FicWad

I was trying to sleep in the bed, but I had a hard time falling asleep. My brain was overloaded by all the questions. Were the twins alright? What happened to Tanner and Yanagi? Why was Akiza showing signs that she was acting against Sayer? Where was my deck?

I didn't know what time it was because there was no clock in my room, but I knew that Carly will soon find Sayer's secret office elsewhere in the building and duel him...then become a Dark Signer.

I lifted my head up from the pillow when I heard the door open very slowly. I turned to the door, seeing a figure standing in the shadows. "Who is it? Akiza?"

The figure closed the door and locked it before stepping into the moonlight shining through the only window in the room.

"Sayer?!" I quickly sat up on the bed. "What do you want?"

I didn't understand. Wasn't he supposed to duel Carly?

Sayer suddenly had a dark look in his eyes, which made me shake in fear. "I am here to crush your mind."

"Crush my mind?" I asked.

Sayer walked up to the bed and was fast enough to grab my arms when I tried to jump off of it. He pushed me back onto the mattress as he crawled on top of me, holding both of my wrists above my head with one hand. Now I realized what he was going to do!

"Let me go!" I struggled against his grip.

"You may not look like it, but I sense a fighting spirit within you." Sayer whispered as he caressed my cheek with his free hand. "So I'm going to resort to the hard way to crush you. It's such a shame, even though you look so innocent."

"Get off me!" I demanded.

"So you've never had a intimate moment with a man before? This should be interesting." Sayer lowered his face down to my neck and started butterfly-kissing it.

I grunted through my teeth, trying to fight against the feeling. "Stop."

"No, my dear...we're just getting started."

I was trying to come up with a plan to resist Sayer or catch him off guard with a comment, but it was hard to focus due to the touches. "W-what will A-Akiza think w-when she h-hears wh-what you d-did to me?"

"She won't listen to you. Her mind is mine. Now, stop resisting and enjoy."

His hand went down to my collarbone before reaching my chest. I didn't want him to touch me. I wanted to save my body for the man I would fall in love with one day. But my moans only provided encouragement for Sayer to continue molesting me.

I felt his free hand caress my side. Sayer was about to touch the hem of my stretch tights when he suddenly looked up, as if he sensed something. I felt him release his grip on my wrists and stood up from the bed, causing me to sigh in relief after the torture had ended.

Sayer didn't say a word as he walked out of the room and locked the door behind him. I sat up and tried to calm my rapidly beating heart down. Thankfully, my Mark suddenly glowed warmly, calming me down instantly.

As soon as I adjusted myself mentally, I stood up from the bed and walked over to the door. I had to figure out a way to escape and save the others before it was too late.

For a moment, I thought about summoning a weapon with my Mark, but then I realized it would be too cliche. So the only thing I could do was sit on the chair close to the door and wait.

Right as I sat down, a sound was heard. The lock shifted, indicating it was unlocked. I quickly stood up, waiting for the person to open the door. My Mark throbbed, telling me that Akiza was standing outside.

She opened the door and peeked inside. "Estelle?"

I walked up to her, noticing she had a worried expression on her face. "Akiza? What's wrong?"

"I..." Akiza hesitated. "I wanted to come back...to be with you."

I might have heard it wrong, but the tone she used sounded like a scared child seeking comfort.

"But...didn't Sayer tell you to stay away from me?" I asked her.

Akiza nodded as she closed the door after entering the room. "Yes. But for some reason...I feel more comfortable being with you."

I smiled gently at her. Her speech made me remember the few friends I had during my childhood. They all mentioned they felt comfortable being close to me because I had some kind of calm aura. Even with the few part-time jobs I had in my dimension, my coworkers mentioned the same thing when we were in a rush.

Akiza held a familiar bag, that I realized was mine.

"My bag!" I exclaimed happily before taking it. "You held onto it?"

"Sayer went through your bag and found your deck." Akiza explained. "He wanted to take it to storage, but I managed to convince him that I should do it. So he gave me your bag and I kept it safe until coming back."

I checked to see if everything was in my bag; card keys to the Tops, wallet, my deck and other necessities like tissues and Band-Aids. "Thank you, Akiza. I was worried that I lost my deck forever."

Akiza actually smiled. "You're welcome...it kind of reminded me...when I was about to throw my deck into a bonfire years ago, but Sayer stopped me from doing that."

We sat down on the edge of the bed and just stayed there in comfortable silence. Akiza looked a lot more relaxed than ever before because she suddenly leaned her head on my shoulder. I smiled at her and wrapped my arm around her waist, bringing her closer to me. I suddenly felt like a big sister, watching over a little sister.

We sat there for about five minutes before there was a earthquake. Akiza opened her eyes and looked around the room as it shook. "An earthquake?"

I suddenly felt my Mark throb painfully, causing me to look at it and see it was glowing. "A Dark Signer is here."

"Dark Signer?" Akiza questioned.

I stood up from the bed. "The evil we Signers must face to end the war with the shadows. We have to get out of here!"

"Wait!" Akiza yelled. "We have to find Sayer to see if he knows something about this."

"No, we must find the others and get out of here quickly!" I argued. "In the meantime, we can also look for Sayer."

"Okay." Akiza nodded.

XXXXXXXXXX

Akiza and I walked through the silent corridor together. Akiza had even knocked on a couple doors to see if the few "friends" she had were in their rooms.

We reached the main hallway with the balconies, but there was no one there either.

"Sayer? Anyone?" Akiza called out. "Hello? Come on, stop kidding around!"

"Looking for someone?" A woman's voice spoke up.

We turned to the left and saw a tall woman with long black hair standing not far away from us. It was Misty Tredwell, the model.

"Sayer is, should I say, occupied." Misty said.

"Wait, I know you!" Akiza shouted. "You're that model."

"Misty Tredwell." I added.

"I see that the Crimson Star Priestess is better with remembering people's names." Misty said. "But I'm not surprised considering she knows what's going to happen next."

Akiza looked at me confused, but I ignored it because I was glaring at Misty. "Are you here because you believe Akiza is the person who killed your brother?"

Akiza gasped. "What did you say?! I never killed anyone!"

"I know that, Akiza." I assured her. "But she..." I pointed at Misty. "...still believes the rumors that her brother was murdered by the Black Rose."

Misty snorted. "Enough talking! I've been waiting a long time for this. I want my brother back!"

"I don't know your brother!" Akiza retorted.

"Enough lies! I want answers and I want them now, Miss Akiza." Misty sneered. "Your group of psychics, the Arcadia Movement, stole him from me. So now...I'll give you one more chance to tell me the truth! Where is my brother Toby, Black Rose?!"

"I already told you that I don't know." Akiza repeated.

"Then we duel." Misty suggested.

"Fine, let's go!" Akiza nodded as she opened a hidden slot in the wall and brought out her Duel Disk with her deck inserted.

"To tell you the truth, I had hoped it would come to this." Misty said. "A duel should be the perfect chance to try out some of the new abilities I've been offered. You see, you're not the only one keeping a big secret. Do not let my perfect face fool you, for I am a Dark Signer who has come to send you to the Netherworld."

"You're a Dark Signer?" Akiza asked.

The Mark of the Lizard appeared on Misty's right arm, glowing purple. Mine and Akiza's Mark responded to the evil Mark, glowing painfully.

And right in front of us, Misty's body was enveloped in a purple light as her outfit was replaced by her Dark Signer outfit, and markers were on both of her cheeks.

"What do you want?" Akiza asked as the building began to shake again.

"The truth!" Misty responded. "I'll get it, even if I have to shake it out of you!"

Akiza turned to me with a worried expression. "Estelle."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be here by your side. You're not alone. Use the duel to show Misty that you're not responsible for her brother's death."

"R-right." Akiza nodded.

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty taunted Akiza the whole time to make my friend tell her what happened to Toby. And then came the sore part when Misty told Akiza about her Signer power; that she couldn't control her power and only hurt people, even close ones. That made me lose my temper.

"Shut up, Misty!" I shouted, making both women look at me. "Akiza would never hurt any of her closest friends! If she would, how come I'm not covered in scratches and wounds right now? Because she cares about me!"

"I care about you." Akiza muttered.

"Then how come Akiza enjoys scaring all the people that mock her because she's a witch?" Misty asked.

"Don't listen to Misty, Akiza!" I told her. "You know that you hate scaring and hurting people, and you want help controlling your power."

"And what if she really enjoys it?" Misty taunted.

"Stop." Akiza clutched her head as her body began to shake.

I could sense her emotions stirring in her heart like a typhoon. She wasn't sure about what kind of person she really was.

Misty smirked. "There, do you see, Crimson Star Priestess?" I raised a eyebrow as I held Akiza's shoulders. "She's so confused she can't even decide what her true self is. She will lose this Shadow Duel and rest in the Netherworld along with Sayer!"

"I know who I am!" Akiza suddenly shouted, making me and Misty look at her.

Akiza took her hands off her head as she turned to me. "I...I'm Estelle's friend!"

Misty gaped when she and I felt the compassion from Akiza. My Star Mark responded to Akiza's Mark, feeling my friend's warmth.

"Estelle has showed me so much that I now know who I am." Akiza smiled at me before turning to Misty. "I am Akiza Inzinski, not the Black Rose! And I will make you open your eyes and understand I'm not responsible for your brother's death!"

I was surprised to hear Akiza repeat what I said to Jack during our duel in the Fortune Cup.

Misty wasn't looking too happy about the development, but she refused to give up torturing Akiza about her brother who wanted to meet her.

Just then, I saw Luna on the other side of the hallway with Leo, Tanner and Yanagi.

"Estelle!" The twins called out.

I waved to them. "Stay right there! A Shadow Duel is underway!"

"Okay! Be careful!" Tanner shouted.

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty summoned her Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua. Her two Reptile Tokens flew outside and the whole building shook violently.

Akiza's and my Mark started to hurt along with Luna's Mark when I turned to look at the others. But then, a shield of crimson energy came out of Luna's Mark, surrounding her group. I quickly pulled my deck out of my bag and looked through it to find two of my Duel Monsters.

"Bright Star Dragon! Chaos-End Master!" I shouted.

Two lights, one white and one yellow, shot out of the cards and turned into the two Duel Monsters. They were two meters tall and flew in the air.

"Mistress!" Bright Star Dragon greeted me.

"What is your command?" Chaos-End Master asked.

"Go to Luna's group and protect them in case things get worse!" I told them.

"Roger!"

Both of my Duel Monsters flew over to Luna's group as purple lights flew around us, heading outside to feed Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua's "heart".

"What is this?" Akiza asked, looking at the purple spirits.

"My Earthbound Immortal is absorbing the spirits of New Domino City's citizens. But don't worry, It won't absorb you because I'm saving you for last." Misty explained.

Just then, I felt a headache and my energy being drained. I felt my legs give in and I fell down to the floor, panting deeply.

"Estelle!" Akiza knelt down next to me. "What's wrong?"

I panted harshly. "T-this is...ju-just l-like before..."

"Before?" Akiza blinked, confused.

"Ah, I seem to have forgotten one thing." Misty said out loud. "According to the legend, the Crimson Star Priestess is not immune to the darkness of the Earthbound Immortals until all five Signers are gathered, and there are only two of them here."

"T-that ex-explains th-things." I panted as I slowly got up with Akiza's help.

Akiza glared at Misty. "Where is that monster?! You did just summon it, didn't you?"

"Oh, I summoned one, alright." Misty confessed. "Turn around, Akiza."

We turned around and were on the verge of screaming when we saw a giant eye peeking through the window.

"W-what is that?!" Akiza gasped.

I didn't know if it was the building or me that was shaking. But I could sense Ccarayhua's darkness from outside as it roared loudly. At the same time, Akiza and I heard a man's scream echo through the building.

"You hear that?" Misty asked us. "Your leader Sayer is having a difficult time."

Akiza looked up at the ceiling that was affected by Misty's Savage Colosseum field spell. "Sayer!"

I held Akiza's shoulder, trying to calm her down. But then the whole building began to tremble violently as I heard a loud bird cry coming from outside.

"Another earthquake?!" Akiza asked.

"No." I shook my head. "Another Earthbound Immortal is about to be summoned."

"And that means you'll become twice as weak, Priestess." Misty said. "I'm surprised you managed to stay awake after I summoned Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua."

I raised a eyebrow when I felt my body begin to lose the strength to stand, causing me to fall to my knees again as I started cold sweating. Akiza knelt down next to me and tried to help me, but her attention was now on the ceiling, looking for Sayer.

I gasped really hard as I felt my Mark glowing brighter, in pain and comfort at the same time. It was like the darkness was trying to corrupt my body, but the power of the Crimson Dragon protected me.

I saw two new lights fly out of my bag, one blue and one green, before they headed outside. Their power made me realize which Duel Monsters had come out without me summoning them.

"Moon Dragon Quilla! Orient Dragon!" I called out. "Come back!"

Two roars pierced the air. I realized that just like last night when Sun Dragon Inti appeared, they were probably trying to hold the two Earthbound Immortals back, since Ccapac Apu seemed to be scared of Sun Dragon Inti.

Just then, there was a large explosion up above, the ceiling had been destroyed with debris raining down in the middle of the hallway. A body fell down with the debris, one Akiza immediately recognized.

"Sayer!" She stood up and looked down at the balcony.

I didn't have enough strength to get to my feet, but I knew that Sayer was absorbed by a purple mist on the ground floor.

I suddenly heard cracks around me and looked up to see that the walls were beginning to collapse. I slowly got to my feet and turned to Luna's group. "Chaos-End Master! Bright Star Dragon! Get the others out of here!"

"Right!" Chaos-End Master nodded.

"But what about you, Mistress?" Bright Star Dragon asked.

"I'll be fine! Hurry up and go!" I ordered.

Chaos-End Master picked the twins up, one in each arm, while Bright Star Dragon picked Yanagi up bridal style and Tanner climbed onto the dragon's back before the two Duel Monsters flew away from the area.

"Looks like we're going to have to finish this another time, Akiza." Misty told her while she was paralyzed by shock.

I grabbed Akiza's shoulder. "Akiza, let's get out of here!"

"No!" Akiza shook her head violently. "Sayer's gone. I can't go without him!"

"You have to!" I retorted.

"Go and leave me!"

"I'm not going anywhere without you, Akiza! I'm not abandoning my friend!"

Misty chuckled before she started laughing loudly as she slowly disappeared in a purple mist. I could sense the two Earthbound Immortals returning to their cards, but my two dragons were still outside.

Akiza was holding onto the railing so hard I couldn't pull her away from it. I was about to call her name when the lights turned off and debris was falling down towards us. I quickly held Akiza close to me to protect her, waiting for our doom.

But it never came. Instead I heard two familiar roars echoing around us. I opened my eyes and saw that Moon Dragon Quilla used her four necks to form a shelter.

"Quilla!" I exclaimed.

"H-hurry and get out of here, Mistress!" Quilla groaned as she struggled with the debris.

Orient Dragon was about to pick us up when we heard a Duel Runner engine. Out of a corridor emerged Jack Atlas, driving his improved Duel Runner.

"Jack?!" I asked, shocked.

"Estelle? Are you and Akiza okay?!" Jack asked.

"We were just about to leave, so hurry and get out of here!" I retorted just as Orient Dragon grabbed me and Akiza, lifting us up until my Asian dragon cupped up with his long-clawed paws.

Just then, I noticed that Akiza had lost consciousness as tears ran down her cheeks. I wiped them away as Orient Dragon flew outside with Moon Dragon Quilla.

Once I looked up, I saw the flames produced by the two Nazca Lines left scars in a large portion of New Domino City. Orient Dragon lowered himself to the ground as several Sector Security vehicles and ambulances had gathered. Among the crowd was Tanner and his group with my two Duel Monsters waiting for us.

Orient Dragon put me and Akiza down before he and Moon Dragon Quilla returned to my deck with Chaos-End Master and Bright Star Dragon.

I was still holding Akiza, her arm around my shoulders, when Luna and the others ran over to us.

"Estelle, are you okay?!" Luna shouted.

"How is Akiza?" Tanner asked.

"Did you get hurt?" Leo questioned.

"What happened in there?" Yanagi asked.

I was starting to get a headache from all the questions. "Calm down! I'm fine, but Akiza's not in the best shape."

Jack drove out of the Arcadia Movement building and stopped next to us. He removed his helmet and I could tell from his expression he was worried for once.

"Are you two okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine, but Akiza needs medical attention." I said, holding Akiza around her waist.

"That's probably a good idea." We all heard a deep voice as a large, red creature flew down towards us.

"D...dragon!" Leo stuttered.

We were also joined by Omnimon, who had seen the two Earthbound Immortals while standing on the roof of a apartment building.

A couple paramedics ran over to us with a hospital gurney and helped me place Akiza on it. I followed them to the ambulance to head to the hospital. I was not going to abandon Akiza. She needed me and the other Signers right now.

Just before the paramedics closed the doors, Luna's group ran over to me.

"We're coming with you!" Luna declared.

"No." I shook my head. "Go home and rest. Come to the hospital tomorrow. And Luna." The little girl blinked. "Could you be so kind to get my casual outfit, my bag and my Duel Disk tomorrow."

"Of course." Luna nodded.

"Excuse me, but we must leave." One of the paramedics told us.

I nodded. "Okay." I turned back to Tanner and Yanagi. "Look after the twins, okay?"

"You got it!" Tanner declared.

"I hope Akiza will be fine." Yanagi said, a little worried.

I nodded when the paramedics closed the doors and the ambulance drove off. I glanced at Akiza who was still sleeping. A paramedic sat on the other side of the gurney and hooked Akiza up with medical equipment.

I reached out for Akiza's hand and squeezed it gently. Her hand was cold...no, freezing. It was like the warmth of her Mark had been sapped by the Earthbound Immortal.

I prayed that either Yusei or I could wake her up.