A/N: So I'm rewriting this story for a couple of reasons. I was showing my husband YuGiOh! 5D's, so that got me wanting to write more with that world again. So I went back and read through this story, which I wrote like seven years ago... and I kind of wanted to choke. My immaturity in that time shone through like a laser beam. I'd made Elodie selfish and a bit of a Mary Sue, and I almost hated her. I just couldn't leave it sit where it was. And so, here we are.
Those of you who have read this story before will find that a lot of the core elements are still the same. I've just made Elodie a more realistic character with a more realistic story and I didn't make the entire frickin' universe revolve around her. I hope you guys like the improvements. Let me know in a review if you can!
Chapter One: The Psychic
It was an overcast, rather gloomy day in Satellite, but that was nothing new. Satellite itself was gloomy, to put it lightly. Despair and uncertainty were palpable in the air, and it was even thicker now with the fear that loomed over the entire little island. With all of the strange events of recent days, such as purple fires, the cloaked preachers, and the people disappearing, things in Satellite were worse than ever.
But they don't know just how bad it's going to get, I thought to myself. I was standing on top of the unfinished bridge just outside the little courtyard I called home. I could hear shouts of laughter and chatter below me as my nest played happily, immune to the feeling of dread that hung in the air. Normally, I would have been down there with them. But for the moment, I needed some time to think.
Just the night before, Yusei had gotten into a life-or-death duel with a Dark Signer. He had explained to me that the Dark Signers were trying to plunge the world into Hell, and now he and his fellow Signers with their Crimson Dragon markings were the only hope the world had to be saved from certain destruction. But I hadn't fully understood just how high the stakes were until I'd seen that first battle with my very own eyes.
And it hadn't been against just any Dark Signer. The image of Kiryu - his arm glowing with a Dark Signer mark, his eyes midnight black - swam in my vision, and my fists clenched. Kiryu had tried to kill Yusei last night, who had been badly injured when he crashed his D-wheel during the duel. The crash had wound up saving him from certain oblivion, and he was now healing up with Martha looking after him, but I'm sure the worst damage had been done emotionally. I felt it, too. Every time I thought of Kiryu, it was like I was getting hit in the gut by a charging bull.
Not that his betrayal should've surprised me any. He had already been a couple cards short of a duel deck even before he attacked Security those few years ago. Even so, I was still pissed off. Kiryu had once been a decent guy, someone I had respected and even looked up to; now all I wanted to do was go out and kick his butt. His and those of the other Dark Signers, too. Heck, if Yusei and his Signer buddies could do it, then why couldn't I help? I was just as good a dueler as them, with or without a mark.
Besides, if what Yusei had said about Satellite being in danger was true - which it undoubtedly was - I had to do everything in my power to make sure my nest was safe. If anything happened to them...
I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. It seemed as though everything in life was a struggle. There was always a battle to be won, an enemy to fight, the need to flee or hide... would it ever end? I was tired of it all... not just physically, but mentally. It was a bone-deep exhaustion... like I was just tired of life. I was tired of living on the margins, of having to fight every day, whether it was for freedom or cards or our next meal.
"Snap out of it, Crow," I muttered to myself, shaking the negative thoughts out of my head. It would do no good to dwell on thoughts like that. I had to look for the bright side of things. At least I wasn't all alone out here, like I had been before I met Yusei and Jack. At least I had the nest to keep me occupied and in good company. Things would turn out okay in the end; we couldn't have bad luck forever, could we? Besides, with Yusei's new connection with Rex Goodwin, maybe he could convince the Security Bureau to give Satellite a better deal. Maybe Yusei's involvement with the Signers was a blessing in disguise. I took a deep breath of the salty sea breeze coming up from the ocean.
Then I heard a scream.
Normally, I would have thought that it was just one of the kids playing rough. But this was a loud, high pitched shriek of pure terror. And it sounded like a child's. I whirled around, my legs rushing me down to my nest before I could even tell them to move. The kids had stopped playing, but they too were looking around anxiously, trying to find the source of the sound.
"Did you hear that?" John asked me, eyes wide as he held Annie close to him.
"Yeah," I nodded, staring out toward the alley that lead out of the courtyard. "Stay here, kids. I'm going to go check it out."
I hesitantly stepped out into the alley, duel disk up and ready to go. For a moment there was nothing, but then I heard running footsteps. A small figure with long, flaming red hair dashed down the next road, there one minute and then gone the next. More footsteps came, these ones much louder and heavier, and I watched as three more figures, these ones heavy set and definitely male, darted after the smaller one.
My eyes went wide. Three men were trying to kidnap a child! A girl by the looks of it. "Not as long as I'm around," I growled. And I sprinted after them.
The streets of Satellite were like an endless labyrinth, but I knew them well. I could travel from one place to another blind folded easily. I followed the shouts of the girl, who was continuing to cry for help. My blood boiled, fueling my body as I pushed myself faster. They couldn't be allowed to catch that girl. No way was I letting that happen!
After crossing numerous streets and turning several corners, I heard one of the pursuers shout a curse.
"Where did she go?"
"Split up!"
I turned another corner just in time to see the three men at a fork in the road. Two of them disappeared around the right corner, while the remaining one sprinted down the left.
I had to find that girl before they did. But how would I find her in this place? I looked around and found a ladder against a wall on the other side of the road. It led up to the roof of the building it was leaning against. I climbed up the ladder and onto the flat-topped roof; I now had a bird's-eye view of the streets below me. I ran along the edge of the building, searching desperately until... there! The girl was running down a road about a block away, but two of the men were hot on her heels. Her flaming orange hair whipped around her terrified face as her small feet pounded the pavement. The two men were gaining on her fast, cackling victoriously as they slowly gained on her. Looking ahead of her path, I realized she was heading straight to a dead end. My heart dropped into my stomach, and I jumped back down to the ground after them, too focused on the rescue to notice the figure jumping across the rooftops in the same direction behind me.
I rounded the corner that lead to the dead-end, and then skidded to a halt, ducking behind an old dumpster. I cursed under my breath; the two thugs had reached the girl first. She was backed against the wall, her small frame quivering with fear, and the bullies' shadows cloaking her in darkness. As I watched, the girl spoke in a small, high-pitched voice.
"Just let me go home, please, I want to go home-"
"Don't worry, little girl," One of the thugs said, and I recognized him as the one who had cursed before, "we'll let you go... as soon as you agree to join our gang."
"B-b-but I've already t-told you, I can't help your gang! I'm not as powerful as you think I am-"
"Oh, please!" the second man said. "We've heard all about you and your psychic powers. With a little training, you could be of great use to us."
"But I can't control my powers!" she pleaded, pressing herself into the wall as if wishing to disappear through it. "I have no idea how to! Just let me go-"
"Quit whining!" Foul-mouth snarled, taking a step toward her. The girl shrunk back even further, if that were possible. Tears were streaming down her face as the bully said, "Do you actually think we care? We can't have a little witch like you running free through the streets." He sneered evilly at the poor child. "Someone could get hurt."
"It would be best for everyone if you come with us," the other man lied. "We'll take good care of you. We promise."
"Please, don't make me do this!" The girl sobbed. "I already have a home and a family! I have-"
"Enough talk, girl," snapped Foul-Mouth. "You either come with us, or you never get to see your home and so called 'family' again!"
I had to intervene now, before things really got out of hand. I activated the duel disk attached to my arm and slipped my deck into it; things like this always ended in a duel. My heart was racing, pumping adrenaline through my veins. I took a deep breath, stepped out and-
"Let her go!"
I stopped, those same words about to burst from my own lips. The two gangsters shot up as a silhouette appeared on the roof. The newcomer jumped down, and the gangsters scrambled back to avoid her as she landed, light as a cat, between them and the girl, who gave a sob of relief.
"Elodie!" she cried.
The first thing I noticed about the newcomer, Elodie, was her eyes. They were blazing bright amber, as fierce and deadly as fire. She glared at the two thugs who had threatened the little girl through long, dark bangs that hung low over her eyes like curtains. As she stood, it came to my attention that she was small. I was probably taller than her, and I was short for a guy. She looked a little younger than me as well, but not by much. Maybe one or two years. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but even then it hung down to the middle of her back. She wore dark jeans with black boots, a black shirt beneath a dark red leather jacket, and black leather gloves with the fingers cut off. She gave off a frightening aura for someone so small, but the little girl clung to her like she was a life saver.
"Elodie," one of the thugs snarled, hatred lacing his tone. "I thought we had given you the slip."
"I'm going to give you both one chance to leave now and never come back."
The girl, Elodie, hadn't raised her voice, but the threat was very plain in her dark, angry tone. I noticed she had an accent. British, maybe? As curious as her voice was, I found myself mystified by her eyes; they were unnatural, almost inhuman, and my blood turned cold as I looked at them. Those eyes suddenly shifted to me, piercing my through like a blade. I'd forgotten that I was still standing out in the open, ready to fight. Her eyes narrowed, and I felt frozen in place, unable to look away.
A shadow moving behind the two girls caught my attention, breaking the spell. Looking around them, I saw the third gang member, whom I had nearly forgotten about, sneaking up on them from behind with a crow bar held tight in his hand.
Reacting instinctively, I shouted, "Behind you!"
The man brought down the crow bar just as Elodie whipped around, pushing the younger girl away in an explosion of movement. To my shock, Elodie stepped into the man's arm reach, grabbing the wrist of the hand holding the bar with one hand and punching the inside of his elbow with the other. He shouted as the joint buckled, and Elodie swung her elbow across his face while still holding his wrist. Stunned from the blow, the man's grip on the crowbar slackened, and Elodie ripped it out of his hand and swung it across his face again. The redhaired girl screamed, and I tore my eyes away just as Foul-Mouth shouldered pass me, lugging her with him.
I lunged, jumping onto his back and wrapping my arms around his neck. He struggled, choking, before finally letting the girl go to grab my arms.
"Jennie, run!" Elodie shouted. "I'll come find you!"
The girl was gone in a flash. Another shout rose up behind me and bulging arms wrapped around my middle, yanking me and Foul-Mouth backward. I quickly let go of Foul-Mouth, kicking him from behind as the momentum threw me and the guy grabbing me down to the ground. I rolled off him, seeing the Foul-Mouth scramble to his feet to go after Jennie, and I whipped out a hook and rope from my Team Satisfaction days and used it to catch him around his ankle, pulling him down flat on his face.
"Where do you think you're going?" I asked with a snarl.
It was three big guys against a small guy and a smaller girl. I was a fighter and clearly so was Elodie, but our odds weren't good. Despite this, I spun around, ready to face the other guy as he was getting to his feet, but a sudden, shockingly strong gust of wind roared like a hurricane through the alley, nearly sending both of us back into the dirt.
"What the-!" I exclaimed in panic, looking around for the source of the wind just in time to be nearly blinded by an explosion of light. With a gasp, I raised my arm up to shield my eyes, using my other hand to keep my balance as I took a knee against the wind. The ground began to rumble as the light grew brighter, and I could feel the concrete breaking beneath my hand. A high-pitched yowl rang through my ears, followed by a man's scream. The light, wind and quake faded out, and I lowered my arm and looked up just in time to see Crowbar Guy come flying at my opponent, crashing into him and sending them both careening into a building. Their bodies hit hard enough to leave a dent in the wall.
I whirled around, and my jaw dropped. There was a panther standing on its hind legs, easily eight or nine feet tall, dressed in black and gold armor with a red cape, a sword hanging at its side. I recognized it as a duel monster immediately. The monster was standing back as if it had just finished a shot put, claws out and fangs bared in a snarl. Behind it stood Elodie, eyes glowing even brighter before, her face a stone-cold mask of anger as she held up her duel disk, which was activated with a card in place. I suddenly recalled Yusei's description of his duel with the psychic signer, Aki Izayoi, during the Fortune Cup.
It looked like Elodie was also a psychic duelist.
"Now we've got an even fight," Elodie growled, her monster hissing in agreement.
"Wait, hang on!" Crowbar guy yelped, staggering to his feet with his hands up in the air. "We just had a misunderstanding! We weren't really going to take the girl, it was just a joke! Just a little scare!"
"You should know better than to lie to me," said Elodie as the panther's paw moved to draw its sword. "I can see right through your lies."
"We'll leave!" the man pleaded, and I looked around to see the other two guys also had their hands up in surrender, expressions riddled with terror. "We won't bother you or the kid again! Just let us go!"
Elodie's lip curled, her expression as feral as her beast. "More lies! You stupid plonkers never learn! These are the consequences when you mess with my kids!"
The panther drew its sword and let out another roar. "We're getting out of here, boss!" my former opponent cried, getting to his feet and running like a bat out of hell. Foul-Mouth scrambled after him, tripping over my hook before he final kicked it away and took off. Crowbar guy, who was apparently their leader, also tried to run, but Elodie's monster caught up to him in a flash. I threw myself out of the way as the beast swung the sword, flat side facing the gangster, so instead of cutting through him, it hit him like a flyswatter, sending him flying down the street. He hit the ground several yards away and rolled two or three times before stopping. The monster roared again, and the gang leader stumbled to his feet and ran drunkenly away, an open cut on his forehead dribbling blood down his face.
Crouched down by the same dumpster I'd hid behind earlier, I stood slowly, watching the panther warrior with caution. It turned toward me, and I flinched, but there didn't seem to be any more aggression in its fury face. It nodded its head to me almost respectfully, before turning into a white silhouette and vanishing into sparks. Curious, I looked back down into the alley. Elodie was still standing there, her duel disk now hanging at her side, her eyes hidden behind her bangs. As I watched her, she gave a soft moan and clutched her head with on hand, falling down to one knee. The strong, fearsome figure I had seen before now looked beat down and tired, physically and mentally drained of energy.
I started towards her, wanting to offer help, when a low crumbling sound reached my ears. I looked around and saw that the walls surrounding the ally were lined with cracks and had pieces of it missing. A chunk of the wall directly above Elodie was coming loose, and it was about to fall right on top of her.
"WATCH OUT!" I yelled at the top of my voice. She looked up and, seeing the danger, began stumbling away from the wall, but it was already falling. And I was already running, my boots pounding the pavement in time with my racing heart. I lept and tackled her, my arms going around her waist. Elodie cried out and I gave a loud "Oof!" as we fell hard onto the pavement. The crumbling wall hit the already cracked pavement right where Elodie had been kneeling, and bits of rock flew through the air like grenades. A plume of white dust kicked up around us and the ground shuddering from the impact. Elodie screamed again, and I shielded her with my body, covering our heads with my arms, and closing my eyes, praying that it would be over soon.
A/N: Yes, I made Elodie British. It just seemed more befitting her. And I took the original duel between Elodie and the gang leader out because I didn't want to have to rewrite it (I basically changed Elodie's entire deck so it used actual monsters from the franchise, not bull crap cards I made up), but there will be a duel later on. That stuff is hard to write, you know!
Not a lot in this chapter changed from the original other than that. There will be more changes later on. But here's this for now! Please let me know what you think, especially if you read the story before!