Yu Gi Oh: Tower of Faith | Chapter 22

Paige quickly grabs a booklet and a pen from her pockets and hands them to Michael. "I'm Paige...and can I please have your autograph?"

Olivia looks startled for a second, then frowns. "Hey...what's with the fanservice? This isn't an autograph booth!"

Michael keeps his half-asleep look, now not even keeping eye contact with Paige, nor looking at her booklet as he writes something in her booklet before quickly handing it back to her.

Paige quickly grabs the booklet and checks it out. "Let's see...huh? Umm..." she says, turning the booklet around. "What's that?"

"My answer to your question." Paige turns it back to herself, Michael wrote; 'NO.' clearly responding to her; '-can I please have your autograph?' question.

Paige smirks before holding the paper close. "That's the Glacier I know and love!"

Olivia glares at Paige, visibly fuming. "Jeez! What is wrong with you?!?"

A disguised Jun walks over. "What did he actually sign your booklet?" He asked, pleasently surprised.

Paige hands the booklet over to Jun. "Check it out! He's just as cool as the old days!"

Olivia looks at the two. "Okay, who the heck are you two, and what is going on here?"

Michael turns upon noticing Jun. "Ahhh, Akimoto, it's been a while."

Jun looks surprsied. "Awwww come on I spent ages coming up with this disguise!"

Michael sighs. "Still as goofy as ever I see..."

Paige lets out a sigh. "As cold as ever..." she says before gushing. "So cool!"

Olivia shakes her head. "You really need a reality check..."

Jun smiles, taking off the ridiculous sunglasses. "Heh, and you haven't changed especially since what I heard happened to you after we last met five years ago."

Michael looks over to Olivia before tapping his neck, then motioning over to Jun.

Olivia looks confused as she examines Jun's neck, noticing strange green, yellow and blue tatoos down his neck.

"What's...huh?" Olivia steps back. 'He's got Marks, too?' She thinks to herself.

Jun looks towards Olivia. "Okay no going crazy but, I'm Akimoto, Junyruichi." He then looks back towards Michael. "The crazy fan-girl is one of the Jupiter duellists back in Chess City; Paige Matthews."

Olivia looks embarrassed. "Oh...um...name's Olivia Hart, and...um..."

Michael leaned back against the nearby wall. "You suddenly taking on an apprentice or something?"

Jun scratched his cheek. "Um...kinda. Anyway you and I should catch up sometime. Besides, I need to know why you're suddenly interested in the pro circuit." Jun's tone changes a bit more serious upon his last sentence.

Michael looked over at Jun, his eyes a little more open. "You don't know...?"

Paige looks at the two. "Uh...care to clue us both on it?"

Olivia shakes her head. "Pretty sure you should stay out of this..."

Jun looks over at Paige. "Yeah we're gonna head outside, have a little one-on-one talk if that's okay?" Upon talking to Paige, Jun's more upbeat tone returned.

Paige nods. "Roger that!" she says, before looking at Michael. "Sure hope I'll see you duel soon!"

Michael ignores Paige and begins to head towards the exit.

Olivia takes a look at her GDA. "Might as well check for his next duel..." she says to herself before checking the schedule again. "Oh! Almost forgot Tacey's duel!"

Paige ignores Olivia and walks towards the exit. "Jun! Hold on a sec! I still want that autograph!"

Jun turns to Paige. "Look you already got two letters out of him...that's more than I got when I first met him."

Olivia walks over to Paige. "What in 'one-on-one conversation' don't you understand?" she angrily says. "...look, if you want to talk about Michael, how about we just wait for him back at the Juice Bar?"

Jun runs after Michael who's already gone. "We won't be long okay? Catch you later!"

Paige lets out a sigh. "Fine...I hope you're paying. I'm gonna need a double for this..."

Olivia tries to keep her Mark from shifting colors as the two walk to the Juice bar.

After their order, the two sit down. "So...what's the deal with you?" Paige asks before taking a sip of her drink. "Another Silver fan like me?"

"I'm more than that..." Olivia replied. "He taught me to duel."

"Huh...okay, I getcha." Paige replies. "I've been watching him since his old days. Grew up wanting to be as badass as him!"

Olivia cocks an eyebrow. "Reality check: nobody beats Silver when it comes to that."

Paige looks back at the 'NO' in her booklet. "Yeah...he puts the 'Bad' in 'Badassitude'! I mean, he's tough on his opponents and he doesn't cut corners with anyone!"

Olivia turns to look towards the exit. "Not sure about that..."

Outside the duel arena, Michael and Jun have their backs against the wall, an eerie silence held between them, only broken by the sound of Michael unscrewing the lid of his canteen.

Jun scratches his chin as Michael sips from the canteen. "About before...yeah Master Abukara didn't give me the full details, he just asked me to help your friend...Olivia was it? Get into the circuit."

Michael wipes his face with one sleeve. "Honestly it's not my idea...both staying here and getting back-up from someone as unstable as her...plus another problem came up."

Jun made a wry smile. "The new girl? Yeah Master Abukara told me that much...you going to ditch them and this place just like you did with everyone else five years ago?"

Michael took another sip from his canteen, his half-asleep eyes staring into space.

Jun's wry smile melted into a more solemn, almost angry look. "...you never did tell anyone what happened in there...only talking to the Master...slipping back into your old ways?"

Michael put one foot against the wall behind him. "I don't ever remember 'slipping' out of those 'ways'. Besides we're not here for the past-"

Jun let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, okay...geeze, can't a guy worry about his old student?"

Michael was silent for a moment. "...there are dark duellists here, creating ways to control duel energy the same way we do. If I'm right this might also be their last 'surface stronghold'. I've looked almost everywhere else."

Jun closed his eyes. "Ha...so you did fake that whole 'I didn't know this would get me in the pro circuit' thing." Jun opened his eyes again. "...so what? You thought you could take this whole place on your own?"

Michael kicked off the wall, walking forward so that he was looking off the balcony the two were out on. "I can handle it, what I can't handle is everyone else getting caught up in this." Michael turned to Jun with a serious look. "They well lose those test duels...but if they do win...who knows..." Michael closed his eyes. "Still, at the very least none of them will take on the real dark duellist."

Jun walked in front of Michael, leaning over the balcony. "Haynes right?" He asked. "Yeah, his duels without that crazy disk managed to hurt and change people...with that disk who knows what he's capable of...still Silver-" Jun looked up at Michael. "-don't be afraid to accept help when you need it."

Michael turned away from Jun. "Let's get one single thing straight here...you taught me how to control my spirit energy...but nothing else...so don't think you can start pretending you know exactly how I work, what I need or what's wrong with me." Michael put his hands in his pockets. "After that incident...5 years ago...I'm ready for anything, alone."

Seconds after Michael turned away, Tacey arrives in a half-run, seemingly upset. "Michael...do you have a minute, please?"

Jun slowly makes his away back into the building, giving Michael a worried look as he passes him.

Michael walked back over to the balcony, taking a large swig from his canteen. "What is it?"

Tacey lets out a slow sigh. "I'm just...I'm really worried. That last duel, the one with that one-turn kill...what if I end up duelling him as my test?"

Michael shakes his head slowly. "Haynes already said that duelist is meant for me...Haynes knows nothing about me so he's just throwing meatheads my way...you on the other hand-" Michael turns but leans back against the balcony. "-Haynes knows about you, your past and weaknesses. From what I hear he loves mind games...so be prepared for your 'test' to mess with your mind on a demonic level." Michael spoke with little emotion, only a slight hint of anger could be heard in his tone.

Tacey paces around. "But...how am I supposed to do that? I mean, what do YOU do to be so calm?"

Michael looks at his canteen for a second before carefully placing it back in his pocket. "I have much more experience in this...hopefully more than you ever will, but the other thing-" Michael walked over to Tacey, looking down at her. "-is patience, taking things in stride...you have to realise that worrying will do nothing. Careful thinking and planning is the only thing that will help you."

Tacey seems distant for a moment. "Then how do I plan for that?"

Michael bent down to look Tacey in the eyes. "Look deep into yourself, realise your own weaknesses and accept them...only then can you start to overcome them. For example-" Michael got up and walked back towards the balcony. "You're scared of Gorz right?"

Tacey looks to the side. "That...and other things..."

Michael sighs. "Being afraid to say your weaknesses out-loud is also a weakness. Remember everyone has them, you get stronger than most just by admitting your own."

Tacey closes her eyes. "Then...can I tell you what I'm most scared of?"

Michael turned to Tacey. "It's more you need to tell yourself than tell me...but fine."

Tacey takes a deep breath. "I'm...I'm scared of being alone...I'm scared that people would turn away from me if they knew me."

Michael rubbed his eyes, not really showing concern. "If they 'knew you'?"

Tacey closed her eyes before lowering her head. "My father...is a member of the Radiance. I...just want to know...does that make me your enemy?!?"

Michael yawned. "I already knew that when I found out your last name."

Tacey's eyes shoot wide open as she gasps. "Wh-what?!?"

Michael folded his arms. "I've ran into your dad a few times in the past two years...spoke his name out-loud to taunt me, but he never mentioned a daughter, never seen you with any of their members...plus-" Michael pointed to Tacey's hand. "The marks don't lie...those under the influence of the light, or the dark will not bear those marks. The spirits chose you, they see promise in you as a defender or an agent of faith. As a whole; no you and I aren't enemies."

Tacey lets out a long sigh of relief as she straightens herself, wiping a tear in the process. "I'm...so glad. I was worried that...if I told you or the others, that they'd turn away..."

Michael walked back to the balcony. "Well you know me...if I'm not pushing you away then you can be sure your friend Will won't care at all. What matters is who you are, never what you are."

Tacey smiles as she presses her left hand against her chest. "Thank you...I feel a lot better now..." she says before looking back at her right hand. "I was scared that...huh?"

Michael looked back at Tacey. "What happened?"

Tacey extends her two hands. "Look!" she says, the shape of an open eye appearing on the back of both of her hands.

Michael showed a concerned look. "No...that's...you..." Michael walked fast over to Tacey, grabbing her second hand and staring at the back of it. "...it's...real..." Michael let go of Tacey's hand.

Tacey looks back at her hands. "Wow...I...this feels so unreal." she says before looking at her GDA. "Oh shoot! It's almost time for my duel!"

Michael grabbed Tacey's arm as she tried to run off. "Wait!"

Tacey looks back at Michael. "Huh?"

Michael's eyes now fully open, bends down to Tacey's level and looks her right in the eyes. "Tacey...that second mark...should NOT be there yet."