FicWad

My month long house arrest had finally come to a end. It was time for my freedom, but in a unexpected manner. Goodwin had informed me that Yusei wasn't going to be shipped back to the Satellite. He would be a free man in New Domino City. And, since I was Yusei's friend and had the same amount of days on house arrest as his days in prison, I would also be set free. The ankle monitor I wore all month was removed the day I left the mansion. I was wearing my original outfit and packed my belongings into my satchel when Hilda walked into the room with a Duel Disk in her hands.

"Mr. Goodwin cannot come and wish you goodbye, so he asked me to give you this Duel Disk, Ms. Estelle." The head maid said as she handed the device to me.

The Duel Disk was the same model as the one I had used before, but the color schemes were red and white with orange gems. I couldn't help but wonder why Goodwin gifted me with a red Duel Disk. Was he suspecting I was connected to the Crimson Dragon? He had stopped asking questions a few days ago, so I thought he would drop all the mysteries around me.

"Tell him I'm grateful for the gift, please." I said as I strapped the Duel Disk onto my left arm.

"I certainly will." Hilda smiled sweetly before giving me a small wallet. "Mr. Goodwin also told me to give you some money for your stay in New Domino City."

I raised a eyebrow. Goodwin was giving me money? I accepted the wallet and opened it. I saw no cards, but there were several bills and some coins. I couldn't really count how much it was, but it was a lot. Was the Director trying to spoil me or something?

"Well...it was nice of him." I couldn't help but comment softly.

"Mr. Goodwin...looked really happy while you were staying in his residence." Hilda said, getting my attention. "He wishes no harm will come to you, so...be careful, Ms. Estelle."

Goodwin was happy while I was staying with him? I thought he looked the same the whole time, but I guess some of the mansion's staff had known him long enough to read his facial expressions to see whenever there was a slight difference.

I was escorted to a waiting limousine that drove me to the Facility. Once we were there, I got out of the vehicle and thanked the chauffeur. He smiled softly before leaving the area.

I turned my attention to the Facility. It looked more like a fort from the outside. I could hear some yelling from the inside and how the personnel shouted at each other and the inmates.

I waited for like ten minutes before the gate to the Facility opened. I straightened myself and waited to see if the figure who was coming out was Yusei. My shoulders relaxed when I saw that it really was him. He looked safe and sound, but there was a different aura about him. Did he hear about the Signers from Yanagi and now wanted answers from Goodwin?

I took a few steps forward and intercepted Yusei with a soft smile. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted me.

"Hi, Yusei." I greeted him softly.

"Estelle?" He blinked in confusion. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Goodwin's mansion."

He must have been told I was staying in the Director's home, probably when Goodwin had visited the Facility to offer a inmate freedom.

"Yes, I was there under house arrest, but he decided to release me the same day you were leaving the Facility." I explained. "He had his limousine drive me here."

Yusei glanced down at the Duel Disk strapped to my arm. "And that Duel Disk?"

"A goodbye gift." I answered. "He was...unexpectedly very nice."

Yusei's eyes narrowed a bit before his face lightened up and a tiny smile formed on his lips. "I'm glad to see that you're okay."

"And I'm glad to see you in one piece." I smiled softly with a tiny blush before my expression became serious. "So what's the plan?"

"We're going to get my Duel Runner back." Yusei replied. "I...made a few friends in the Facility. One of them told me to find someone named Blister; he'll help me get the Runner back."

"Okay." I nodded. "Then let's go."

Yusei nodded before we walked away from the Facility. I heard the noise of a Duel Runner nearby, but I knew it was just Trudge who had gone against orders and chose to follow us.

But for now, I wanted to enjoy the moment of peace before the next adventure with Blister.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yusei and I wandered through New Domino City all day to reach the rough part where the bar Bootleg was located. We stopped by a cafe once to eat some lunch in the city. Yusei was surprised when I showed him how much cash Goodwin had given me as a gift, but he didn't complain when he got the first taste of actual food after living on "rations" in the Facility for a month. We did get some cautious looks from other customers due to Yusei's criminal mark, but we ignored them.

The moon was dominating the night sky when we made it to the Daimon Area. I shuddered in disgust after seeing so many people openly using drugs on the street and smoking weed, some of them losing consciousness right in front of us. I noticed that some men eyed me like a piece of meat, which left a bad taste in my mouth. I turned to Yusei who was looking straight ahead with a poker face. I felt the need to hold his hand to feel a bit safe, but I didn't want to seem that pushy in his eyes. So instead of reaching for his hand, I chose to pinch the edge of his jacket with my fingertips and held onto it while we were walking. I knew I acted like a scared child, but what else could I do?

I snapped out of my thoughts when I felt Yusei's hand remove my hand from his jacket and hold it, giving me a soft squeeze. He still had his poker face, but I could see that the corner of his lips had moved up a bit. I couldn't help but smile softly at the kind gesture and kept my hand in his, feeling warm and protected.

"So you two managed to get off Scot free." Ash met back up with us after finding out we had both been released.

I could sense eyes on my back, but I knew it was just those stalkers that had been sent by Goodwin to follow us and track our movement.

"Are we there yet?" I asked Yusei in a low tone. "This place scares me a lot more than the Satellite."

It was true. Back in the Satellite, I did see some people taking drugs, but not to this extent. Was it because it was harder to obtain drugs and weed on the island then in the city?

"We made it." Ash told us.

He was staring at a bar sign above the door that said Bootleg in English. I noticed that ever since I arrived in this dimension, I had been able to understand everything around me. Everyone was speaking English instead of Japanese, so it made me wonder if the Crimson Dragon blessed me with some kind of power to hear and read everything in English instead of Japanese. I was going to ask him the next time I saw him.

"I just hope Tanner's friend comes through for us."

I nodded as well before I sneaked my hand out of Yusei's, feeling that we should keep a low profile and not give people any weird ideas.

We walked down the stairs from the door before entering the bar. There were a few people drinking, but they seemed to behave and not make a scene despite their intoxicated state. Many of them had criminal marks, so they didn't look up from their drinks and food when we walked past them, heading for the counter. I saw a few people smoking with a water pipe, getting lost in the haze of drugs.

Yusei and I sat down next to each other while Ash sat to his left before the bartender turned around to face us. He had spiky grayish/brown hair, tanned skin and dark eyes, dressed like a bartender with a white shirt, brown vest, pants and shoes. He also had a few criminal marks on his face and seemed to be around his late 40's.

"So what do you want here, kids? Lost your puppy or something? My heart's breakin' for ya, but this ain't the animal shelter!" The bartender snorted. "Now, get outta here! We've got a no-loyalty rule; payin' customers only!"

"Got any milk?" Ash asked.

The bartender didn't like his casual attitude and grabbed him by the collar. "This ain't a kids bar!"

Ash wasn't affected by this, instead glancing over his shoulder at two men in black suits that just happened to enter the bar.

"Recognize this?" He had removed a card from Yusei's jacket before sitting down, placing it on the counter. The bartender gasped, knowing what it meant.

"Bolt Tanner gave this to me." Yusei told the bartender. "I'm looking for a guy named Blister."

The bartender looked over our shoulders, probably eyeing the stalkers, before he poured a glass of milk and placed it on the counter in front of Ash, straight on the monster card. "Those suits that followed you lookin' for Blister too?"

Yusei raised a eyebrow, not getting it until Ash pointed to the corner. When we made eye contact with them, they quickly looked away, acting like they were in the middle of a conversation.

"I assume those guys...aren't with you." The bartender said in a low tone. "Now, get outta here, kids. You don't find Blister; Blister finds you."

A cryptic message, but Yusei understood the meaning behind it. Ash drank the glass of milk that was offered to him before handing Tanner's card back to Yusei and getting up from his seat. I followed the two giving the bartender a nod as a thank you. We exited the bar, sensing those stalkers following us from behind.

"So what do we do now?" I whispered to Yusei. "Walk around for a while until Blister finds us, or try to lure those stalkers away first?"

"I'll deal with them." Ash whispered.

Yusei was quiet for a few seconds. "Thanks."

We walked through the alleyway and reached a empty street when the bombarding noise of a Duel Runner suddenly echoed around us. We looked up and saw a Duel Runner with a side car leaping off a roof and landing right behind us. I even had to duck to avoid being hit by the back tire when the Runner flew past us.

"Lookin' for me?!" The male driver exclaimed, his voice sounding just like Blister from the anime.

I looked over my shoulder when I heard running footsteps. The stalkers were coming and fast. I grabbed Yusei's hand and pulled him towards the Duel Runner. At the same time, Ash hurled Mjolnir at the two stalkers, knocking them out before the hammer returned to his hand. Once we were next to it, I let go of Yusei and jumped into the side car while Yusei sat down behind Blister.

"Hold on tight!" Blister warned us before he zoomed away.

I found two helmets in the bottom of the side car so I put one of them on before handing the other one to Yusei. He grabbed it and put it on while Blister activated a harmless laser, aiming it at Yusei's criminal mark.

"Hold still! The ions in this little bad boy are jamming the mark and your signal!" Blister told us. "Can't have those suits following us when they wake up."

"Are you Blister?" Yusei asked him.

"In the flesh!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Blister drove us to a apartment building where we got off and out of the Runner and pushed the Duel Runner into a apartment. We removed our helmets once we were inside and stayed away from the windows while helicopters with spotlights shined outside.

"Sector Security usually saves the helicopters for big time offenders." Blister pointed out as he sat by a laptop and typed on it. "But you two seem harmless enough. You know something about the city hall fat cat you're not supposed to know?"

"Actually, I think someone knows something about me." Yusei replied as the two of us looked around the slightly messy apartment. "But I don't know what."

"Well, your marker won't transmit for a few hours and I've clogged this building. You're good for now." Blister informed us. "So Bolt Tanner told you to come here and find me, did he?"

"That's right." Yusei nodded.

"I don't suppose he sent you to pay me the junk of change he owes me." Blister said sarcastically.

"No." I shook my head.

"In that case, you must be here for the official Blister hookup." Blister said. "So what's the deal? Need a new identity, you two?"

"I need to sneak into the Security impound center to get my Runner back." Yusei said directly.

Blister's eyes widened in shock. "You're kidding, right?"

"Tanner said you can help me." Yusei retorted calmly. "So, was he right or wrong?"

Blister hesitated for a moment. "He's right."

XXXXXXXXXX

Blister helped Yusei prepare a bag with random items and a suit with a cap for the infiltration. Yusei was going to look like a electrician. It took a few hours before Blister also managed to create a fake but realistic ID with Yusei's photo and a fake name.

"Okay Mr. Adams, your maintenance uniform is set and I've got your ID." Blister announced. "Just need to hack into the city system." He hummed a short melody while he worked his magic.

I found a photo frame that contained a picture of Blister and his old friend while both of them held a trophy together, smiling brightly. Blister's friend, Aero, if I remembered correctly, was holding Machina Sniper. There was a upside down card underneath the photo frame that was once ripped apart, but fixed with some tape. I had a feeling it was the same monster card in the picture.

"And done! Yusei Adams, you're officially a employee of the New Domino City Security impound center!" Blister announced. "Now, each door requires a specific code. Let me hop on the main frame and see where they're keeping your ride, so I know what code you'll need. When did they take it?"

"A month ago, Blister." Yusei answered as he picked the photo frame up.

"Alright then! I'll have to break the encryption of the security main frame." Blister said.

Yusei picked the torn card up and it was indeed Machina Sniper. The edge of the card was black and dirty, as if it had almost been burned to ashes. Blister was oblivious about us finding the photo and card while he mumbled to himself during his hacking session. I found myself having a hard time concentrating on other things around me. It was pretty late now, almost midnight.

"Bingo! Vault 64B!" Blister said as he moved over to his second laptop. "Top floor! Now, to snag the pass code you'll need to get in. This shouldn't be too hard."

"Blister, did you use to be a duelist?" Yusei asked as he turned around with the photo frame and card in his hands.

Blister looked over his shoulder before his eyes widened when he spotted the photo frame and got up from the chair. "Wha?! What are you doin', snoopin' around in here?! Put that picture back!"

"Looks like you were taking names in the big leagues." Yusei continued calmly.

"Nah, I was never big league, that's for sure!" Blister snorted as he looked away. "Me and my partner dueled in the semi-pro league for a bit. But...that was a different life, Yusei, Estelle. It was a long time ago."

I could tell that the incident from the past hurt him, but I knew there was more to it.

"Put the picture down." Blister said as he returned to his seat. "We've got to focus here!"

Yusei said nothing as he put the photo frame back and the card underneath it before we joined Blister by the laptops.

"Got the pass code for 64B." Blister informed Yusei.

"Is that all I'll need?" Yusei asked.

"That, the ID, your uniform and a whole lot of luck." Blister replied. "The security droids are on a random program, so I can't help you there."

"I'll risk it." Yusei declared. "So is that your duel partner with you in the picture?"

"Man!" Blister sighed dramatically as he rolled his chair to the other laptop, typing on it randomly.

The action pretty much showed that Blister wanted to avoid the subject. As much as I wanted to go and get some sleep, I was curious to hear the outcome of this story.

"You don't know how to let something go, do you?" The hacker commented a bit harshly. "We're not here to get to know each other. Got it?"

I covered my mouth and moved my head aside as I let out a soft yawn. "You wouldn't happen to have a bed or couch in this place, would you Blister?"

"Well, it is late, and Yusei's gonna need every ounce of energy to get his Runner back, so you two can go and catch some sleep." Blister replied as he pointed towards a couch in the corner of the one room apartment. "You two can share that couch; I won't need it, since I'll be busy for the rest of the night."

XXXXXXXXXX - Yusei's POV

Estelle and I almost had a argument about who should take the couch, but I won in the end, letting her sleep comfortably. She walked over to the couch and set her bag and Duel Disk on the floor next to it. She sat down on the couch and removed her glasses, jacket and boots before lying down on the couch. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

"You two a couple or something?" Blister asked suddenly, his eyes still on the laptop.

"No." I shook my head as I sat down on a chair. "Just friends."

"Could have fooled me." Blister snorted. "Now, catch some eye rest. You'll have to leave early in the morning."

I nodded softly before I sat down and leaned back against a chair before closing my eyes, falling asleep to the sound of clicking keys.

XXXXXXXXXX - Estelle's POV

Once I was back in the realm between the 5D's dimension and the Duel Monsters Spirit World, the Crimson Dragon appeared in front of me. "Hello, Estelle."

"Hi, Crimson Dragon." I greeted him back.

"Since you have returned, I believe you have more questions that you wish to ask?"

"Yes. How can I hear and read everything around me in English while I'm supposedly in Japan? I might know the lyrics of several Japanese songs and a few words, but this is very confusing to me."

"I understand your concern, Little One. To answer your questions; you are indeed in Japan in this dimension. As for hearing everyone speaking English instead of Japanese is because I blessed you with a gift."

Pretty much what I suspected.

"To make it convenient for you while staying in my Signers' world, I made sure you can understand the world around you in English. And whenever you talk, instead of hearing you in English, the people around you are hearing you speak Japanese. Of course, when you choose to speak Swedish or another language, they will hear said language."

"I see...that explains some things."

"Do you have another question?"

"I do...when will I return to my dimension?"

The Crimson Dragon hesitated when I asked that question. He looked away for a while, as if he was trying to come up with a proper answer. My heart dropped when I feared the worst.

"Can I never return to my world?!"

The Crimson Dragon quickly turned back to me. "You can. But...there will be consequences."

"What kind of consequences?" I asked, shaking a bit due to nervousness.

"You are not ready to hear them yet."

"Why not?"

"If you hear them now, you won't see things clearly. You need to experience more before you can hear me out."

That sent a shiver down my spine, but I kind of understood what the Crimson Dragon tried to tell me. I needed to experience this adventure to the end. Maybe the events in the 5D's dimension will change me, just like what happened in school changed me a lot. Maybe it could help shape me a bit more and make me stronger.

"I understand. I'll wait."

The Crimson Dragon's eyes moved a bit, as if he was smiling. "A wise decision. Now, relax and enjoy your dreams."

XXXXXXXXXX

I felt the heat of the sun on my face, which forced me to open my eyes. The eyelids were a bit sticky, but that was normal whenever I was waking up. I stayed on the couch as I heard voices not far away from me. I rubbed my eyes before seeing the blurry figures of Yusei and Blister by the desk, talking about something. I strained my ears and heard that they were talking about Blister's past and his friend, Aero. Blister said something along the lines of "you shouldn't have friends; they would only turn against you as soon as they were done with you".

It was partly true, but if you found friends that were loyal and stayed by your side no matter what, they were very valuable. I got to experience that with Yusei and his friends back in the Satellite. I used to have some friends as a child back in my home dimension, but I was betrayed by them. I had a best friend once, but due to our differences we split apart and never saw each other again. It hurt at first, but I eventually got over it. During that time, I had already experienced bullying and humiliation at school, so I was used to it. You could say that I had my own demons from the past.

I shut my eyes when I saw Yusei pick the bag up for the infiltration. I pretended to still be sleeping when he walked past the couch. I heard him stop next to me, probably watching me for a split second.

"Look after Estelle until I come back, Blister." Yusei said before a door opened and then closed.

I opened one eye and saw that Yusei was gone. Blister sighed loudly before it was quiet in the one room apartment.

"Talk bout lame." Blister muttered.

"It's not lame." I said.

"What the?!" Blister almost jumped out of his seat when I spoke up. "Were you awake the whole time?"

"Almost." I confessed as I sat up on the couch and stretched my stiff body a bit.

"So you heard everything?" Blister asked with a glare.

"Not everything, but everything I needed to hear." I replied as I put my glasses and boots on. "I'm sorry about what happened to Aero, but you shouldn't blame yourself. I'm sure Aero understood why you had to save yourself. He would've felt guilty if you risked your life to save his. You could have ended up in the same condition as him, or maybe even worse."

"But I still couldn't save him...!" Blister growled as he almost crushed the Machina Sniper card in his hand.

"You shouldn't let the guilt eat you up inside." I shook my head before standing up from the couch. "Aero has already forgiven you by sending your team's mascot to you. You are the one who severed ties because of the guilt, not him."

Blister muttered something before he looked away. He walked over to the windows when the engine of a Duel Runner echoed from outside. I followed him and saw Yusei walk out of the apartment building. He seemed to have ignored the sound of the Duel Runner, but he shouldn't have. Because the Duel Runner that purred from a alleyway and then drove out to the street to follow him belonged to none other than Trudge!

"Not him again..." I groaned.

"You know that guy?" Blister asked me.

"We had a few run-ins with him back in the Satellite." I explained. "He's gotta some kinda vendetta with Yusei after losing to him several times."

"He might be up to something if he's shadowing Yusei." Blister muttered.

The brunette turned around and hurried to one of his chest drawers. He picked up a cell phone and a few other things before turning to me. "You've got a cell phone?"

I wanted to say yes at first out of instinct, but stopped myself. My smartphone couldn't be used in this dimension. I had tried it once to check, but it didn't work.

"No." I shook my head.

"Figured as much." Blister commented before throwing a cell phone to me, which I caught. "Can you help me roll my Runner out after I remove the side car."

"Sure." I nodded.

I helped Blister roll his Duel Runner out of the building and into the empty streets. He put a helmet on before sitting down on the motorcycle and turning it on.

"Your cell phone's got my emergency number. Call me if something happens." Blister instructed as he gave me a copy of the key to his apartment. "I'd prefer you staying in my place until I come back. The Daimon Area isn't really the safest place for a girl to be walking around alone in."

"I'll wait." I told him. "Look after Yusei, and thank you."

Blister shrugged his shoulders before he drove away. I watched him drive down the street until he was gone. I let out a soft sigh before walking back into the apartment building, hoping that Yusei and Blister would return safely.