Reverse of Arcadia [Yusei x Oc]

31. Caught in the Spider's Web

"Mmm..." Rai mumbled as her eyes slowly slid open, finding herself wrapped in warmth. When the redhead had lifted her head, she had remembered Yusei's arm was draped around her when she had snuggled up into his body, not wanting him to go anywhere while she slept.

"Hey there, Little Robin." Yusei grinned, nudging her cheek with his knuckle.

Rai returned his grin. "Hey there, my Blue Jay..."

"Are you feeling any better?" He then asked.

Rai pushed herself to sit up, stretching her arms before yawning. When Rai lowered her arms, however, her eyes suddenly widened. The fact that her right arm was wrapped in bandaging wasn't really surprising to her, it was what she found on her left arm, grabbing onto her wrist to try and inspect herself further. "What is this?!" She questioned when there was a strange red outline etched onto the pale skin of her left forearm, the shape almost resembling a type of wing.

Yusei peered over, gently taking Rai's hand so that he could see her arm better. "I guess you really are a Signer." He said.

"What...?" Rai questioned, confused. "But...how is that possible? You, Jack, Akiza, and Luna are all right-handed. I'm left-handed, so...why am I a Signer?"

Yusei shrugged a bit. "Honestly, I couldn't tell you. Maybe it's because you have special powers like Akiza, and you can also connect to the Spirit World, just like Luna can too, so maybe that has something to do with it."

Rai gazed up at Yusei before back down at her arm, only to sigh heavily. "I mean, I guess that makes sense... I must've been too worn out to really notice it at first..."

"Regardless, you're a Signer too, just like me." Yusei said as he lifted his right arm to flash Rai his mark. "And no matter what, we stick together, alright?"

Rai lifted her left hand, clamping her fingers together with Yusei's right hand as she grinned, gazing up into his deep sapphire eyes. "Yeah, I will." She nodded. "Oh, and Yusei?"

"Hm? Is something up?" He asked.

"No, it's just, before Kalin disappeared, he...he told me something."

"Well...what did he say exactly?" Yusei asked, though you could tell he was hesitant in asking.

Rai lowered her gaze a bit. "He said...for us, and especially you, to stop beating ourselves up over what happened. It wasn't our fault... Kalin accepted the things that he did and knew that what he had done was wrong, so...we can't keep dwelling on what we know can't be changed."

Yusei gazed down at Rai, letting out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I know, but...I'm glad that you were able to save Kalin." He said, sounding a bit relieved. "But even so..."

"Gah! Ouch!" Rai flinched when Yusei pinched and yanked at her cheek. "What was that for?!" She whined, rubbing her cheek.

"For acting so recklessly and dueling Kalin when you knew just how dangerous it was to do so." Yusei chastised her. "You're lucky you only got away with your arm being hurt. You could've gotten seriously injured."

Rai averted her gaze, sighing softly. "I know, and...I'm sorry. It's just...I wanted to show you that I'm not that scared little girl I used to be anymore. I wanted to prove to you that I can stand on my own now."

Yusei exhaled through his nose, only to wrap his arms around Rai. "I know how strong you are, Rai... I just don't want you to lose you again, so I'm sorry if sometimes I start to seem a little overprotective of you... I just...get really scared when something bad happens to you..."

Rai's eyes softened, gently wrapping her arms around Yusei. "I know, and I'm sorry for worrying you..." She apologized before the two drew back, Yusei brushing some stray bangs out of Rai's eyes. "Let's promise not to keep secrets from each other, okay?"