Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's: Rainbow Stardust (OLD)

Chapter 22: Revenge by Any Other Name is Just as Harsh

"Akiza! Akiza! Akiza, where are you?!"

My footsteps echoed down the halls, I ran as fast as my body would let me, even as every part of me burned and I could barely breathe and my knees were so close to giving out on me.

"Sylvia?!"

"Akiza!"

"You're alive!"

I only needed to turn a corner to find Akiza on the central balcony, where the building was hollowed out in the center all the way down to the ground floor. I ran straight at her, opening my arms, and she was clearly surprised, because it took her a few seconds to regain her balance after I threw my weight on her and wrapped my arms tight, just reveling in her presence for a bit, while I had her and she wouldn't disappear. It took her those same few seconds to reciprocate the hug and card her fingers through my unkempt hair.

"You're hurt," she murmured sadly. "Did... Did Sayer really do this to you?"

I bit my lip. Akiza was still having a hard time believing all this, and I couldn't blame her for it in the slightest.

"He... he made Liquid and Okita do it," I whimpered. "But sometimes, he'd have the personal honors, too. When he felt... like I wasn't obedient enough."

Akiza's arms tensed around me. "I see... I'd hoped it wasn't true, but... I've been on my guard just in case," she sighed.

I pulled away--just enough to look up, without unwrapping my arms from around her--and met her gaze. "I'm scared, Akiza. The ground just shook, and Sayer made me duel again, and--"

"Where is he?"

"His study. I-I stabbed him--"

"You what?!"

"I stabbed him with a broken shard of glass!" I reiterated, trembling. "I didn't do it too hard--I don't wanna cripple him forever, or make him hurt too bad! I just needed him to let me go, I needed--Akiza, I needed to protect myself, but now I'm scared he might not be able to get out!"

The building was being evacuated. That was what Sayer had ordered. Members of the Arcadia Movement had milled about and escaped a long while ago, but I didn't want to lose Akiza in here, and I needed to free anyone the Movement had captured besides just myself.

"Luna's in this building--I felt her, I know she's here--" I informed her, although she shook her head and stopped me.

"I know. Leo and Luna are being held upstairs. You need to go find them now, okay, Sylvia?"

Somehow Akiza was calm. Her voice shook a little, but her face gave nothing away, and I trusted her. She knew what she was doing.

"Go find them and bring them out of this building. I think they came with guests, too--"

"Bolt Tanner and Old Man Yanagi," someone said behind us, and I whirled around and Akiza tensed and we both prepared to fight.

It was another Arcadia Movement member. Someone I'd never seen before, but that honestly wasn't surprising to me. Akiza's gaze hardened, however.

"You're not a member of the Movement," she accused him.

With a sheepish smile, the man shook his head. "I'm not. I'm a Sector Security guard in disguise, actually, and my boss's client wanted you rescued. He'd come with young Leo and Luna as a chaperone, but didn't trust the Movement in the slightest. Good thing, too." Out of his sleeve, he flashed something and tossed it to me, and I fumbled with it about five times before I finally caught it. "Take that. A skeleton key. It should get Leo and Luna out safely. And about your friends--Liquid and Okita, correct? Your guards?"