Yugioh: The Hope of Six

Chapter 6 - Reiji's Investigation

"I'm sorry Mr. Akaba, but there has been no change in Reira's condition." Reiji frowned at the update, or lack thereof, by the doctor overseeing his adoptive little sister. He was an older man in his fifties and seemed to have tired demeanor. Shortly after arriving at the local hospital, Reiji demanded to see Reira straight away and be informed of any signs of improvement. He was then led to the room where Reira lay unconscious with the bed sheets all the way up to her chin. She was also hooked up to an IV. What he just heard was the exact opposite of what he wanted to hear.

"Tell me what you know. How did she end up like this?" He asked calmly, looking down at the long, light pink haired little girl. The doctor looked over his notes before giving a reply.

"We did a thorough examination after your mother brought her in. Apparently, she suffered from severe exhaustion and dehydration. Most likely whatever she was doing, Reira was overdoing it. I have to say, I've never seen a child in a state such as this. It's just..."

"Wrong." Reiji finished for him. The doctor nodded. "Any idea of when Reira will regain consciousness?" The doctor shook his head.

"Unsure. Maybe a couple of days? Again, I'm truly sorry. We are doing everything we can for her." Reiji nodded.

He couldn't believe Reira was in this state. He also felt great anger at his mother for letting this happen. 'She said it was a normal training exercise, but there is nothing normal about this. Reira shouldn't have been pushed this far.' He was about to lay a hand on his sister's forehead when the doctor stopped him.

"I wouldn't touch her right now. She's very fragile." The doctor said quickly. Reiji found this odd.

"What do you mean "fragile"? Does she have some contagious disease you failed to mention?" He questioned. The doctor shook his head again.

"No, of course not! It's just that... we feel it is best that any form of physical contact should be prohibited from anyone except the hospital staff. Reira needs the best care right now and we are the only ones who can do that." He insisted. Reiji narrowed his eyes at the now suddenly nervous physician. The man thought he was going to be questioned further, but instead he sighed.

"Very well. Thank you doctor. Help Reira as best you can and call me to report any progress with her recovery." Reiji requested. The doctor sighed in relief before bowing to him.

"Yes, of course. Your little sister is in the best of hands." He assured. Reiji nodded once more before he walked out of the room.

As he was walking, Reiji began to wonder why the doctor was acting strange when he tried to touch Reira. 'That "being fragile" statement sounded more like an excuse than a fact. Severe exhaustion should be no reason not to touch her.' Reiji felt something was up with how Reira was being treated, and he intended to get to the bottom of it.

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Later, Reiji sat in his office with a look of contemplation. Odd things have happened since he and his Lancers returned from the mission in the Fusion Dimension. First, and foremost, was Reira's incident. She had been tired from training before, but it had never gone this far. Then after being hospitalized, Reiji learned that it was too risky for anyone other than the staff to actually handle her. Reiji himself wasn't even allowed to feel Reira's head out of concern. That bothered him.

Then there was Masumi's disappearance. There was actually no explanation for that. After leaving the hospital, Reiji went to talk to Yaiba and Hokuto at L.D.S. for more details. Unfortunately, they didn't know any more than he did. One minute, Masumi was there with them discussing how things may finally get back to normal after the war. The next, she inexplicably disappeared in a flash of light. All that was left was her Duel Disk, which was on a table nearby when she vanished.