FicWad

I made myself some breakfast and lunch with the few ingredients Blister had the kitchenette. I decided to try and clean the apartment a little because it was dirty and some things were unorganized. I started with Blister's desk and threw some trash that was just lying around away. I also washed some coffee mugs that still had some old and cold coffee in them.

For the rest of the day, I wrote in my notebook and added a new diary entry while listening to some songs on my smartphone with earphones. I had Blister's spare cell phone in my jacket pocket the whole time, so I can quickly answer if he called me.

I didn't hear anything from him until that evening. The clock was close to 7pm and neither he or Yusei had come back. I was just about to make some dinner when the cell phone began to ring. I took it out and saw that it was Blister, so I answered it.

"Hello?"

"Estelle, it's me." Blister said on the other end. "I'm afraid Yusei and I will come back late tonight, so don't stay up and wait for us."

"Is Yusei in trouble already?"

"I don't know; I've just hacked into the system of the impound center to see how things are going. I did see a group of Security officers enter the center from the back, including that friend of yours, so I fear it's not going to be a easy ride."

"Whatever happens, be careful and look after Yusei."

"I will, and don't worry bout us. Crap, I need to put the phone down! I'll call back later!"

With that, Blister ended the call before I heard the hooting noise in the cell phone. I ended the call before flipping the cell phone shut and putting it back in the jacket. For a moment, I couldn't help but wonder if Yusei would encounter the twins, Leo and Luna, like he did in the anime. And if he did, would he suffer amnesia like in the dub or not?

I shook my head, trying not to think so negatively. Things would hopefully proceed on the right path.

XXXXXXXXXX - Yusei's POV

I had quite the adventure the last 24 hours. First, I encountered Trudge in the impound center when I retrieved my Duel Runner and was forced to Turbo Duel him. Then I crashed by the apartment building called the Tops so hard that I lost consciousness and suffered amnesia. Fortunately, I was found by a pair of twins named Leo and Luna who took me in and kept me safe from Sector Security in their home. Their parents were away, so I could stay for a while, although I wanted to leave to avoid putting them in danger due to my criminal mark. Leo helped me regain my memories through a duel, which I won. I had to say, Leo had the potential to become a good duelist, but he had to learn to improvise and adapt to his opponent.

Later that night, a few hours after dinner, the twins had gone to their bedrooms to sleep. I stayed in the living room for a while to fix both of their Duel Disks as a thank you for looking after me. I always kept some tools in a hidden compartment on my Duel Runner. The twins' Duel Disks were adult sized, so I removed some parts to make them smaller and easier to carry on their arms.

I left their Duel Disks and the spare parts on the coffee table before leaving the house. I rolled my Runner into the elevator and made it to the ground floor without encountering another resident of the Tops. I looked around for a moment to see if Sector Security was around and drove off when the coast was clear.

Or so I thought.

Trudge showed up on his Duel Runner again and wanted to drag me back to the Facility when the headlights of a limousine shined on us. A short figure with lavender hair, makeup that resembled a clown, and wearing a fancy outfit stepped out of the vehicle that was marked with the Sector Security emblem.

"Officer Trudge." The clown, who I assumed was a man, spoke up. "Aren't you supposed to be guarding the Candles and Calendars kiosk at the outer rim mall?"

"I didn't get your name, short stack." Trudge growled.

The clown held out a badge that clearly said "Sector Security".

"Special Deputy Lazar. I worked for the Director General and I outrank you, sorry." He introduced himself before chuckling.

"How come I've never heard of you?" Trudge asked, surprised.

"I'm on official business, Officer Trudge." Lazar told him. "I would advise you to leave the area immediately."

"This punk's a menace!" Trudge yelled furiously while pointing at me. "He stole that Duel Runner from the impound center! He should-"

"Officer." Lazar interrupted with a strict and straight voice. "There's very little room in the city for street beat cops who don't know their place or when to shut their mouths."

I held back a small smile when I saw the look on Trudge's face before he left while muttering profanities.

"So what official business are you on?" I asked Lazar once we were alone.

Lazar pulled out three white envelopes from his coat while walking over to me. "Delivery for Yusei Fudo, Ash Ketchum and Ms. Estelle Malmstrom."

I took the envelopes and saw that they had the same emblem as the envelope Leo showed me before; of how his sister Luna was invited to this Fortune Cup thing. But that wasn't what got my attention.

Lazar had added a photo of Rally, Nervin, Blitz and Tank in my hideout in the Satellite! They were all smiling and seemed to have a conversation, not knowing someone had spied on them and snapped this picture.

"We'd like for you and your two friends to participate in the Fortune Cup." Lazar informed me. "If just one of you refuses, the four people you see in this photograph will pay the penalty for the rogue actions you took in obtaining that Runner."

I held back a growl as anger flowed through my body. Did Goodwin sink so low that he was now threatening to hurt my friends if we didn't participate in the Fortune Cup.

"Have a good evening." Lazar said with mirth as he returned to the limousine.

I almost crunched the invitation letters in my other hand before I glared at the retreating limousine. This was going too far. I felt like Goodwin was playing around with me now. First, he wanted to give me a pampered life outside the Facility, and when I didn't accept the offer, he turned around and left with a hidden warning. Now, he was playing this card to bribe me into dueling in the Fortune Cup for the sake of my friends' safety.

I looked over my shoulder when I heard footsteps approach me. I thought it was Trudge again, but my shoulders sank in relief when I saw that it was Blister.

"Glad to see you're okay, Yusei." Blister said with a small smile. "What happened after you got out of the impound center?"

I put the photo and invitation letters inside my jacket. "I drove through a horde of Security officers who hit me and my Duel Runner with batons. I kept my eyes closed and couldn't see where I was going until I crashed at the Tops and blacked out."

"Man, that's rough." Blister grimaced. "Glad to see you came out in one piece. But how come you weren't kicked out of the place?"

"A pair of twins found me and took me in and my Runner and kept me safe in their home."

"Huh...that's pretty unexpected. The rich folks are usually very hostile towards people from the Satellite or those who have a marker. But what's the thing about the Fortune Cup? You were invited or somethin'?"

"You could say it that way."

"I see...well let's head back to my place." Blister shrugged. "Someone over there is pretty worried about you."

I hoped Estelle didn't worry so much about me, but questions started forming inside my head. Lazar said her last name was Malm-something. Did she have a different nationality, like she originally came from Europe? Her last name sounded very Germanic, considering those unknown words she would sometimes whisper when she thought I didn't hear her.

XXXXXXXXXX - Estelle's POV

My heart sang in relief when Blister called and told me that he and Yusei were finally coming back. He briefly explained what had happened to Yusei after he crashed by the Tops and how a pair of twins looked after him. I had a feeling it was Leo and Luna, so everything seemed to be progressing like normal.

I waited outside the apartment building for Blister and Yusei. It was late at night, but I was like one meter away from the building if I needed to run inside for safety. I had seen different kinds of people while I had been staying in Blister's apartment whenever I looked through the windows. Many of them smoked weed and used drugs even during the daytime, which was disgusting to see.

I snapped out of it when I heard the familiar sound of Duel Runner engines. I looked to my right and saw the headlights of two Runners in the darkness. I squinted my eyes to see who they were as they came closer. My eyes widened in relief when I realized it was Yusei and Blister.

"Welcome back, you two." I greeted them as I walked over to them.

"Sorry it took some time." Blister chuckled as he removed his helmet. "Trouble came and went unexpectedly."

I nodded to him before turning to Yusei. "Are you okay, Yusei? I heard from Blister that you crashed your Runner after you escaped from the impound center."

"Yeah, that was a very rough crash, but I'm fine now." Yusei nodded as he got off his Duel Runner before removing the helmet.

"You still need to rest just in case." I pointed out with a slightly strict voice.

"She's right, and I've got the perfect place for you, Yusei." Blister spoke up as he walked over to a closed garage door at the apartment building before opening it. "You'll be safe here until the Fortune Cup." Yusei backed his Duel Runner inside the small and slightly empty garage while Blister turned on the lights, revealing a couch with a coffee table next to it, a desk with a laptop, two collapsible chairs and tools and equipment for Duel Runners. "Not quite five stars, but it's got all the creature comforts you would expect from this part of town; cockroaches, mice, stray cats."

"Even spiders?" I asked, feeling a bit ill at the thought of those eight-legged freaks.

"Yes, some spiders too." Blister confessed.

"I'm out. Bye." I said half-serious and half-sarcastically before backing out of the garage, but stayed in front of it.

"Thanks...I think." Yusei hesitantly thanked Blister.

"I decorated the place myself." Blister added before he became serious. "Now, get some rest. You still haven't recovered from that fall you had. And if you plan on dueling and winning the Fortune Cup, you'll need a clear head."

"I'll rest, Blister, when our friends are safe." Yusei told him before he joined me outside the garage, but he looked at Sector Security headquarters in the distance.

"I hear ya, Yusei, but you're no good to anybody if you don't have all your strength." Blister retorted calmly.

"Don't worry, I heal real quick." Yusei assured him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yusei decided to sleep in the garage to guard his Duel Runner, just in case Sector Security tried to reclaim it. I stayed in Blister's apartment and got to sleep on the couch while Blister had his own small bedroom where he slept. I woke up early in the morning again due to the sunlight. When I checked the clock, I saw that it was a little past 8am. This was around the time Yusei would usually wake up. I washed myself and prepared some breakfast for both me and Yusei. When I finished eating, and quite fast too, I put my satchel on and carried a tray with Yusei's breakfast down the stairs of the apartment building until I reached the door that led to Blister's garage.

I knocked on the door with my foot, since I had my hands full. "Yusei? Are you awake?"

A few seconds later, the door was opened by Yusei who had removed his jacket and gloves. I couldn't help but eye his slightly muscular arms for a second before snapping out of it before he realized what I was doing.

"Good morning." I greeted him with a small smile, trying to ignore my warm cheeks. "I brought you some breakfast."

"Thanks, Estelle." Yusei replied before he grabbed the tray.

I followed Yusei down to the garage, seeing that he had already begun fixing his Duel Runner. Tools were spread out around the motorcycle while wires were connected to it with the laptop. Yusei sat down on the couch and ate the breakfast while I sat down next to him, placing my satchel between my legs. I opened it, pulling out my notebook as I began to write a bit. It was mostly doodles and some drawings now, since I had written a lot the last few days. I wanted to save the remaining empty pages for diary entries and other stuff.

Yusei thanked me for the breakfast before he resumed working on the Duel Runner. However, before that, he gave me a letter that was a invitation for the Fortune Cup, and a photo of our friends back in the Satellite. He told me that Lazar had threatened that our friends would get hurt if we didn't participate. Anger boiled up in me when I heard that Goodwin was now starting to use force to manipulate us and treat us like pawns in a game of chess.

Blister joined us a half hour later and sat down on the empty spot on the couch while drinking from a coffee mug.

"So what exactly did that purple-haired freak say to you about dueling in the Fortune Cup?" He asked Yusei.

Yusei lowered his shoulders before he picked up the invitation letter from his jacket that was hanging off the back of his Runner. "It's not what he said, but what he showed me."

He threw the letter to Blister who caught it with ease. He put the cup aside and opened the envelope, finding not only the invitation but the picture of Rally, Nervin, Blitz and Tank.

"So these're your friends, huh?" Blister questioned.

"Yeah, and if the three of us don't show up to the Fortune Cup, Goodwin said that they'd pay the price." Yusei answered as he went back to working on his Runner.

"Sounds like something Goodwin would do." Blister stated. "If it's not a bribe, it's a threat. Your friends are in the Satellite?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"Ah man." Blister muttered before taking another look at the photo. "Listen, I wanna help you out." Yusei and I turned to him as he stood up. "I'll check on them and make sure nothing happened."

"You can get to the Satellite?" Yusei asked in slight disbelief.

Blister chuckled as he walked towards the stairs out of the garage. "I can get anywhere, Yusei. Now, don't worry, you'll be back with your buds in no time."

XXXXXXXXXX

After a hour or so, I decided to stretch my legs a bit and left Yusei alone in the garage. I went up to Blister's apartment to get a glass of water, only to get a big surprise. Tanner and Yanagi had showed up and were talking to Blister when I stepped into the apartment.

"Hey, Estelle." Blister said as the two new faces turned around to see me. "These two met Yusei while he was in the Facility, Tanner and Yanagi."

"Hiya, lass!" Yanagi grinned widely.

"Hi." I nodded slowly. "I'm Estelle. Thank you for looking after Yusei."

"So you're that gal Yusei told us about, huh?" Tanner asked with a smirk. "He was pretty worried bout you the whole time."

"Pardon?" I blinked, not expecting to hear that.

"Yeah, he spoke so highly of you as if you were his girlfriend!" Yanagi giggled like a high school girl. "When I asked him if you were, he said no, but his cheeks turned red!"

I couldn't help but blush after that comment, but then I giggled softly when I heard Yusei became shy when he had answered the question.

"Is Yusei round? I'd like to say hi to him." Tanner said.

"He's in the garage." I replied.

"Then let's go and surprise him!" Yanagi said enthusiastically.

The four of us headed down to the ground floor before Blister opened the door to the garage. We took a few steps inside before the blasting noise of Yusei's Duel Runner revving it's engine bombarded around us while a radio was on.

"Turn that off!" Blister shouted as we all covered our ears.

"I can't hear you!" Yusei yelled as he continued revving the Runner.

Yanagi dashed past us and ran straight over to Yusei, jumping around him. "Yusei, it's me! Yanagi!"

Yusei spotted Yanagi and quickly turned off the radio before he stopped revving his Duel Runner. That was a huge relief for my ears as the rest of us joined him and Yanagi.

"Yus, nice place." Tanner chuckled.

"You're out?" Yusei asked, surprised to see the two.

"And it's all thanks to you." Blister answered.

"When you out-dueled Chief Armstrong, we didn't just get early release, we got way early release!" Yanagi explained. "So we headed right over to this...um...this interesting-"

"This place is a dump! Why don't you get a throw rug and work some fung schwa in here?" Tanner suggested.

"Tanner, you said you'd be nice!" Yanagi scolded the former pro duelist.

"That was nice." Tanner chuckled before looking at Yusei's Duel Runner. "I'm liking the Duel Runner, though. Twin exhaust, turbo rotor, holo display and your own deck. Bet you wished you had that back in the Facility." He turned to Yusei. "What do you say you let me take it for a little ride and see what she's got? I'll bring it back with a full charge and not one scratch."

"Yeah, right." Yanagi chuckled with mirth. "You mean, like your last Runner?"

Tanner pulled his deck out of his vest. "How bout we duel? I win, I take her for a quick spin, okay?"

"I've gotta see this!" Yanagi exclaimed in joy.

Yusei smirked lightly, then nodded his head. "Sure. I need to warm up before the Fortune Cup."

"Wait, did you say Fortune Cup? You're gonna participate in the tournament?" Tanner asked in disbelief.

"Not just Yusei, but me and another person as well." I added.

Tanner and Yanagi turned to me, their eyes widening in shock.

"Really? That's incredible! I get to see your deck too!" The old man exclaimed with shiny eyes. "I heard from Yusei that you've got some amazing dragons!"

A blue Duel Runner then pulled up to us.

"Yusei, Estelle." The driver got off the Runner and removed their helmet. "What's this I heard about the Fortune Cup?"

We brought Ash up to speed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Just before Yusei and Tanner dueled on a abandoned basketball court, Jack showed up on his Duel Runner and returned Stardust Dragon to Yusei when he said he heard that the raven-haired man was going to participate in the Fortune Cup. The blonde-haired man was surprised when he heard that Goodwin had threatened Yusei with harming our friends back in the Satellite if we didn't participate in the competition. Jack claimed he had nothing to do with the scheme and left with a deal; if Yusei lost, he had to return Stardust Dragon to him when the tournament ended.

Yanagi got to see Stardust Dragon's card and could confirm that Yusei was possibly a Signer. When Yusei said that Jack was present when the Crimson Dragon first appeared, Yanagi suspected Jack was also a Signer. No one said anything about me, so I kept my mouth shut, not revealing I was connected to the Signers and the Crimson Dragon.

Tanner lost hard to Yusei, so he didn't get to take the Duel Runner out for a spin. I also got to duel Tanner, surprising him, Yanagi and Blister when I managed to summon one of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons to the field and won, but I almost lost after starting the duel with a bad hand.

After the duels, we decided to walk around the Daimon Area and watch a few street duels by a duel field. None of us brought our Duel Disks because we didn't want to attract attention and be challenged to a duel. Blister had gone to meet someone, but he said that he would join us later.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was early in the evening and more people had appeared by the duel field to watch the duels. Our group stood a little bit away from the crowd, but we still had a good view of the duels and Duel Monsters. The air was getting a bit chilly, so I was relieved I brought my jacket with me.

"Yusei, Estelle." Blister called our names when he joined our group, getting our attention. "Good news. I've found a work boat that'll take me to the Satellite tonight."

"A work boat? Don't those things just carry trash and diseases?" Yanagi asked.

"If you're lucky." Blister said. "This ain't some pleasure cruise. It's to check on Yusei and Estelle's friends. They may be in trouble, gramps. See, Yusei's got much bigger things to worry about."

"Like the Fortune Cup?" Tanner shrugged. "Hey, our boy will clean em up."

"There's a lot more at stake than just the tournament, Bolt." Blister retorted. "Goodwin and Atlas forced Yusei to duel. If they're involved, something bad's going on."

"Like the end of the world." Yanagi said in a concerned tone. "Everyone in New Domino; marker or not, Satellite and citizens. All our fates are tied to the Signers. To Yusei."

Yusei pulled his invitation letter out of his jacket and checked it. I could tell he was worried about what was coming next. I wished I could tell him things were a lot worse than he imagined.

Blister placed a hand on Yusei's shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Not sure I believe that, but just in case; why don't you win for the sake of all of humanity, okay?"

"Sure." Yusei nodded with a smile.

"Don't forget me, boys." I spoke up. "I'll do my best in this tournament as well, and maybe we'll face each other in the finals, Yusei."

Yusei smiled softly. "We'll see about that."

I giggled softly while tucking my hair behind my left ear.

"Mister."

I snapped my head up when I heard that familiar voice. I looked at the crowd and spotted two twelve year old boys walk up to a man, asking him something, only to be shunned away. I immediately recognized them.

They were Leo and Dexter!

If they were here, didn't this mean that the Black Rose Witch aka Akiza was going to appear?

"Leo!" Yusei called out as he walked towards the two.

Leo turned to us and when he saw Yusei a big smile formed on his face. He turned to Dexter and said something before dashing over to the raven-haired man. I smiled softly as the rest of us joined the unofficial Signer.

"So what's up?" Leo asked when he reached Yusei.

"What are you doing here, Leo?" Yusei questioned instead of answering him. "This is a dangerous place for little kids. Where's your sister?"

"She didn't want to come." Leo shrugged.

Dexter ran over to us, but let out a gasp of fear when he spotted the marker on Yusei's cheek.

"Leo, I don't think this guy's a superhero. Check his face." He whispered to the green-haired boy.

"That's his secret identity." Leo told him.

"What are you doin' here?" Yanagi asked with a big grin while leaning closer to the children, scaring Dexter.

"We've been looking around for the Black Rose Witch." Leo explained.

Black Rose Witch? Akiza was known as the Black Rose Witch, not just Black Rose? Did this mean her name was Izayoi Aki or Akiza Inzinski? I was a little bit confused.

Yusei turned to me and the other men. "He helped me get my memory back. He's cool."

"Yes, I'm cool!" Leo smiled before he wrapped a arm around Dexter's shoulders, pushing him forward. "And this guy's my best friend, Dexter."

"Um...hello." Dexter greeted nervously.

"That guy's the best. He's got this combo that's like 'Whoa!'. You should definitely duel him!" Leo encouraged his friend.

Dexter looked nervously at Yusei. "Maybe some other time." He glanced down, seeing the invitation letter from KaibaCorp in Yusei's hand, which made him relax a bit. "Look at that!"

"Hey! That's a invitation to duel at the Fortune Cup." Leo stated when he noticed the letter. "You'll be there too?"

"Uh-huh." Yusei nodded.

"I get to duel you~! I get to duel you~!" Leo chanted joyfully before he pointed at Yusei with a determined expression. "But this time, you're going down!" He turned to Dexter with a grin. "Maybe if I win, he'll make me his sidekick like in all those comic books. Cool, huh?"

"Yeah!" Dexter nodded.

I couldn't help but smile at Leo's imagination. It was just like the dub. Before I knew it, Yusei suddenly grimaced and fell down to his knees while clutching his right arm, hissing in pain.

"Yusei?!" I called out worried and knelled down next to him to see if I could help him.

"What's wrong?!" Yanagi asked.

"It hurts just like before." Yusei hissed through gritted teeth.

"Before?" Tanner questioned.

"When it first appeared...the Crimson Dragon." Yusei mumbled.

I started to feel a burning sensation on my right arm, but I ignored it for now. People around us suddenly started screaming in fear, shouting something about the Black Rose Witch coming. I looked over my shoulder when a powerful wind blew around us.

"T-t-the Witch?" Yanagi stuttered in disbelief.

"She's just a myth!" Blister commented.

"Oh yeah?!" Tanner retorted irritably.

"There's a reasonable explanation here!" Blister countered.

Roots with sharp thorns and vines tore through the concrete, lodging into buildings and knocking people down before they could run away. My eyes widened when I saw some people get scratched by the thorns, which drew blood.

One root came towards us as a crack formed in the concrete, dividing our group. Just before the root could hurt us, Yusei grabbed me and leaped clear of it. We landed safely with Ash also leaping clear while the others, including the children, fell to the ground.

Yusei and I were on our knees once again when we spotted the shadow of a dragon in the dust, it's eyes and mouth glowing red. I recognized it, it was Black Rose Dragon.

"Whose dragon is that?" Yusei grunted in pain.

"It belongs to the Black Rose Witch." Ash answered. People in the Daimon Area told him about her after he asked for more information. I watched him remove his glove to pull the sleeve of his jacket up revealing the Tail Mark of the Dragon on his arm while it was glowing red.

"My Mark!" Yusei exclaimed.

Blister, Yanagi and Tanner gathered around us and gasped when they saw Yusei's Mark. Dexter and Leo lied frozen on the ground a few meters away from us, but I saw Leo stare at Yusei's Mark as if it was a nightmare.

"Oh my!" Yanagi gasped.

"That's no tattoo!" Tanner stated.

"You're right, Tanner! It is the Mark of the Dragon!" Yanagi nodded.

The burning sensation on my right arm was growing stronger now, making me grunt in pain before I clutched it. I had to check to see if it was the same Mark I saw before at the Kaiba Dome. I pulled the sleeve of my shirt up and revealed the Mark of the Crimson Star.

"Den ar tillbaka (It's back)" I mumbled to myself, making sure no one heard my Swedish tongue.

"Estelle's got a glowing Mark too!" Blister exclaimed above me.

"In the shape of a star!" Tanner added.

"Shape of a star?!" Yanagi exclaimed in shock.

A strong light shined from Black Rose Dragon, causing us to shield our eyes until the light faded. My Mark throbbed a bit harder, but I couldn't feel the burning sensation anymore. The pain felt different...as if I was sensing powerful emotions.

"Help..."

My eyes widened when I heard Black Rose Dragon's voice in my head. "Black Rose Dragon?"

"Help my mistress..."

I got to my feet, ignoring the pain in my arm, before running towards the Signer Dragon that cried out for help. I heard Yusei and the others call my name, but I ignored them. The dust slowly cleared up around me, just as Black Rose Dragon vanished, revealing a woman standing in the Synchro monster's place. The woman was wearing a mask, black cloak and a burgundy dress. She had dark burgundy hair spilling out from underneath the cloak, a pinkish-red Duel Disk with purple gems on her left arm, and cards in her hand.

"Akiza." I whispered, calling her by her dub name out of instinct.

I flinched when Yusei ran past me and protectively stood in front of me. I blushed for a second before noticing Leo standing next to me as he gasped at the sight of Akiza.

"The Witch?" Yusei questioned.

"I think, but be careful." Leo took a step forward, but I held him back by placing a hand on his shoulder.

The others ran over to us and gasped in disbelief when they spotted Akiza. I could call her Black Rose Witch, but that didn't feel right. Akiza was Akiza.

"Okay, so she's not made up." Blister commented. "Now what, gramps?"

"I don't know." Yanagi answered nervously.

"Mind showing us the face behind the mask?" Ash asked her.

For some reason, he wasn't afraid.

I could feel Akiza staring at each of us as the pain in my Mark got worse. Was I feeling Akiza's emotions or something? Did I have a emotional bond with each Signer, allowing me to sense their suffering?

"Your arms!" The masked Akiza exclaimed angrily. "You two also have a Mark!"

Yusei and I shared a look before we looked at our Marks that were still glowing. The pain in my arm was nearly unbearable, forcing me to grit my teeth to hold back the grunts in my throat. Was Akiza becoming furious about these Marks?

"We do." Yusei replied before taking a few steps forward.

"Stay away from me!" The masked Akiza hissed threateningly before throwing a card into her Duel Disk.

The next thing we knew, a beacon of light appeared where she was standing, causing the air to whip madly around the area. The force was too much for the others to handle as they were all knocked over, or forced down to their knees. I was the only one that was still standing. The wind felt like a gentle breeze, but I still had to shield my eyes from the light.

When the wind ceased and light faded, there were only sparks of electricity left in Akiza's place. There was no trace of her.

"She's gone." Tanner said, taking the words out of my mouth.

"Amazing!" Yanagi exclaimed. "That's what I call a exit for the ages! What do you think her encore looks like?"

"We found her." Dexter shivered as he and Leo held onto each other, looking amazed and horrified at the same time. "The Black Rose is real..."

"That was so awesome." Leo stuttered, in the same state as his friend.

I looked around and saw people helping those that were injured as they threw profanities at the Black Rose Witch. Deep down I felt angry, but I couldn't help but worry about Akiza. She was a emotional wreck, but I knew that she didn't want to think and face reality because she was too dependent on Sayer. And Sayer was manipulating her.

"The Witch said you two also have a Mark." Blister said. "What did she mean by that?"

I glanced over at Yusei's arm and saw that his Mark was no longer there. Mine was gone as well when I checked my arm.

"Where'd they go?" Leo asked as he and Dexter regained strength in their legs.

"Vanished! Like magic!" Yanagi exclaimed in disbelief.

"I know." Yusei suddenly said. "I have to find this Black Rose."

Most of the others gasped in disbelief while I remained silent.

"After all, guys..." Yusei continued as he looked up. "I need to get some answers."

"I'm sure we'll find them tomorrow...at the Fortune Cup." I told Yusei, placing a comforting hand on his back, just below the shoulder blades.

I couldn't help but wonder what kind of impact I would make while participating in the Fortune Cup. Was I going to replace one of the characters that originally dueled in the tournament? If so, who? And what else could happen in the tournament that never occurred in the anime?

So many questions, yet no answers.