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Yusei and I parted ways with Akiza when she said she had to go meet someone. It was probably Sayer. I told her we would see her tomorrow, as I received a shocked expression from her.

Yusei and I went to the stands where our friends were waiting. Luna sat next to Leo who was furious. He seemed to have forgotten what happened earlier in the Spirit World.

"I can't believe you lost! How are we supposed to duel now, Luna?!" Leo yelled. "It's not fair!"

"Look who's talking! At least I didn't lose my match like you did." Luna retorted.

"Well...yeah, but..." Leo trailed off.

I kept thinking about the time I was in the Spirit World, and that flashback...did I really go there once? But I didn't even play Duel Monsters when I was 14 years old. I was into the Pokemon Trading Card Game at the time and didn't even think about this card game.

I saw Luna place her hand on her right arm where her Mark was.

"What's wrong, Luna? Did your arm hurt during the duel?" Yanagi asked her.

"Yeah, you kept looking at it, as if you were expecting to see something." Dexter pointed out.

"My arm's fine! I promise!" Luna retorted quickly.

"If you say so." Yusei said. "Now I think it's time I get you three home."

"Have fun babysitting the twins." Tanner smirked.

"Alright! We'll have a all-night dueling sleepover!" Leo said cheerfully.

I leaned in closer to Yusei.

"Why?" I whispered.

"You need to explain what happened during Luna's duel." Yusei whispered.

I almost forgot about it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, listen up!" The MC called out, making all of us turn to the giant sphere. "The second round has been announced! Check out the competition brackets! Who knows what excitement awaits? Who will win? Who will lose? Four duelists, two rounds, one champion! Who will it be? Things are gonna get crazy! See ya tomorrow!"

The sphere shifted to reveal tomorrow's duels. It was Greiger vs Estelle (me) and Yusei vs Akiza. So I was really going up against Greiger.

"Looks like you're up against the muscle mountain, gal." Tanner told me.

"Yes." I nodded.

"And Yusei's up against the Black Rose." Yanagi said, worried. "This is getting a bit worrisome."

"Well, it's kinda too bad, because rumors say Greiger's got a new Duel Runner." Tanner pointed out.

"Sorry that I'm not a Turbo Duelist, Tanner." I retorted a bit sarcastically. "But I wouldn't mind trying to ride once."

"However, the rumors also say that Greiger's Duel Runner is unbeatable." Tanner added. "So I think it's best that you're competing in a Ground Duel."

"Are you okay, Leo?" Luna asked her brother.

"Oh yeah! Fine! I just...I left something...somewhere else." Leo said a bit suspiciously as he stepped back. "Be right back!"

"Where are you going?" Luna asked him.

"To...um...you know...that place with the..." Leo trailed off. "Oh, look at the time! Bye bye!" Then he ran off.

"Be back before curfew and we'll eat at 8 o'clock as usual, Leo!" I called out to him.

"Roger!" Leo replied.

I sighed through my nose. "I don't like the looks of this."

XXXXXXXXXX

Luna and I took a cab back to the Tops with Yusei following us on his Duel Runner. I was relieved to rest my ears from all the loud shouts in the Kaiba Dome. It was pretty exhausting.

I made a nice dinner with some help from Luna, and now we were waiting for Leo to come back home. The food had been ready for a while and Leo still hadn't showed up and the clock was ten minutes past 8 pm.

"Leo's never late for dinner." Luna said. "I mean, he likes eating food almost as much as he likes dueling. And he loves your cooking, Estelle."

I had a feeling that Leo was at Greiger's garage, but why would he be there if he knew I wasn't Turbo Dueling?

I stood up from my chair. "I'll go look for him. I think he got in trouble."

Yusei followed my lead. "I'm going with you."

"I can help!" Luna stood up from her chair.

"No Luna, it's too late for you." I shook my head.

"Oh, come on, please! He's my brother! What if he's hurt?" Luna pointed out.

I nodded. "Okay then. But you'll go with me."

"Okay!" Luna nodded with a happy smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

Luna and I had been looking for Leo for a half hour when we met up with Yusei on his Duel Runner on a empty street. I had my Duel Disk strapped to my left arm.

"Anything?" I asked Yusei in a worried tone.

"Nothing." He shook his head. "How about you two?"

Luna shook her head. "Nothing."

I gripped my upper arms. "If something happened to Leo, I'd never be able to forgive myself."

"Don't worry, Estelle." Yusei told me. "Leo's out here somewhere and we're gonna find him."

Just then, we heard a strange noise coming from Yusei's Duel Runner. He pushed something on the dash and the monitor revealed Blister.

"Yusei, I went to your friend's bunker, but the place has been totally trashed." Blister spoke.

"Trashed?! But they're okay, right?" Yusei asked, worried.

"They're missing. I can't find a trace of them."

"What happened?! Did Goodwin take them in?!"

"No idea. And here's where the trail goes cold. After I hacked into Security, I couldn't find a trace. It's like they just vanished! And if Goodwin's got a hold on them, they could be anywhere by now." There were sparks coming from the monitor. "They're tracking my signal. I gotta sign off quick! I'll come back if I find anything."

"Thanks." Yusei nodded before turning off the monitor. But he still had a worried expression on his face.

"I'm sorry. Are your friends missing too?" Luna asked him.

"Yeah." Yusei replied as he looked guilty. I could tell that he was blaming himself for this.

"Yusei." I called his name, making him snap out of it. "I don't know all the details, but you are not the one to blame for this. If it's anyone's fault your friends are missing, it's Goodwin's."

There was a noise coming from a alleyway next to us. We turned our attention to it and saw something moving in the shadows. I stepped forward and held out my Duel Disk in case I needed to summon a monster. Luna stood next to me as we watched the figure come closer.

As soon as the figure stepped onto the street, we saw Greiger who was carrying Leo over his shoulder. The little boy was asleep.

"Leo?" I mumbled.

"Greiger, what are you doing with Leo?" Yusei demanded.

"Relax, he's alright, Estelle, Yusei." Greiger said. "He broke into my garage. I found him sleeping on the floor."

"That's where he went?" I questioned as I lowered my arm with the Duel Disk on it.

"At least he's safe." Luna sighed in relief. "He isn't hurt, right?"

"No, he's fine. Only sleepy." Greiger replied.

XXXXXXXXXX

We all went back to the Tops. Luna collapsed from fatigue as soon as we stepped inside the twins' home, so I carried her up to her room with Greiger following me to tuck Leo into his bed. I placed Luna's body on her bed before slipping her shoes and jacket off and then tucked her in. She made small noises while sleeping, that I smiled at.

I walked out of Luna's room and met up with Greiger who waited for me in the hallway.

"The boy's sound asleep." He told me.

"He sure can snore, can't he?" I smiled gently.

"Yep." Greiger nodded.

We walked downstairs where Yusei was waiting and the three of us stepped out to the terrace to have a discussion.

"Thank you for bringing Leo back." I thanked Greiger. "And I'm sorry for the trouble he caused."

"Don't worry. The boy was just trying to help you out." Greiger said.

"But we're not Turbo Dueling, so what was the point of this attempted sabotage?" I mumbled out loud.

"Maybe he wanted to help Yusei if I defeat you tomorrow." Greiger pointed out.

"Good point." Yusei agreed.

I simply nodded in response. It was kinda true...that is if Yusei could defeat Akiza like he did in the anime.

"You gonna call Security for Leo's attempted sabotage?" Yusei asked Greiger.

The muscle man chuckled. "No. He reminds me of my own little brother. I'm not gonna punish him cause he was trying to help you two win your duels tomorrow. It won't make a difference. Both of you will go down. I may be a good guy off the track, but trust me when I say you don't want to mess with me when I'm Turbo Dueling." He turned to look at the sky. "After all, these are the big leagues, Yusei, Estelle. I'm riding on this tournament for me and my future."

"Your future?" I questioned.

"You mean, like a big trophy?" Yusei asked.

"Big trophy? No, the future I'm talking about is for my family." Greiger corrected himself. "They're far away, waiting, hoping I'll bring them some help. We used to count the stars together. Here, it's only smog." He let out a soft sigh. "And you two? Why are you dueling here?"

"My friends." Yusei answered. "I don't have a choice in the matter."

"Let me guess; Goodwin made you a offer you couldn't refuse." Greiger said. "That sound right?"

"How'd you know? He came to you too?" Yusei asked him.

Greiger nodded before looking back at the sky. "He offered me a chance to rebuild my family's village. My people believed that our forefathers were servants of the People of the Stars and our village has a deep, hidden power."

"The Crimson Dragon?" I spoke up, making both men look at me.

"You know about the Crimson Dragon, Estelle?" Yusei asked me.

"The legend of the Crimson Dragon says that whoever controls the dragon also gets to control the destiny of the world." Greiger added.

"I cannot be controlled!"

My eyes widened when I heard the Crimson Dragon's baritone voice echo in my head.

"I haven't been back to my village for years, but after I complete my mission here, I'll head back to rebuild my home." Greiger declared.

"You can't trust Goodwin's word, Greiger." Yusei told him.

"Easy for you to say." Greiger retorted. "But I need his power to help me rebuild my village. I heard it was consumed by fire and destruction unlike any natural disaster ever seen. Then Director Goodwin came to me. He said that he'll help, but not until I promise to help him with his quest."

I had to step in now.

"Greiger, is that really what happened to your village?" I asked him, making look at me in confusion.

"That's what I've been told." Greiger answered.

"If you truly care about your village and family, you should go and find the truth out on your own, instead of listening to rumors!" I said a bit desperately.

"Greiger, don't you see that you're being used by Goodwin?" Yusei asked him.

"If it's the only way to rebuild my village, then I'll let him use me all he wants, Yusei." Greiger said before he turned to me. "Sorry Estelle, but tomorrow I have to win no matter what."

"And I need to get the answers about how I ended up in New Domino City in the first place." I retorted.

"You mean, you're not originally from this city?" Greiger raised a eyebrow.

I shook my head. "No. I come from a place far away from here." I looked up to the sky. "It feels like my hometown is light years away, and I don't even remember how I made my way to New Domino City."

It was kinda true, but I didn't want to reveal too much about myself yet.

"You're talking like you're coming from another planet." Greiger pointed out before he walked past us. "You two are good people, and in a perfect world we all get what we want in the arena tomorrow. But the world isn't perfect. Two of us have to lose. And tomorrow, it's going to be you guys."

I turned around and saw Greiger walk back into the apartment and step into the elevator. I sighed through my nose and relaxed my tense shoulders. I started to feel that the darkness in this world was stronger than in the anime.

Yusei broke the silence. "Estelle?"

I looked up at him. "Sorry, did you say something?"

"Are you okay? You looked like you were in a trance." Yusei said with a slightly worried expression.

"I'm fine, Yusei." Just then, we heard our stomachs growl, making both of us blush in embarrassment. "How about we eat dinner before I tell you more about the adventure Luna and I had?"

We walked inside and warmed our food up before digging in. While I waited for my food to get warm, I put Luna and Leo's untouched dinner in the refrigerator. It would be their breakfast tomorrow, so the food wouldn't be wasted.

When the dinner was eaten, I led Yusei to my room so we could talk in peace. I sat down on the bed while Yusei chose to sit on the chair near my desk.

"What happened during Luna's duel?" Yusei asked.

I sighed. "Luna and I went to the Duel Monster Spirit World."

Yusei blinked in shock. "How?"

"I...I think I know how, but I can't tell you yet. I found out that Luna made a promise to the spirits to help them protect their world. But she got scared and left when she heard Leo call out to her during her coma."

"Luna was in a coma?"

"She collapsed during a duel eight years ago and was in a coma for a month. That's what the twins' parents told me."

"Eight years ago...but that means she was only three years old back then."

"But the most shocking part for me was..." I took a deep breath. "...I was also in the Spirit World eight years ago."

Yusei's eyes widened. "What?!"

I nodded. "I don't exactly remember how my spirit ended up in their world, but I could confirm what I saw in the flashback was the 14 year old me who came riding with a dragon and met Luna."

"A dragon?"

I reached my hand to my deck that laid on the nightstand and searched through my cards until I found Light End Dragon. I picked the card up and showed it to Yusei.

"The Spirit World's protectors was one of my dragons, Light End Dragon, while the other was Ancient Fairy Dragon. I believe Ancient Fairy Dragon is Luna's personal dragon, but she doesn't have the card at the moment."

Yusei got up and sat down next to me. "Akiza and I noticed that the Professor's eyes were foggy, like he was somewhere else."

I nodded. "The Professor...somehow came to the Spirit World and tried to use his own darkness to take over the realm. He also mentioned that Luna is a Signer and I play a bigger role in this mystery."

"You mentioned before you knew about the Crimson Dragon."

"I know a lot more than you think, Yusei. I know there are five Signers with the Mark of the Dragon and all five of them have their Signer Dragons. That, and the People of the Stars believed their god was the Crimson Dragon. Only five chosen with the Marks were able to summon the Crimson Dragon during times of need."

"The Crimson Dragon appeared in the Kaiba Dome when Jack and I had released both of our dragons." Yusei suddenly gasped when he remembered something. "Wait! That time in the Daimon Area, your arm was also glowing."

I looked at my right arm before pulling the sleeve up to reveal the pentagram Mark.

"I don't know how I got this Mark in the first place. It just showed up one day, a few weeks ago, and it felt like my arm was on fire." I confessed.

"Yanagi said he couldn't remember if there was a person from the legend who had this pentagram Mark." Yusei said. "He's still trying to remember if he missed something important."