MafiA's Gamble

TWENTY EIGHT

HADES Progress

     Yuki sat on a chair across from Raito, staring warily at nothing in particular. In front of her was a small table with the handwritten letter from Eleyne, and some untouched sweets, tea, et cetera, that were left atop its surface. As she sat quietly, her mind was reeling at the news that Raito had just told her. In fact, if Eleyne hadn't specifically told her to trust him, she would have never come along so easily. Still processing his words, Yuki stayed silent as Raito watched on with concern on his face. "Uh, are you alright?" He was evidently worried, both in his tone and his expression. Yuki didn't respond. Instead, she looked up frowning, as if she never heard the question. 'Okay. So let me get this straight. You are the Dark Knight of AG. And.. for personal reasons, you told Eleyne all this, and she agreed to trust you?" Raito nodded as confirmation. "Okay, and the HADES the MafiA possesses is actually a fake to experiment on, since the actual one is incomplete and unstable, and fiddling with it can potentially blow us all up?" She grabbed her head as if she were trying to help it process all the information. Raito smiled. "I'm glad you understand our situation. Now that's why-" Yuki cut him off, not quite done speaking. "That's why you need me, since I'm currently the most promising person available to solve all of this." She stared accusingly before she continued. "So then, whatever happened to all the original researchers?" Raito's expression quickly darkened. "... They are all either dead or missing. Since that project was illegal to begin with, we were backed into a corner when some authorities found out about it due to the upheaval of the war. We were able to save AG's reputation by throwing the researchers under the bus." Yuki's frown deepened. "And so that's why we are all in this predicament." Raito looked away guiltily, with no more comment to add.

     After a while, he looked back at Yuki and hopefully posed a question. "Well, in this case, now that you understand, will you take a look at the real HADES?" Yuki turned to face him, still grappling with her mixed feelings at the sudden Dark Knight identity reveal, as she begrudgingly agreed and stood up from her seat. "Let's just go already." Raito turned to face her, and flashed a small, yet sincere smile. "Yeah. Just follow me. And... thanks. I really appreciate your help." Yuki looked in the other direction, her initial annoyance slowly ebbing away. "Hmph. Thank me later. Besides, there's no guarantee I can even do anything anyways."

     Yuki followed behind Raito into a large lab. As the focal point of the room, an untouched device was hooked to many wires, while papers were strewn every which way, definitely giving off a demolished polish. Raito noticed the state of the lab, and sheepishly gave Yuki an explanation. "Ahaha, don't mind the mess. This place was basically abandoned in a hurry, and no one really wanted to come near it, since that thing over there," he said, pointing at the HADES, "is really dangerous." Yuki absentmindedly nodded at his remarks, as she made her way to the weapon, carefully examining its structure and shape. Raito was about to remind her to be careful, before he stopped himself short. It was probably better if he didn't break her focus. Sitting down on a nearby chair in the corner of the room, he took out a tablet from a hidden pocket in his outfit, pretending to be busy, when he really wasn't.

     After a few minutes of silent observation, Yuki looked up from the weapon. ".. Are you just going to stay here? Like, don't you have other, better things to do?" Raito shook his head. *Consider this a... safety precaution. Or, more so supervision. Either way, don't worry about me and just do your best." Shrugging her shoulders, Yuki resumed looking at the operative code for the weapon through a nearby computer. A few more moments passed, before Raito spoke up. "Are you by any chance.. mad at me?" Yuki didn't look up from her typing as she answered. "Huh? Why would I be?" "Oh.. well, you know.. Considering your situation and all, I wouldn't blame you if you are." His voice hinted at a tinge of sadness that anybody could pick up on. Sighing, Yuki hit the enter button rather harshly, before looking up to face Raito with an expression that had, 'seriously?' written all over it. "Look. First of all, none of this is your fault. If anything, I should be thanking you for informing me about this, since it affects me, as well as the people I care about. Why would I ever, blame you for something like this, just because you were the one to break the inevitable news to me?" Relieved, Raito exhaled a breath he was unconsciously holding in. "Thanks. I- I'm glad you think of it that way." Concerned for her friend, and worried about the possible burdens he may be holding, she decided to not press the issue further, and got back to work, examining the code. Calling over her shoulder, she tried not to sound like she was prying. "By the way, if you ever want to have someone listen, you can always talk to me. Especially since I, uh, know your secret identity now." Raito looked up with evident surprise on his face. "Really?" "Yeah, of course. I'll always be willing to listen to whatever you have to say." Raito's previous, tense expression relaxed, and he once again flashed one of his infamous smiles. "Thanks a lot Yuki. I really mean it." "Yeah, take things at your own pace." To the side, Yuki wondered if AG would be willing to get her a free pair of sunglasses.