((AN: Chapter 1 reupdated as of 9 October 2014))

"Aichi… I'm… I'm not worthy of being your idol."
"Kai!"
"I have done more harm than good by drawing you into this game. I hurt you. I became jealous of you. I'm a hypocrite and a liar of the worst kind. Friends? I've only pushed them away. Made them suffer only because I didn't know how to act. They would be much better off if I wasn't around. You cannot shepard a sheep as lost as I am, Aichi."
"Kai! You're nothing like that!"
"I told you, Aichi. I'm going to disappear. Forever." the remnants of the sealed reverse inside Aichi left him, lifting a burden from his heart. Kai, on the other hand, still donned the red markings of a reverse fighter. It was evident from his expression that he was clinging on to it as hard as he could. His breathing was ragged like he was fighting an invisible force.

Dragonic Overlord "The Яe-birth" stood behind Kai, ready to fire. The brunet lifted his eyes toward the crumbling gate. He seemed to be lost in thought. He followed even the smallest fragments falling on the building, crushing all that had the misfortune to be underneath.

" 'The Яe-birth' attacks!" Kai suddenly rested his vanguard and commanded it to strike at Aichi's own vanguard. Aichi felt greatly overwhelmed. Reflected dragon, he saw Kai's suffering. It and Kai were one and the same. They were both alone.
Aichi shook his head and dropped a perfect guard on the guardian circle. However, he fumbled and paid the cost with another Mark.
"Check the twin drive. First check… critical trigger. All effects to 'The Яe-birth.' Second check. Critical trigger." Gancelot was safe from the fires of Overlord from behind Mark's shield. And yet, the assault was not over.

"Rise from the dead! Dragonic Overlord 'The Яe-birth'!" Kai dropped his drive checks into the drop zone and moved his vanguard from the "rest" position. He attacked once more.

Aichi examined his hand. The blunder would cost him dearly.
"Qu-quintet wall!" Aichi paid the counterblast and placed his top five cards on the guardian circle. Blaster Blade. Monarch Alfred. Epona. Gancelot. Star Rain. A 20000 guard. Combined with Gancelot's power, it only summed up to 31000 against the 33000 Яe-birth.

Aichi placed a Little Liberator, Marron on the guardian circle. The sum was now 36000. If Kai pulled just one trigger…
"Check the twin drive. First check…" it was simply Dragonic Burnout. Aichi nearly sighed in relief. "Second check…" Kai's eyes lit up and his mouth curled into an insincere smile. It was almost as if he had wanted Aichi to win. He turned the card over and mouthed the words "critical trigger." With no other target, Kai gave all the power to Overlord. The dragon had a critical of four and Aichi was stuck at five damage. The end was clear.
"Damage… check…" Aichi had once again fallen before the reversed Kai. He could no longer find the strength to pick up his cards.
"Aichi." Kai threw a card at him. It was the breakride Dragonic Overlord. The younger boy looked up from his cards and wiped away his tears. Kai seemed… farther away. "I'm sorry, Aichi," the older boy continued, watching the ring, "You won't be reversed. Void is too weak for that now. Even I can feel that, but…" he took a step back, "it's time for me to atone… once and for all." Aichi's eyes widened as he heard a crack. A chunk of the gate was cracking right above where Kai was.
"KAI! NO! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Aichi ran toward Kai, but he just slapped Aichi away.
"It's dangerous, Aichi. Your friends. They need you."
The cracking grew louder. Aichi instinctively backed away. He watched Kai's previously unwaviering eyes fill with tears. Aichi's hero, no, his rival stood still. Memories of past cardfights and the training camps filled Aichi's head. He then recalled the day Kai gifted Blaster Blade to him.

Even from where he was standing, Aichi could see Kai's legs shaking. "

I'm… I'm scared to be honest. I had fun. But, then again, I was the one who ruined the fun." Kai closed his eyes, determined to no longer show weakness. "I'm going to see them again, though. How many years has it been?" The reverse started fading from Kai. A single tear fell from his eye. Aichi tried to move. He tried to lead Kai to safety. He try to open his mouth and tell Kai how much he meant to Aichi, but his legs stayed glued to the floor and his voice only craccked into squeaks. Kai opened his eyes and took one last look at Aichi. "Aichi. Take care. You were special to me... Tell everyone I'm sor—"

He didn't even finish his sentence when the shard of the gate crushed him. Aichi stood in silence, and then his voice finally allowed him to scream. On cue, Naoki ran into the building and used any method he could to ascend the collapsing building. He only found Aichi trying to push away the shard from a pool of blood and a broken, lifeless body.
"Aichi, come on…"
"NO! I NEED TO SAVE KAI! I NEED TO SAVE HIM! HE'S TRAPPED!"
"Aichi. You can't save him now! Even I can see that!"
"You don't understand! This is KAI! He can't die! We… we were supposed to be best friends and rivals…"
"I'm sorry but… we have to leave…"
"I refuse." Aichi didn't even glance at Naoki.
"You leave me with no choice, Aichi." Naoki punched Aichi in the stomach, knocking him out. He picked up the unconscious Aichi and turned to Kai's mangled wreck of a body. "I won't forgive you for hurting him, Kai," Naoki snarled. He then made his way back down to the others. By that time, Kourin had disappeared along with her memories, leaving behind only a ribbon as proof she even existed.

Aichi lost two of his closest friends in only a day.