The next morning when Hibiki woke up his body still ached from his loss against Playmaker, he slowly lifted his head to hear a knock at his door. Slowly he shifted out of bed and walked over, opening the door to see Akira and Aoi stood outside.
Hibiki: Good morning. Aoi you're okay, that's great to see.
Aoi: Good morning Hibiki, may we come in?
Hibiki: I don't see why not.
The three enter his apartment and sit down on a couch in the main room. Aoi notices Hibiki's state and comments on it.
Hibiki: Ah, well when I learned that the leader of the Hanoi was responsible for putting you in the hospital I may have slightly over-reacted. I went into VRAINS and tried to get some info on an antivirus but I ran into some Hanoi agent called Spectre and I was forced to duel him. He won but before he could do anything playmaker apparently beat the leader and his other subordinate so he had to leave.
Aoi: Yes, he did.
Akira: We wanted to thank Playmaker for his actions and we know you were part of the lost incident same as him and we were wondering if you had any contact with him.
Hibiki: Not a word, I only met him once and all I got was a name. Aoi was there when we did.
Aoi: He was, but I also want thank you for coming to make sure I was okay.
Hibiki: You're welcome, Though I didn't come for that. I came because I was worried, you'd disappeared and I only saw the reason on my way there and worked the rest out myself.
Akira: Well, that was all we came to do. Goodbye, come on Aoi.
Aoi: I'll catch up. I've got one more thing I need to say.
Akira: Fine, I'll be outside.
Hibiki: What is it Aoi? You seem to be getting a bit worked up over it so I assume it's serious.
Aoi: I have a question for you about the lost incident.
Hibiki: Oh, ask away but I can't guarantee I can help you with it.
Aoi: In your time there did you have any contact with the other victims? A good friend of mine, a girl named Miyu, was involved ten years ago and I know you've been working on finding the others from Emma.
Hibiki: Erm... Aoi... I... I'm sorry, but I did have contact with someone but they weren't a girl. I can't help you, whoever Miyu was before or after the incident she's completely gone off the grid. I'll look at my notes but I can't help you.
Aoi: I understand, I'm sorry if it brought up any painful memories on your part.
Hibiki: You don't need to apologise, the time ten years ago left a lot of memories for a lot of people and I have made peace with mine.
The girl walked out of the door and Hibiki thought back to the blank room.
-Hibiki pov-
~Flashback to lost incident~
I had just lost another duel, the electric current made me scream in pain as it shocked through my body. In the following silence that always came I rested my head on one of the walls of my cell and started to cry in silence. I stayed that way until I heard a quiet whimpering from the other side of the wall. I bashed on it loudly and heard a shuffling sound.
"Hello? Is someone there, please tell me if you are."
From the other side I heard a voice filled with fear and sadness.
"He-Hello?"
I had never felt so happy before hearing that tear filled voice from the wall.
"I'm here, are you okay?"
"I-I-I'm Jin, Kusanagi Jin, what's your name?"
"Hello Jin, I am Hibiki Okida."
Jin: Hi...
~End of flashback~
Jin... Where are you now?
I brought up the data package from Revolver on my laptop and gasped at how extensive the file was. He had folders each marked with a different name. I looked at each of them and saw a folder with the name Yusaku Fujiki underneath next to one with my own name and a name I recognised instantly from my memory. Jin Kusanagi. Instinctively I opened my file and saw a number of video clips and I clicked on the most recent one. I watched as a younger version of me asleep in the vr gear when a door behind me opened and a group of people came in and gently lifted me off the floor and removed me from the room. I shut it down as the footage changed to a hospital feed where a young me was laying unconscious on a bed.
If they have this footage then they may have films of Jin. If I can find him then...
A knock on the door again interrupted my focus and I walked and opened it again to see Yusaku stood out of my door.
"Yusaku? What are you doing here? And how do you know where I live, I never told you that."
The boy looked at me with a grim look and came in with his duel disk raised.
Yusaku: Explain exactly where you were after the duel between Playmaker and Blue Angel.
"Woah, what brought this on?"
A small purple eye emerged from his duel disk.
Ai: Yep it's the same guy alright, the data flow from his disk is identical to the Galileo Hanoi.
"So that's what this is about? I can explain everything believe me."
Yusaku: Then start, or I will make you tell me by force.
"I was forced into it okay! The Hanoi tracked me down in VRAINS, they knew exactly who I was and that I was searching for the other victims of the incident ten years ago. They offered me a deal, all I had to do was duel you and gather information on your style and cyberse cards but you never showed until yesterday so the plan was changed, I was forced to duel you to buy time for Revolver to perfect his storm access programme."
Ai: That didn't sound very forced.
"I had to put up a front, I don't want to lose what little friends I have made since then by revealing myself as a Hanoi so I made a fake avatar and put on an act."
Yusaku: Why would you do something like that?! Ally with the people who put us through that hell ten years ago?!
"To find Kusanagi Jin! To find him and tell him that we made it. To make sure he knows he's safe now and to help him. That's why, to save the person who helped me never give up on that place!"
Yusaku: That name, how do you know that name!
"Our cells were next to each other in the incident, one day I heard him and we started to talk but after we were rescued I never got to see him again. I kept telling him that we'd make it out, that we'd beat it. I told it to him but I really didn't want to believe the opposite myself. So duel me if you want. Take out your anger from back then on me now if it helps you sleep at night."
Yusaku threw a solid punch that connected with my chin and sent me barrelling to the floor. He looked down on me from my door.
Yusaku: Come with me. This isn't a request.
I slowly got up, clutching my jaw, and followed the blue haired boy out of my door. Meanwhile I noticed that the files I had received were gone.
=Time Skip=
Inside of a yellow hot dog van I was finally allowed to sit down by Yusaku who continued to stare with hatred in my direction. A man in an apron and a backwards cap walked up to us.
Yusaku: Kusanagi, I want you to meet Hibiki. He is another person like me who me and Ai found.
"Kusanagi? You mean you're related to Jin?"
Shoichi: How do you that name? Who are you?
"I was trapped next to Jin during the lost incident ten years ago, I've been trying to find him since."
Shoichi: I'm Jin's brother, Shoichi Kusanagi. I'm afraid you've searched for nothing. Jin is in the hospital right now and he doesn't look good.
"Where, if I can see him then maybe..."
Shoichi: I appreciate your concern, but me and Yusaku have things we need to do. We just got sent a coded message from the duelist known as Ghost Gal and we're trying to decipher it.
"I know Ghost, I go to her for my info on the other victims occasionally as I try to find them. I know her code so I can help you."
He brings up a disc of code I recognised as Emma's cipher and I set to work helping them decode it. Sitting back when we had finished the message.
"There, told you I knew the cipher."
Shoichi: She wants to duel Yusaku over something, apparently she has a... Backdoor key into SOL tech!!!
Yusaku: If we acquire that key I can regain my lost memories of ten years ago.
"You lost your memories? If it was that traumatic for you to repress them like that then I don't know if getting them back is that good. I still get nightmares about my time there and I was one of the lucky ones apparently."
Yusaku: I have to do it. For three reasons.
"Three reasons huh? I heard about that way of thinking too. If you're set on it I won't try stop you, it clearly means a lot to you. More than to me anyway, I will stay out of your way but don't think I don't want in."
Shoichi: Well if you want to go see Jim now will be the time to do it while the media is focusing on Playmaker and the Hanoi. Just take this and say I sent you.
"Thank you Shoichi. I'll tell you how it goes."
I got out of the van while Yusaku logged into VRAINS. I walked the short way to the hospital and went to the night receptionist.
Receptionist: Visiting hours are over, please come back tomorrow.
I hand him the data key Shoichi had given me and he tucked it under his desk.
Receptionist: I see, Jin is on the third floor, room twenty. I will advise you though, he's not much of a talker.
"Thank you."
I head up to the room and knock slightly before I enter. I see a boy with similar hair to Shoichi's and a hospital gown tucked into a ball in one of the corners of the room.
"Hello Jin. It's nice to meet you face to face at last."
His eyes slowly rose to face me but his body remained frozen in place.
"I'm sorry, I never introduced myself again. It's me, Hibiki Okida, from ten years ago. I told you that we'd make it didn't I?"
Jin: Hi... bi... ki?
"That's right, I'm here."
Jin visibly shook as I sat closer to him. His eyes dark and filled with a painful expression.
"What happened to you Jin?"
He doesn't answer and I face him directly.
"Look, I came for several reasons, and none of them is to relive that hell. Firstly I feel like I should thank you. That day when I first heard your voice through the wall was one of the happiest days of my life so far. Knowing I wasn't alone, talking to you about what we'd do when we got out, it gave me hope. So thank you."
Jin: You... Re Here...
"That's right Jin, I'm here. I'm here."
I place my hand on his arm and I see a little bit of the fear in his eyes fade.
Jin: It's... Really... You.
"Yes, it's really me... I made you a promise that we'd make it out together someday and I'm here to fulfil that."
He had a small smile on his face and upon seeing it I smiled too.
Jin: How'd... You... Find me?
"I ran into a friend of your brother's he led me to Shoichi who led me to you again. I've been looking for three years and I found you at last."
We both smiled at each other until my disk beeped with a message from Yusaku in my bag. Jin stiffened up at the sound and became unresponsive when I tried to get his attention.
"Good to meet you at last Jin Kusanagi. I'll come again if you don't mind later."
I walk out and bring up the call.
"Yusaku, this better be important."