"Cardfight! Vanguard?" Kourin took another drink from her cup. The girl in front of her laid out some cards on the table.

"Yup! A girl showed to me on the way here! I'll teach you too and then we can play together!" The girl brought out a second deck. "I got this one too. Something tells me it was meant for you."
Kourin fanned out the second deck. A variety of knights and beasts decorated the front of each card. A feeling of nostalgia overwhelmed her. She couldn't quite figure out why, though. It wasn't like she ever played the game.

"Royal Paladin! And I got Angel Feather for myself and that other girl!" The other girl smiled, "Oh, right! I never introduced myself! I'm Rekka!" She took another sip of her soda before reaching out to shake hands with Kourin. She hesitated and then reached over and returned the gesture.

"I'm back. Miss me?" A tall woman with light blue hair placed some food on the table.

"Thank you, ummmmm…" Rekka scratched her head.

"Dear me. I never told you my name even though you told me yours! My name is Suiko." She took a seat next to Rekka.

Kourin couldn't help but smile. Perhaps it was because the other two girls had lost all their memories but their name like her, but she felt like she was with family. Kourin felt as if she were sitting with two long-lost sisters. Suddenly, she broke out into a laugh. Although she thought Rekka and Suiko would just stare at her in confusion, they laughed with her. The sisterly feeling was mutual.
They had met up if front of a strange shop in the mall. None of them knew why. Kourin had just been going where her feet would take her. There was really no other option for her. When they found out that all of them had lost all of their memories except for their own names, the three decided it was fate.

"So, Kourin, want to play with me?"

"Umm… yeah… I'll try…" she gathered the cards back into a deck and awaited Rekka's instructions. Rekka led her through the set up, but Kourin found herself performing most of the actions before Rekka finished her sentences. She almost felt as if the cards were guiding her with each ride. Were they trying to tell her something about herself?

"STAND UP, VANGUARD!"

As soon as she spoke those words, Kourin knew that there was no need for further instruction from Rekka. Her heart filled with passion like she never felt before.

"I ride Stinging Jewel Knight, Shellie! Tiffany moves to the rearguard!"

"I ride Drugstore Nurse! Peniel moves to the rearguard. I attack!"

"No guard!"

Suiko watched the match earnestly. She had no idea what was happening, but Kourin seemed to be playing skillfully, despite not even knowing what the game was. When she looked back at Rekka, she saw equal passion in her eyes. Perhaps the strange card game was the key to their memories. She would have to try it out too. Before long, a crowd started forming around them. From the corner of her eye, she noticed some girls dialing on the phones, but she thought nothing of it.

"I ride Pure Heart Jewel Knight, Ashlei! I call two Tracies and a Shellie! Tracie attacks!"

"I guard with Baruch!"

"Now Ashlei!"

"I guard with Samyaza!"

"Twin drive! First check… No trigger. Second check… Draw trigger! I give the power to Ashlei and my attack goes through!"

"Damage check… No trigger."

"My other Tracie attacks Danielle!"

"No guard."

"Stand and draw! I love-love ride Prophecy Celestial, Ramiel!"

"Love-love ride?" Kourin giggled, "That's ridiculous!

"It is not!" Rekka pouted, launching attacks with her Angel Feathers, "I just made it up! It's great!"

"Keep telling yourself that," Kourin replied, guarding the attacks with ease.

"I end my turn…" Rekka grumbled.

"Stand and draw! I ride… I…" Kourin looked at the grade 3 she was about to breakride. It reminded her of someone… someone who she knew was full of determination. But who? Even if such a person existed, they were lost to her. "I breakride, Prevail Jewel Knight, Yvain!"

"Kourin!"

Someone called her name, but she thought it to be a hallucination.

"How can you breakride if you only have three damage?!" Rekka asked.

"With Sabalmy's skill, of course." she tapped a grade one in the same column as one of her Tracies. "Any card that has limit break can use its skill at three or less damage too! Breakride skill! 10000 power to Yvain and an extra critical!"

Kourin forgot someone important. She knew that now. She had forgotten someone who changed her life. She had forgotten someone she loved.

"Kourin!"

The imaginary voice belonged to that person.

"Seek mate!" Kourin picked up four cards from her drop zone and returned them to her deck. "Knight whose bond breaks all barriers, call out to your lost friend! Surely through all the turmoil of battle, you shall find each other again! Legion! Jewel Knight, Swordmy!"

"Legion?! Ooohhh! How interesting!" Suiko found herself slowly recalling the rules, little by little.

"Kourin!"

She heard the hallucinatory voice right behind her. Kourin spun around to find a boy her age with ragged breath and tears in his eyes. She looked at him, and found her home.

"Ai… chi…? Aichi... I-is that your name?" she dropped her cards.

"K-Kourin! I-I've been looking everywhere for you!" Aichi dropped to the floor and broke out into tears. "You're safe! I can't believe I found you!" he rejoiced, wiping tears from his eyes.

"I was the one who called you," an older girl next to him muttered. She slipped off a ribbon from her wrist and presented it to Kourin. "This is yours. You may not remember, but that's fine." With slight confusion, Kourin took the ribbon and tied her hair out of her face. She didn't know why, but it felt right.

"D-don't mind me, K-Kourin. Finish your cardfight. We'll catch up l-later." Aichi kneeled and picked up the cards that Kourin dropped. He inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm himself down.

"Right," Kourin replied. "I attack with Tracie!"

"Guard!" Rekka placed Sunny Smile Angel from her hand to the guardian circle.

"Now, Yvain and Swordmy! Legion skill! If I have six or more Jewel Knights, they get 5000 power and another critical! In addition, with the boost from Tiffany and the 2000 power from Yvain's other skill…"

"…42000 power and a critical of three?!" Rekka nearly fell backwards. "I nullify it!" she said, placing a perfect guard on the guardian circle and discarding a card from her hand to pay for the cost.

"Twin drive! First check… Critical trigger! All effects to my standing Tracie! Second check… Critical trigger! Again, everything to Tracie! Now, boosted by Sabalmy, Tracie launches an attack at your Vanguard for 29000 power and a critical of three!"

"No guard!" Rekka was unable to block the attack. In an instant, her damage went damage to seven. Kourin had won the game.

"How are you feeling, Kourin?" Suiko asked. Without answering, Kourin leaped from her seat and into Aichi's arms. Her memories didn't return like some fairytale, but she knew she was with people she loved.

"Aichi… I'm home. I love you."

Aichi smiled, wiped the tears from his face, and met his lips with Kourin's.

"I'm glad… I love you too."