your treachery, you can inwardly let the past rest because you believe that your punishment has absolved your previous sins. But that is the easy way out and it only leads you to mediocre salvation. Just receiving punishment and be done with it is letting you off the hook, not learning from your mistakes. And that's exactly why I refuse to punish you. Instead of merely suffering consequences for a brief span of time, you need to bear the guilt of the past and learn to live with it, putting it behind yourself bit by bit. Only then you can get some real closure and move on from the past. Do you understand that?" Kiyoshi asked him.

Ryoken nodded. "I do, otoosan. If that is your desire, I will absolve my sins little by little." He said before adding a question. "Does that mean that our conflict is over now?" He asked a bit insecurely – a tone which was rather unusual for Ryoken.

Kiyoshi chuckled. "Ryoken, as far as I'm concerned there was never a conflict between us. Your atonement is not something I want you to do for me, you're doing it for yourself and yourself alone. I was punished for my sins too, but my subsequent revival through these scales neutralized that and gave me a second chance – something that you also deserve. So technically both of us remained at the previous status quo. The only thing that is different than before is your mindset about the past and me." He said.

"And Atsuko, Betsune and the others' life when it was deprived of you." Ryoken added doubtfully.

Kiyoshi nodded. "That is true. But making it up to those people is part of your atonement too. And mine as well, as I was responsible for my own fate." He paused, strengthening the eye contact with his son. "Anyway, we are finished here. From this moment onward I want you to only focus on the present and future instead of the past – with the exception of your previously mentioned atonement of course. Will you do that for me, Ryoken?" He asked his son.

"Of course, otoosan." Ryoken nodded. Then he embraced his father anew which the latter eagerly reciprocated.

"It's good to see that he finally put that behind him." Betsune whispered to her sister.

"Definitely. He looks so relieved." Atsuko responded.

After a while they let go and Kiyoshi turned to the crowd in the room that had not disturbed the family matters out of courtesy.

"Well, now I may deal with you, my friends!" Kiyoshi spoke up. "And I don't think I need to mention with whom I'm talking with first! Genryu, long time no see! In the real world I mean!" He addressed the elderly white haired man who quickly approached him at that.

"Kiyoshi, what a pleasure to have you back! It has been a boring ten years without you around!" He greeted his old friend, the two of them sharing a brief manly hug.

"Nice to hear that you still hold such a high opinion of me. Looks like some things never change." Kiyoshi retorted with a grin.

"Oh, definitely not! Some things are just set in stone – you as the younger one but with a big dream and me as the senior who can't help but be fascinated with your vision. Not without reason did I help you with the Hanoi Project. A shame that it turned out so badly..." He said with a hint of regret before regaining his former mood. "But anyway, looks like I finally got my old friend back! We have a lot to catch up with!" He exclaimed enthusiastically.

Kiyoshi nodded. "Definitely. We have missed out on many things in the previous decade."

"Yeah, but you especially!" Genryu said with a grin.

"What do you mean by that?" Kiyoshi asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Oh, I mean hygiene, Kiyoshi! Look at yourself! You need to shave your hair and beard! Immediately!" Genryu laughed.

Kiyoshi chuckled. "Ah, I see that your old sense of humor I always envied you for is still there! But I guess you have a point, lying in a bed for this long doesn't do you many favors in that regard. However, I will only get rid of those hairs as soon as I have finished greeting everyone." He declared.

"Sure, go ahead. It would be impolite and unlike you to do otherwise." Genryu agreed. "So why don't you continue with my son?" He suggested, gesturing over to the young man next to him.

"Of course, otoosan." Hakashi nodded before extending his hand to Kiyoshi. "Welcome back to the living, Kiyoshi-san. It's a great feeling to have you back at last." He greeted the returned man, sharing a brief salutation embrace with him.

"Likewise, Hakashi. It has been a long time since our last real meeting. Back then you were still a young adult of around the age my son is currently. But today you look a lot more mature than ten years ago." Kiyoshi said before continuing. "Not that you weren't already mature back then. You simply improved on your already existing qualities." He added with a grin.

"I am glad to hear that, Kiyoshi-san. Yes, I matured during the last ten years, mainly to support my father. You know, he is getting pretty..." Hakashi replied, halting his sentence to not embarrass his father.

"Old?" Kiyoshi suggested, causing an uncomfortable hum from Hakashi and a small growl from Genryu.

"Thank you for reminding me about my aching bones, Kiyoshi...!" Genryu hissed at him, though there was a hint of humor in his angry reply.

Kiyoshi grinned. "You're welcome, my dear friend! But at least you've got a responsible and supportive son getting you through this! Also, don't forget that I'm not far from that age and the resulting inconveniences myself, Genryu! View it this way: You have already put some years of that time behind you while I haven't!" He laughed.

Genryu chuckled. "Well, you've got a point, Kiyoshi. But stop calling me old nevertheless, it's sort of a mood killer between us." He retorted.

Kiyoshi nodded. "Alright Genryu, I won't do it again. Anyway, onto the next group of people! I'd like to greet my former assistants, if you don't mind!" Kiyoshi excused himself before calling out. "Kenshi, Aso, Kyoko, Genome! Come and say hello to the old man that is my humble self!"

The four called out persons lined up before him, bowing their heads.

-"Welcome back, Kiyoshi-san!"- They said in unison.

The old doctor raised an eyebrow. "Why so formal, everyone? Come on, today it's fine if you hug me!" He invited them. Shortly afterwards the first person followed his invitation.

"I'm so glad that you've awoken from coma, Kiyoshi-san! It wasn't the same without you!" Kyoko vocalized her relief and joy, falling into his arms.

"There, there, no reason to start crying, Kyoko." Kiyoshi retorted in amusement as he saw the tears that had fallen down the young woman's cheeks.

"I can't stop it, I'm just so happy." She sniffed back, tightening the embrace.

"Well, that's okay then. I feel honored that you care so much about me. I haven't brought you and the others into an easy situation after all." Kiyoshi replied.

"That is of no relevance. We knew what we would get ourselves into if we assisted you with the Hanoi Project. You have not caused the life of an outlaw that we're currently living, that were we ourselves." Aso objected, approaching his superior and exchanging a greeting with him once Kyoko had let go of Kiyoshi.

"That is true I suppose. But nevertheless thank you for your support." Kiyoshi thanked Aso.

"That's an interesting way to put it, Aso! The life of an outlaw! But I guess your statement has some truth in it, we are not exactly in a good relationship with the authorities after all! But nevertheless my life couldn't be better, with my old colleagues and other friends in this organization! And with someone who shares my fascination for the local mythology to boot!" Kenshi spoke up, looking towards Tamano at the last sentence who lightly blushed at his words. He took a step forward and extended his hand. "Welcome back, Kiyoshi-san! It's relief to finally have the flagship of this organization back in the real world!" He addressed his senior.

Kiyoshi shook his hand before he retorted. "Thank you as well, Kenshi. It's good seeing you again, too. Without your image consisting of pixels that is."

"Yeah, meeting in the VRAINS is kinda impersonal sometimes. It lacks – as you like to express it – the essence and soul of life. Hence why the real world is much better if you really want to get to know somebody." Kenshi answered.

"That's true." Kiyoshi said before turning rightwards. "Anyway, that leaves only you among my former assistants, Genome. It has been a while." He addressed the green haired man while extending his hand to him.

"It sure has, Kiyoshi-san. I was admittedly appalled when I heard about what befell you. But luckily these wonderful scales your daughter collected were able to finally bring you back." Genome told.

Kiyoshi nodded pensively. "I know. These scales are truly something to behold. Do me a favor and keep experimenting on them, Genome. I want to know everything about them so we can maximize our potential. There is no telling how their power can be weaponized." He instructed his subordinate.

Genome chuckled. "Oh, don't worry, I will definitely analyze them! It's DNA of a non-human being with no known related species we're talking about here! Missing out on research about DNA this special would be an immeasurable waste!" He reassured him with a cackle at the end of his final sentence.

Kiyoshi hummed. "Good. I expect results in five days." He announced.

"Will do, Kiyoshi-san, will do." Genome giggled.

"Great. Then with that done there are five more people to turn to. For fairness' sake I'm going to proceed according to the day of joining in chronological order. Which means the next one is you, Spectre! How are you doing?" He addressed the white haired right hand man of Ryoken.

"I'm fine, Kiyoshi-sama. But you shouldn't worry about me, today's main attraction is undoubtedly you and your resurrection." Spectre retorted politely, performing a brief curtsy.

"That is true I suppose. Yet you still deserve the attention, Spectre. Your results both as a duelist and as a hacker are outstanding. You learned a lot since the day you joined us." The Kogami stated.

"I had to, Kiyoshi-sama. Your son needed assistance, so I had to improve to provide such. It was all natural." Spectre replied.

"I am glad to hear that, Spectre. You were a worthy substitute for myself and your loyalty to the organization is unprecedented, with the exception of my children of course."

"Of course it is. That loyalty is the only worthy response I could offer for the favors you did to me." Spectre insisted.

Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow. "Pardon me?"

"You opened my world, Kiyoshi-sama! Before the Lost Incident my time was as if it was stopped! But your project started it again, Kiyoshi-sama! After my mother tree was cut down as I returned, I at first thought that I had no perspective, no reason to live for! But then I remembered the project, remembered the purpose you had given me, and then I could not think of anything else but to repay that dept! For the time you restarted you deserve nothing but my utter loyalty, you and this entire organization!" Spectre shouted, bending his body in an outlandish way and assuming a tone that bordered insanity to some degree.

Kiyoshi was startled. He knew about Spectre's reasons for joining the Knights of Hanoi, but he had never been fully aware of the scale of adoration and reverence Spectre had towards him. And though Spectre's emotions and tone made him somewhat uncomfortable he was proud to hear him proclaim his unshakable loyalty.

"I see, Spectre. I thank you for your whole-hearted support. I promise to return to your orphanage's forest in order to find a sapling that descended from your mother tree, as a replacement for your cut down mother." Kiyoshi said. As soon as he had spoken these words he flinched at the vehement reaction of his subordinate.

"REALLY?! YOU WANT TO PLANT ME A NEW MOTHER TREE?!" Spectre shouted with a voice of a man that was totally out of his mind. Obvious to Kiyoshi that was from a overdose of joy hormones.

"I cannot guarantee that I will find a descendant of that exact tree, but I will try anything in my power to accomplish that." Kiyoshi confirmed with a nod.

"YOU ARE THE SAVIOR!" Spectre rejoiced loudly, tightly wrapping his arms around the doctor in gratitude. Kiyoshi, with cheeks slightly dusted from flattery slowly squirmed himself out of the tight embrace after a while. Then he went to greet the next person while Spectre proceeded to dwell in utter joy.

"Hello, Amara Daisuke. I would say 'it has been a while' again, but we haven't met once in the real world yet. So as the newest member of the elite circle of the Knights of Hanoi you deserve a proper greeting by its leader at last. So I extend my greetings to you, Amara Daisuke! I hope you had a great day so far!" Kiyoshi addressed the dark blue haired male who was undoubtedly the youngest among the present persons – taking aside the tie he had with Atsuko.

"Yes, Kiyoshi-sama. Greetings to you, too..." Daisuke stammered, his expression nervous as he took the doctor's hand. Obviously the situation was overwhelming him.

Kiyoshi shot him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I won't bite. Behave natural and remain calm. I'm not the god of destiny who will end your life if you show but one little sign of disrespect towards me." He chuckled.

Daisuke's expression loosened, though he did not become fully calm – he was speaking to his absolute superior after all. "Thank you, I understand. It's just that this is so overwhelming. You're a legend – and I'm meeting you in real life. It was already overwhelming enough when I met you for the first time in the network, but this is just so much realer and intense." He spouted, the words coming from his mouth like water from a fountain.

Kiyoshi smiled at the pace of the boy's speech, amused by his persisting nervousness. "Like I already said to my elder daughter, it's the real world after all. No wonder why it must feel more intense than our first meeting in the network. But there is no need to be nervous, Daisuke. If you are worried about me bringing up your constant belatedness to our meetings..." Kiyoshi began.

"It was our teacher's fault! Today I would have been punctual for once!" Daisuke protested. He flinched as he realized that he had interrupted his superior, letting him finish at that while he earned a questioning look from Kiyoshi that made him nervous once more.

"...don't be." Kiyoshi finished, much to the bewilderment of Daisuke. "What counts is the will – and you definitely have that one. If you didn't, you wouldn't have settled for just using the standard Knight of Hanoi deck or your previous position as a foot soldier. Your will and your talent were destined for something greater – and so you became our youngest lieutenant around two years ago, leaving behind your old position. Isn't that so?" Kiyoshi asked him.

"I guess so, Kiyoshi-sama. Thank you for the support. And about your previous statement, I must add that one of my main motivations for a promotion was the old deck. It just felt boring to always rely on Cracking Dragons – and not very flexible either. Hence why I wanted a promotion so I would get assistance in upgrading my actual deck." Daisuke voiced his reasoning.

"I see." Kiyoshi nodded. Before he could continue a loud voice entered the conversation between him and the young student.

"Cracking Dragons and boring?! Be careful what you say, little brat! That monster is my heart and soul! Do not insult it ever again, you hear me?!" Genryu snapped at Daisuke from afar, sitting up in agitation.

Kiyoshi chuckled. "Oh, Genryu! Your never-changing view on that monster you created as our flagship creature in duels is truly what makes you an amazing friend to have around! I remember back in school when you used to make sketches of that legendary dream monster you eventually wanted to make reality! I never thought it would become this important for an organization you and me would be part of!" He laughed.

Genryu grinned. "That makes two! I too remember our dreams we already had back in school! While I drew visual concepts for Cracking Dragon, you made sketches of cybernetic creatures you eventually wanted to bring to life! I never thought I would become the best friend of a weirdo like you!" He laughed heartily.

"Likewise." Kiyoshi grinned back, taking the jab with humor. He returned his attention to Daisuke and continued. "You see, you better not make any negative comments about Cracking Dragon, at least not out loud. He dotes on that monster since god knows how long. If one could have children with a Duel Monster like one can have with a woman, Genryu would probably have married that monster instead of Hakashi's mother." He joked towards his friend.

"Hey, I am not that obsessed with Cracking Dragon!" Genyru protested from afar.

Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow. "Really, Genryu?" He asked doubtfully.

Genryu sighed. "Okay fine, I really am that obsessed with Cracking Dragon, I admit it! Can you put this topic to rest now?" He huffed in annoyance.

Kiyoshi smirked. "Very well, old friend." To Daisuke he added. "I will approach the next person in line now. Consider yourself an exception because of your incredible youth, otherwise you would have been last as you were the latest who joined us."

Daisuke bowed his head. "I am honored, Kiyoshi-sama!" He briefly thanked the man for shifting his turn forward despite the short period of time he had been affiliated with the Knights of Hanoi so far.

"You're welcome." Kiyoshi retorted before addressing a new person. "Greetings, Kaibura Kazuki. You have been a reliable member of our organization so far." He told the dark green haired adult before continuing. "Even if you have 'borrowed' a noteworthy amount of money from our resources without asking first." Kiyoshi added in a more upset tone.

Kazuki sweat dropped. "Well, I ran out of money one time and needed some 'budget' in order to keep on gambling and re-earn some fortune. So I simply 'borrowed' a bit from the organization. Sorry for not asking..." He chuckled nervously, not very pleased about his situation.

"Just don't do it again. I don't particularly like thieves – or traitors for that matter." Kiyoshi told before adding. "That gambling is a bad habit of yours. Remember, the house always wins." Kiyoshi reprimanded him.

"Not when I'm playing. Then it just occasionally wins." Kazuki objected with a smirk.

"Alright, fine then. But I would advise you to not bet your livelihood in the casino, only that money which you have spare. Gambling is not that bad if it knows restraint." Kiyoshi retorted.

Kazuki sighed. "Fine, you have a point there. Since I won a fortune today I have more than enough spare money at least, so I can keep on going for a while." He agreed before adding. "Anyway, it's good to see you back in our ranks, Kiyoshi-sama! I hope we can get along!" He said, extending his hand.

"As long as you don't exaggerate with your gambling habits or 'borrow' money, definitely." Kiyoshi replied, sharing a laugh with the other man. He then moved on to the next subordinate.

"Kiyoshi-sama." Tamano said as he approached, bowing her head. Her sister wasn't quite as respectful, her head remaining upright.

"Hachiri Tamano." Kiyoshi replied before addressing her further. "You can raise your head now." He instructed her before shifting his gaze towards Akame. "You obviously don't even have to bother since your head remained where it was, Hachiri Akame." He addressed the other female.

The purple haired woman raised an eyebrow. "I'm not quite as over-respectful as my sister, old man. Authorities don't mean a crap to me." She retorted nonchalantly.

"Akame!" Tamano gasped in shock, covering her mouth in disbelief of her sister's rudeness.

"It's fine." Kiyoshi reassured her, raising his hand. "All humans are born different. If she isn't an authority-person, then she may behave like she does, granted she doesn't take it to an unreasonable level. So I'm very well willing to overlook her rudeness – if she doesn't exaggerate it that is." Kiyoshi retorted with relative calmness.

Akame looked pleased. "Well, looks like we can get along after all", She began before adding with a grin, "Kiyoshi-sama."

"So you're even willing to address me properly? Now that is a surprise." Kiyoshi whistled, lightly impressed.

Akame crossed her arms. "You know, as long as people mind their own business and don't force stuff onto me, I can be best friends with them. Since you were thoughtful enough to show me your intent to do so, I am willing to show some respect to you." She told him.

"Respect for me is good, but what about your loyalty to the knights?" Kiyoshi questioned her.

"As you know, I am only here because of my boyfriend. Don't expect too much from me. I will stay as long as he stays and remain within the code of conduct of this organization, but nothing more. To be honest, I'm not particularly fond of the knights per se, but I'm willing to do my best. Be it just for Atsuko-chan. She is the only reason besides Sokudo that holds me here." The purple haired woman retorted.

Kiyoshi smiled. "Well, I'm satisfied with that. And I'm glad to hear that you are so fond of my daughter." He remarked.

"Of course I am. She was a technically orphaned child for ten years. When I saw her for the first time, I felt a sense of familiarity. She reminded me of myself when I was young. Tamano and me also lost our parents at young age after all." Akame responded.

"I understand. But what about Betsune then? You don't have a particularly close friendship to her after all." Kiyoshi inquired.

Akame shook her head. "Betsune is different. She was able to handle your absence way better, like Tamano was with our parents." She said, looking over to her sister before shifting her gaze back to Kiyoshi. "Betsune didn't remind me of myself, but more of my sister. Atsuko-chan on the other hand was hit way harder by the loss of you. Hence why I emphasized more with her than Betsune. She was in bigger need of help after all." She told before adding. "Besides, she is amazing company. Spending time and doing all sorts of girls stuff with her was definitely one of the better experiences in my life." Akame admitted, the youngest Kogami sibling on the couch across the room blushing in a flattered manner.

Kiyoshi smiled. "At least that we can agree on the fact that my daughter is amazing, can't we?" He asked.

Akame nodded. "Definitely. It was nice talking with you, Kiyoshi-sama. I'm looking forward to good cooperation, now that I finally got to see more of what you are as a person rather than what you are as a leader." She said, extending her hand. They briefly shook hands before Kiyoshi moved on to her sister.

"Well, let's switch over to you, Hachiri Tamano. It's nice to meet you in person at last." He said, extending his hand.

"Likewise. It's good to see you back from coma." Tamano retorted, taking his hand. After shaking it she added. "It must be a bit stressful to have to personally address that many people extensively and in quick succession. Not a lot of leaders would care about their subordinates as much as you do."

"Oh please, I'm not doing this just for the sake of it! It's only natural to take the time for greeting people who haven't seen you in years. Or at all. I wouldn't exactly call you seeing me in a comatose state or in the network a proper meeting after all." Kiyoshi objected before silently adding with a smirk. "Besides, I think you as one of the main motivators for your sister staying here in our organization deserve an extra good greeting anyway."

"Come again?" Tamano asked, slightly baffled.

"You know, I don't think that you want to leave the knights, even if your sister does. There is someone way too important here whom you don't want to be separated from." Kiyoshi chuckled.

Tamano's face first paled, then massively blushed. Now she understood everything.

"Was it that obvious?" She asked shyly.

"Quite. Even amidst a conversation with totally different people I couldn't unsee the looks you constantly had at Kenshi. The rest was just child's play." Kiyoshi nodded.

"You just occasionally looked into the background and noticed it? Wow, I didn't think that it was that apparent." Tamano responded, Akame retreating and leaving them alone for some privacy. She didn't like Tamano interfering too much with her own relationship after all, so who was she to not mind her own business either?

"It was quite apparent though." Kiyoshi said.

"So, what do you think of it then?" Tamano slowly asked, unsure whether her superior would be okay with it.

"I say go for it. You clearly love him and he seems pretty attracted to you as well. Also you share the same interests, so I think you're a match made in heaven." Kiyoshi retorted.

"Really? But the age gap..." Tamano replied, sounding first astonished and then doubtful.

"Yeah yeah, he is 32 and you are 23, I get it. But that shouldn't stop you from trying to attain happiness. I have seen far crazier stuff out there." Kiyoshi encouraged her before adding. "Even in here, to be honest..." He muttered, almost to himself.

"Er, what do you mean with 'in here'? Do you mean with one of us?" Tamano asked with a mix of surprise and curiosity.

"Indeed. But promise me to not tell anyone about what I'm about to tell you now. Especially not that you have heard this story from me." Kiyoshi whispered to her.

Tamano, now a bit nervous, nodded. "Of course. I promise not to tell anyone." She agreed.

Kiyoshi took a long breath containing a sigh and began.

"When I was in the eighth grade, my friend Genryu – yes, that Genryu – from four classes higher faced a very similar situation as you do now. Though the affinity he had towards his love interest was much more ... controversial." He told.

Tamano's eyes widened. "Who was she?" She asked, slightly intimidated by the start of the tale.

"His teacher." Kiyoshi bluntly replied, Tamano gasping in shock.

"How old was she?" Tamano asked anew, this time even slower.

"Twenty-eight. Eleven years older than him." Kiyoshi retorted with a sigh.

"What?! That many?!" Tamano whispered in terror. "But if he was seventeen and with that situation altogether, the whole idea of a relationship between them was illegal, right?" She added, fearing where this could go.

"Exactly. That's why he waited. He waited until he graduated and became an adult before he voiced his unspoken feelings towards her." Kiyoshi retorted, Tamano looking surprised. He then smirked. "What, did you think I would tell you a story about someone breaking the law to realize their dreams? That's what I used to do, but Genryu never fell so low as me." He joked, earning a brief giggle from Tamano. After a moment he continued. "Well, after they could be together legally their relationship developed very well. He married her at twenty-five, despite the slight disdain his parents had due to the age gap. They shared a healthy relationship for many years after that, the existence of Hakashi is proof of it. Unfortunately he lost her three years ago due to a tumor, but I can tell that he still doesn't regret having married someone who would likely die before him. As he once said to me when we spoke about it, Asami was the best decision he made in his life. So I'd advise you to do the same and go for it. Your relationship is way less controversial anyway." Kiyoshi told her.

"Oi, Kiyoshi! Are you telling her that story?!" Genryu yelled from afar, having noticed the occasional looks he had gotten from Tamano as the two had silently conversed about something Genryu and the others couldn't hear.

"What story?" Kazuki asked him.

"Um, nothing." Genryu quickly retorted, keen on not extending this conversation with Kazuki.

"I see! I now understand what I have to do! Thank you, Kiyoshi-sama!" Tamano expressed her gratitude with a bow.

"No problem." Kiyoshi retorted before turning away from her. "Now that leaves only..."

"DOCTOR KOGAMI!" A voice yelled at him.

"Ah, Himiji Sokudo. I forgot that you were a member of this organization for so long, so I should have greeted you before Spectre. My apologies." Kiyoshi tried appeasing the yellow and red haired man before him.

"Screw the greetings! You owe me, old man! I could have had such a quiet and nice life, but you forced criminality upon me! Had you not conducted your bat-shit crazy experiments while I was in my internship at SOL, my life could have been so carefree, but instead I am wanted by the authorities now! I demand compensation, Kogami!" Sokudo snapped at him.

"You...! What are you thinking you're saying here?! Show some respect, you imbecile!" Atsuko jumped from her seat, engaging in what appeared to be more than just one of her usual fights with Sokudo. Akame looked torn between standing up for the girl she liked and supporting her boyfriend, ultimately doing neither because she just couldn't decide.

"It's fine, Atsuko. He has a point." Kiyoshi stopped his daughter, raising a hand in a conceding manner. "What do you want?" He asked Sokudo who smirked victoriously at his own triumph.

"A duel! If I win, I get to leave this organization – with my memories fully intact that is! No standard deletion protocols, just plain leaving! And anyone who wishes to do the same shall be allowed to join me!" Sokudo demanded with a grin.

"What?! But leaving without memory deletion about our intel will endanger our whole organization!" Kyoko protested.

"That is your problem, Kyoko! I want a bargaining ship in case you're trying to backstab me once I have left, giving the authorities a lead on me in order for you to get revenge for my 'betrayal'! I want a guarantee that if you try to fuck me over, I can fuck over all of you just as badly! That is my demand!" He declared towards Kiyoshi, thrusting his right arm towards him.

Kiyoshi looked around in the room. Ryoken, Betsune, Atsuko, Kenshi, Aso, Kyoko and Genome were incensed. Genryu and his son Hakashi looked utterly pissed at the declaration, with the latter seeming a lot more tranquil than his father though. Spectre remained calm, though with a slight frown on his face. Daisuke was visibly uncomfortable and nervous from this whole scene. Kazuki gazed towards Sokudo in a supportive manner, prompting Kiyoshi to assume that he would follow his friend if he left the organization. Akame shared the same expression, though with occasional conflicted looks towards Atsuko. Tamano constantly switched between looking at her sister and Kenshi, sweating and having a clueless expression on what to do. And Sokudo just grinned.

"Alright. I agree to your conditions." Kiyoshi nodded after a while.

"But otoosan...!" Ryoken shouted, jumping from his seat and hurrying to his father's side where he continued with his statement. "If Sokudo wins, it will trigger a chain reaction! Both Akame and Kazuki are only here because they're either his girlfriend or best friend! And Tamano will likely follow her sister...!"

"Tamano will stay here. I have already secured as much." Kiyoshi interrupted him.

"Even so, we will still lose three of our high command members! That is a fourth of our non-replaceable members, if you exclude the four of us! And you're not a duelist, otoosan! Your talents were always more in the general leadership qualities, but not in dueling! He will steamroll you!" Ryoken added in terror.

"You have to trust your father a bit more, Ryoken. I am indeed not that good of a duelist, but for some reason I still feel an inexplicable sense of confidence. Also Sokudo deserves the right to change his future that I ruined. Besides, I have been doing some research and worked on improving my deck. With that I should at least have a chance to put up a decent fight..." Kiyoshi said while reaching for his pocket and pulling out a pile of cards. "Wait, those aren't my cards." He suddenly said.

"Pardon me?" Ryoken asked in bewilderment.

"Those aren't my cards. I have never seen either of them even once in my life. Where did I get these cards from? Those are not the cards I had Betsune print for me." Kiyoshi said, starting to walk around the room as he deliberated.

"Maybe that was a result of those scales too. Their owner could turn into a Duel Monster after all, so maybe they have power that relates to duels in some manner." Atsuko theorized.

"That is a possibility." Emerald nodded.

"As unbelievable as that sounds, it could be true. They already brought back your old man after all." Noctis chimed in as he addressed Ryoken.

"That could be it." Kiyoshi agreed. "Anyway, who has those scales now?" He asked.

"I have, otoosan." Betsune spoke up. "I received them from Atsuko after she showed them to you." She said, raising her hand which indeed contained the scales.

Kiyoshi nodded. "Good. Then give them to Genome. We need to research them thoroughly." He instructed his daughter.

"Understood, otoosan." Betsune obeyed his command delivering the scales to Genome. Afterwards she fell into the couch, looking tired.

"What's wrong, Betsune-chan?" Helena asked her partner.

"Nothing, Helena. I'm just feeling a bit strange..." She said, looking out of the window and towards the sky.

"So you have a new deck? Interesting, but it won't save you! Now then, how about putting it to the test! It will be my honor to crush it!" Sokudo addressed him, still looking confident despite the most recent developments.

Kiyoshi turned towards him and smiled. "I will gladly follow your invitation. But first I must leave for a few minutes!" He announced, heading towards the exit of the room.

"Huh?! What for?!" Sokudo snapped at him.

"To shave away all of this hair to look somewhat decent for my duel! And to read my new cards of course! Do you expect me to receive a bunch of new cards from thin air and know what they do without ever reading them? I shall return in a few minutes. The duel will commence on our terrace, okay?" He retorted as he continued his leave.

"Alright! But don't run off, old man!" Sokudo taunted.

"Don't worry, I won't." Kiyoshi replied.

"Hopefully not." Sokudo whispered to himself as he observed the older man leaving.

"One more thing, Sokudo." Kiyoshi said as he reached the end of the room. He then turned back for a final time. The look in his eyes was cold and menacing, like that of a wolf about to pounce on its prey.

Sokudo gulped.

"When I return and we duel, I will not be gentle." He said, leaving with that.

"What the hell was that...?" Sokudo murmured, looking clearly distraught.

"What is wrong, Sokudo? Intimidated because the old man looked threatening for once?" Kazuki chuckled, slapping his friend on the shoulder playfully.

"No..." Sokudo slowly replied, shaking his head. "It wasn't just because of him. There was something else..." He whispered in horror, looking like he had seen a ghost.

Kazuki laughed loudly. "Oh boy, now you're just trying to trying to find an excuse! The old man just scared you so much, admit it!" He chuckled while patting Sokudo's shoulder.

"I swear, there was something..." Sokudo remained adamant, still looking utterly aghast.

From there on Kazuki and the others continued to make jokes and belittle Sokudo for what appeared to be just an excuse for his feelings of dread.

But there had been indeed something else. A spectral figure hovering next to Kiyoshi as he had turned around for the last time, a whitish dragon with multiple sets of colorful wings and a hybrid of a staff and a sword as its golden weapon. And the menacing gaze of that primal-looking dragon with its light blue and golden eyes had emanated a sense of ancient, perpetual might which Sokudo could not make waver, even if he split the earth, dried out the oceans or brought down the sky. The eyes were mythical, incomprehensible, speaking more words with a single look than Sokudo could ever hope to learn in his life. And it were these eyes that had suddenly shattered Sokudo's confidence, disturbed him to his core and would probably haunt him for the end of time. Because what he had seen was not the power of a mortal being.

It was the power of a god.

And that concludes this chapter. A certain doctor made his return to the living, which might have surprised a few. I'd quickly take the time to mention that I might have made Kiyoshi a bit OOC, then again he is one of those characters that were never fully outlined due to lack of frequent appearance, making us unable to draw a full picture of him. There was no information on how he convinced Aso, Kyoko and Genome to help him with this arguably illegal project, but given he did so, I concluded that there must have been some sort of charisma to him. Hence why I made this a prominent feature of his character in this story, a person with no leadership qualities cannot found an organization such as the Knights of Hanoi after all. I also made said organization a bit more structured and lively and introduced a couple of new characters. With them in play this first season should get pretty interesting. Especially with someone such as Dr. Kiyoshi Kogami conscious again. That leads us to our question of the chapter!

QOTC: What are your thoughts on Dr. Kogami becoming a more active character in the plotline, a duelist to boot? What are you expecting from his deck?

That's it for this chapter! I'm not sure whether I'm going to continue with another one for this or one for Dawn of Twilight at last. It's about fifty-fifty, so let me surprise you on what I will end up choosing. Please read, review, favorite, follow!

Until next time,

Haoh Ryu Z-ARC out!