Mizuo Ryugami was living just outside of Domino City when Zero Reverse happened. She survived the blast through sheer luck, but her family died - just like her favorite duelists, Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto. With nothing left, she wandered the shatter...
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(More battle music! Not that a lot of battles take place . . . For the most part, this music has only a little bit to do with the chapter, and a lot to do with what I did on YouTube that day.)
;p
(I really love the Yu-Gi-Oh mixes one can find on YouTube, so I'll probably use a lot of those. BTW, the Season 1 theme song for Zexal was way better than the second season's . . . )
"How was your trip?" Ryoto asked her cheerfully. He had a warm plate of microwave pizza waiting for her, as well as a rare treat, fresh vegetables.
"Fine." Mizuo sighed, tucking into the good meal. "Where'd the veggies come from?"
"One of the patients here kept a window box. She grew stuff in there for fun and for snacks when her grand-kids visited. The floor she was on was destroyed, obviously, but her plants continued to survive." Ryoto's head drooped a little, his voice becoming sad. "I knew her for a long time. She was one of my friends."
Mizuo felt the odd sensation of compassion inside herself, something that hadn't happened in a while. "I'm, uh, sorry." She said awkwardly, trying to turn her emotions into words. Both of their worlds had been ripped open on the same day. Even if their wounds healed differently, the same weapon had scarred them. Unfortunately, to protect themselves, Mizuo would have to re-open the wound.
"Ryoto?" She asked, stern again. This was the best way to get this fragile boy through this question.
"Yes Ryugami-sama?" He said brightly, his eyes shining.
"You said most most of the other patients and staff here died in the earthquake. Where are their bodies?" She didn't want to stumble over a corpse unexpectedly one day, and she also didn't want to be discovered by a gang because of a badly-made grave or body-pit. This wasn't a pleasant subject, but the question had to be asked.
Ryoto's eyes became distant and quiet, staring into space as his hands slowly clenched. "I buried them." He sighed insipidly. "After I had enough strength, I spent a week digging a hole, all by myself. No one else was left, you know? Then I dragged everyone I could find into the hole . . . " He shuddered, tears sparkling in the corners of his innocent eyes. "And I covered them over. I filled in the hole. And I planted the vegetables from the window box over the hole." He wrapped his arms around himself, staring at the table coldly.
"You knew everyone here, didn't ya?" Mizuo placed an arm over his shoulder, roughly but kindly.
"Well, yeah. I mean, I've been here for almost three years." Ryoto sniveled, trying to stay collected. "You . . . well, is everything alright, Ryugami-sama?"
"What do you mean?" She asked slowly.
"I mean, you seem different now." His eyes looked into hers gently, a touch of a question in their depths. "Does it have to do with where you went today?"
