Reverse of Arcadia [Yusei x Oc]

09. Turf War Conclusion

"Mmm..." Rai moaned softly as her eyes slid open. She blinked a few times, clearing her clouded vision, but soon found herself in an unfamiliar room.

The teen pushed herself to sit up, gripping her head for a moment before remembering something. Rai drew her hand back only to find it wrapped in white bandaging, and when she felt her head again, there was a large patch on the right side of her forehead. The redhead sighed softly, until her eyes trailed over, widening a bit when she saw a slumbering Yusei laying against the bed she was in, his hand lightly gripping onto her uninjured one. Rai's eyes softened as a small grin appeared on her face, lifting her other hand to place on Yusei's head as she ran her fingers through his slightly messy hair. He stayed with me the whole time, and never left my side, even while I was sleeping... No wonder why I love you, Yusei...

"Well, well, look who's finally awake." A voice then said, having just entered the room.

"Huh?" Rai lifted her gaze only to see a woman with darkened skin and jet black hair who seemed to be in her mid 40's most likely. Upon recognizing who it was, Rai grinned. "Oh, Martha, hi."

"You sure took a pretty nasty blow to the head, kiddo, not to mention that wound on your hand; I had to put around thirteen stitches in just to close it up on both sides, ya know. And let's not forget that cut on your hand either -- there's at least five or six on that one."

"Yeah, sorry about that, you having to take care of me, but...Itsuki was in trouble, so I had to go help him. In the end though, I guess I was the one who needed saving..."

Martha sighed, but grinned as she walked over to Rai's bedside, only to pinch her cheek rather hard. "Ouch! Hey! Quit it, Martha!" Rai pushed her hand away, rubbing her now reddened cheek. "What was that for?"

"You're always so hard on yourself, Rai, even when you were little, you were always like that. You've gotta stop beating yourself up all the time. I mean, look, you've got people who truly do care for you, no matter what faults you have." She directed over to the sleeping Yusei, grinning a bit. "He refused to leave your side the whole time, you know, even after I had patched up your wounds... Now look at 'im, snoozin' away. Good grief... What ever am I gonna do with you kids?"

Rai chuckled. "Yeah, you're right, I do have people that care about me... I always get so blind to that whenever things get bad. I just have to remember who is always there for me, that's all."

Martha smiled, petting Rai on the head as she set a plate down on the bedside table that was filled with sliced apples. "Good, now eat up. You've been asleep since yesterday, but you did get a mild concussion, so I shouldn't really be surprised. I also brought some for Yusei as well for when he wakes up. Oh, and feel free to use the shower once you're able to move around easier, just don't get that bandage wet." And with that, she exited the room.

Once Martha was gone, leaving Rai alone with the still slumbering Yusei, she sighed, staring at her bandaged hand for a moment before clenching it into a fist. I have to get stronger... It's the only way I'll ever learn how to control my powers... She thought to herself determinedly.

Rai then glanced over to the bedside table, grabbing an apple slice as she began to munch on it, though still wandering through her own thoughts. The last thing I want is to hurt anyone, especially my friends, so I have to gain control over these powers of mine. I can't lose control anymore, because when my emotions get involved, people end up getting hurt... I won't let that happen again.

"Nnn..." Yusei suddenly mumbled.

"Hm?" Rai perked up when Yusei began to stir.

His eyes slowly slid open, pushing himself to sit up as he rubbed one of his eyes with the back of his hand. When he glanced over, however, he saw Rai was finally awake, causing him to immediately perk up. "Rai! You're awake!"