Yu-Gi-Oh LUCKS

Chapter 7: The Spirit and the Puzzle

Davis Fey drummed his cards between his hands, fanning them out before notching them back together. Every so often, he'd break off the top sheet, examine it in the light, then shuffle it back in. Eventually, his eyes slid over to Otaro, who was sitting with his back turned on a stool beside the bed.

"Well, I suppose this is a learning moment, Otaro." His voice oozed idly across the room. "Nepotism never won any duels."

He heard Otaro sigh heavily, and cherished this little victory over the dueling prodigy. It emboldened him to keep talking.

"Not to say Ori didn't accomplish something for us," he amended. "You said that Tokari boy had a high-grade, right? Well, it looks like his card is forfeited back to Mother Earth now."

"It's not that simple." Otaro gazed into the distance, which wasn't very far in their stuffy room. "That monster kept appearing even when he was knocked out. I think he might be the same as Ori."

"He might be, he might not be." Fey shrugged. "Whatever he is, he was, now that he's buried."

Otaro didn't respond.

Fey rolled his eyes. "What, you think he's still alive? It's been five days, Otaro."

The Heart Excavation site had been closed indefinitely while the company worked to put out fires, in a manner of speaking. A team of pickmen had been deployed at reduced pay each day to excavate the tunnel that had collapsed on Yuu Tokari. The work was slow, since the earthquake had also injured many of the miners, including a trespasser who, as it turned out, was only disguising himself as a miner. The beds at the infirmary were full up, and life in the Atrium had nearly ground to a halt. Fey could only imagine the hassle. He was lucky that he had his own mission.

"This is putting a real wrench in my training schedule, you know? Clavis can't focus on card games in these conditions." Fey folded his arms and put his feet up on the table. "How am I going to find a new protege in five days? I know, I know, that's my problem, and you're just here as an oversight. I enjoy our talks, Otaro. It lets me know you care."

Otaro remained silent. Fey leaned back in his seat til he tipped out of it, but instead of falling, he vaulted backwards over the stool and landed on his feet. He looked at the bed.

Ori would wake up every couple of hours, but there was something in her that didn't wake up with her body. She nodded when spoken to, but quickly lost focus and drifted back to sleep. Otaro eventually stopped talking, and just held her hand when she was conscious. It seemed to help.

Fey was torn. Never mind that Ori was taking up the only bed in the apartment; if he lost any assets he'd been provided on his mission, he knew it would reflect poorly in his yearly review. On the other hand, he was almost certain he would overall succeed. Otaro, despite his talents, would be much more efficient when he wasn't trying to babysit Ori. Also, the shutdown of the mine operation meant that the entire colony would converge on the Atrium Grand Prix, just five days away. Never mind the temporary loss in profits; he would get the results and explain the collateral later. It would help to have a scapegoat for that occasion.

So Davis Fey crossed his heart and prayed for Ori Yamatano's continued health.

There was some stirring in the sheets. Ori's eyes were open as though they'd always been.

"Ori." Otaro only said her name, just to let her know he knew she was there, for however long they'd have this time.

It wasn't very long. Silence began to stretch once more.

-

Outside of Daimonji Manor, floodlights illuminated the procession of people passing by for the night. Steam rose from the soup as it sloshed into the bowls, sometimes splashing onto the fingers of the person holding it, who would lick their hands so as to waste none of it. They would reach the edge of the floodlights' glow and disappear into the night.