Between my Brother and Me: Mors Tua, Vita Mia

by Green Phantom Queen

Prequel to Mors Omnibus. Three years before the invasion of Academia and the birth of Pendulum Summon, citizens of Carroll City go through their lives while also preparing train soldiers who are willing to get their hands dirty in stopping Professor Akaba's mad crusade. (2nd Chapter: Yvonne goes after a mysterious puppeteer to save her beloved puppets. Plz R & R!)

1. In the Night Garden

Note: This story is a gift to GRiDGALAXY as a thanks for the inspiration from her fanfic "Rejecting Freedom"

Other note: This story will feature a lot of child death and horrifying imagery. Those who cannot stomach that, please leave NOW.

Other than that…

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There are many things that are not of this world.

And when there are things that cannot be explained, we make questions. We formulate hypotheses like they were crabgrass growing within fields of grass that our are ever curious minds. And we pluck the crabgrass out while asking question after question.

These questions pique our curiosity, and we desire and demand for answers to quench our thirst that is like the finest wines we request from a sommelier who dreams of fermenting grapes in an Italian villa.

And there's no other place to answer these questions than our home of Carroll City.

Hello there. Welcome to the first of a collection of stories that I have observed that takes place in our home. Where the dead walk the Earth without worry, puppets walk without strings to hold them down, and those who have lost their place can easily become "repurposed" into something shiny and new.

You don't need a map to find us. Your heart will guide you here if you really want to stay.

Who am I? Well, just call me curious.

No, scratch that. Call me "The Curious".

And the first tale talks about the rumors of a garden only accessible by those who only want to…

...

Hold on, I am a collector of stories, not the narrators for them. I forgot to mention that each tale is told by a different narrator, observer, shaper. These people brought their stories to life by stating "Once upon a time" and continued until the last sentence read "And they all lived happily ever after".

So, without further ado, let's introduce the narrator of this tale.

The spotlight is yours, Vision.

People disappear all the time. That's nothing new.

But if and when they return, the question that always comes into one's mind is, "What happened to them?"

The secret life of the kidnapped/runaway is something that satiates our curiosity. Did they find what they were looking for? What type of abuse did they go through? What will happen to them now that they have returned to the place they called home?

I experienced that in my life. I felt "lost" for ten years, figuring out how to go through my life after the incident traumatized my brother forever, caused our mother to take her life, and for me to nearly follow her into a place where no train, no matter how much money you paid for a ticket, could take its passengers to.

And I vowed that I would never let children suffer that feeling of loss or loneliness ever again.

So here I was, standing in front of an audience of two dozen people, beginning to tell the tale that would begin my tale of bringing people out of the darkness and into the light.

It all started with me stating four well known words.

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1st Curiosity

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In the Night Garden

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Once upon a time...

Once, in a sleepy village that resided within the depths of a lively forest, there were two brothers, one older and one younger. They lived on the streets, taking food whenever they could, sleeping underneath the stars, curled up in each other's arms underneath the shade of the biggest tree in the village and sing little songs to one another.

Their days were always like this. Laughing from sunrise to sunset, gathering bread, milk, cheese and apples for their lunch, telling stories to one another to create a sort of magic that would make time pass within a blink an eye. Nothing could separate them; they promised to always be together no matter what.

The two of them also had a little game they would play called Echo. One of them would count backwards from 10 at the great tree and the other would find a place to hide. In order to find the person, the seeker would sing part of a song until he heard the one hiding continue the song while trying to evade capture.

"Run, you better run, you better run for your life…" was their favorite thing to sing. It was a simple line that perfectly described their little game of cat and mouse. Just that verse alone, would make the other understand that the two would never be apart. No matter what obstacles stood in their way.

This little game would continue until both brothers were found, and then they would race all the way home so they could sleep and then repeat the game the next day.

They were happy. They had each other. Nothing else mattered.

But one day, when it was the older boy's turn to count and he was about to chase after his little brother, he had been stopped by someone who went by the name of Bandit Keith. Bandit Keith was a ruthless man and a heartless gambler who was known for killing anyone who just looked at him funny.

However, he had a "good" reason as to why he would attack the older brother.

You see, the older brother had taken some of Bandit Keith's money after rigging a game of dice some time back, using the money to pay for some food for he and his younger brother. Bandit Keith disliked anyone who swindled him, even though he was absolutely no saint himself.

So, that sneaky shifty smug shadowy sociopath bided his time until he had the older brother in alone in his grasp.

And despite his courage and bravery, the older brother was not strong enough to stop Bandit Keith's plans for him, all involving the tree that had become like a mother to him and a large length of rope.

Meanwhile, the younger brother waited and waited and waited for his brother to come search for him. But when night fell and the older brother didn't raise his voice to sing, this made the younger brother worried. So the boy left his hiding place - inside a barrel full of apples - and raced towards the tree, singing anything that came to mind in the hopes that his older brother would respond. Upon seeing his brother's figure underneath the tree, the younger brother smiled.

"Big brother! Big brother!" The younger boy shouted. "I'm here now! Come on, sing for me!"

But when he finally got a better look at his older brother. He gasped at what he saw.

His brother's body dangling on a branch of the tree, a necklace of rope snug around his neck.

The younger brother looked in horror, nothing coming out of his mouth for quite some time. Tears streaked his eyes as he cried out for the older brother to say something. But no words would ever come out of his lips ever again.

That is...until the younger brother heard his older brother speak.

"Stay with me," the older brother's lips moved, their blue eyes empty. "Stay with me underneath the tree. We can look at the stars and count them so that they know that they are not alone in this night sky. We can sing our songs without having to be far apart and with one breath, as one single being, one single soul resonating within ourselves. Please, little brother. Stay with me forever."

"Big brother…" Younger brother whispered. "Will we always be together?"

"Yes."

"Will we really sing our songs together?"

"We will."

"Forever?"

"...Forever."

The younger brother thought and thought and thought for a long time. Then, he made his decision.

…

…

…

The next morning, five children were heard screaming.

This woke the sleepy village up before even the roosters had time to lift their combs up into the sky and caused many of the townsfolk to race towards the source of the agonized children. When the adults found the kids, the children were crying and screaming and sobbing over something at the old tree.

"There's someone there," they cried. "They're...they're…"

They could say no more, as if the very word they wanted to say was yanked out of their mouths.

Nervously, one of the villagers approached the tree. What he saw made him scream in terror.

There were two bodies hanging from the branch. One big and one small.

And worst of all? As their bodies lightly swayed with the wind, they could be heard singing to one another in an soft echo.

It took the bravest man of the town, one who boasted that he could slay a dragon with his own bare hands, to approach the bodies. But as he did, he started to scream and scream and scream and scream…

Because what he heard were the most chilling words he had ever heard in his entire life.

"Run, you better run, you better run for your life…"

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Dawn Fujiki exhales the breath held within her heart as she listens to everyone's applause. She smiles as she looks down at the story she has read to her Creative Writing class, "The Tale of the Two Brothers".

The inspiration for this story, as with all of the stories the students had to come up for this week's assignment came from a song. For this, Dawn used both "Hanging Tree" and "Jo" as they both were songs that connected about fleeing for one's life and the simple deceptiveness that is the madness of one's mind when faced with such tragedy.

She can't wait to make a short film about this tale. All she needs are some brothers.

"Well done, Dawn. You really improved since last time."

This comes from the Creative Writing teacher sitting at his desk, a man in his 20's with orange hair spread out like the bristles of a broom and a patch of white. He wears a jacket half orange and half white, black baggy pants and brown slippers.

"Thank you, Lex," says Dawn, bowing towards him. "I'm glad I could give it my all for this."

"I'm curious as to why you didn't give your brothers names."

"If I named them, I get too attached to them," Dawn answers. "Then I start spooling out a story where they come back to life and kill the man who caused them to end up like that and, well, you know that once I start on something, I can't stop. I'm like a machine in perpetual motion in that sense."

"Ah, good to know. Now," Lex clears his throat. "The next person to read their story is..."

From the back of the class, someone stands up. Dawn looks up, noting their orange jacket and green hair but tilting her head when she notices something peculiar about the student.

And that something peculiar is a mask.

It is grey and made to look like the face from a stone statue from ancient times. There are two black holes as if they were drilled in there, a gentle sloping nose and a mouth that neither smiles or frowns. It is a face that is neutral more than anything else.

"Oh, Trip," says Lex. "Are you going to go in character again?"

Trip nods his head. "Yes, Lex." From behind his mask, his voice is soft yet devoid of emotion.

"Right, you're 'Curious', correct?"

"The Curious," Trip corrects, pulling out a piece of paper out of the satchel slung over his shoulder. "I collect strange tales. And whenever you hear my whistle, you just know that a creepy tale is about to commence."

As he walks towards the front of the class, he begins to whistle. Dawn and the other students share a collective shudder. Whenever Trip whistles, it is like he is dragging them all to a maelstrom of malevolent monstrosities.

It just makes Dawn pumped up for whatever is in store.

She returns to her seat at the front of the class and sighs. Listening to other people tell their tales is her favorite part of the class; how lovely it is to hear people unleash their inner writer and to find yourself drifting away to a world as unknown as what one will expect five, ten maybe twenty years from now.

But as Trip clears his throat, Dawn takes the time to shift her gaze towards the student who sits to her left, with black bushy hair layered like the feathers on a raven's wing, amethyst eyes that seem to gaze out into a door that is visible only to him, and a long white scarf wrapped around his next and embroidered with a black rose even though it is Spring.

This is Mokuba Kaiba, younger brother of Seto Kaiba. He transferred to the Carroll City Academy of Creative Arts a few months ago, and in that time, Dawn has observed three things about him.

One, he has a beautiful singing voice. She remembered how he sang during his first day at school, his voice pure and clear and sweet as a glass of cool water on a hot day. For some odd reason, he was shy about showing off this talent...except to plants. Whenever he sung in front of them, it was if they reacted to every single note that escaped his lips. This lead to the second observation.

Two, he loves being outside. During recess and lunch, he would run around the grass barefoot or sometimes just stood underneath the sun and basked in the sun's loving rays. It got to the point where many students joked that Mokuba was going to "salute the sun".

And three, he always wears that scarf no matter where he went and whatever he did. Even during PE, he refused to unwind the scarf so it draped over his shoulders. And the last time someone tried to yank that scarf off of him, rumors say that he scared the person who got too close into Mokuba's personal space that they never bothered him again. This same trait of wearing scarves is in the family, as Dawn remembers seeing Seto Kaiba wearing a black scarf with an embroidered white rose on magazine covers and web articles.

In any other situation, these quirks would be chalked off as him being eccentric. But to Dawn, it seemed like a coincidence that he acted just like one of the characters in her short stories.

And if there is one thing to know about Carroll City and its citizens, to the point that it should be the city's slogan, "There's no such thing as coincidence, only the inevitable."

Mokuba shoots a glance at Dawn, eyes like a hawk. Dawn just places her arms over her story before turning her gaze back to Trip about to tell his tale.

"Gardens," Trip begins, staring at the story in his hands despite the mask limiting his perception range. His voice is haunting yet entrancing. "Here, people bury and nurture some of the most splendid and deadly creatures known to man."

At this, Mokuba blinks. This goes unnoticed.

"There is one garden that belongs to a simple figure who only tends to these plants during the full moon. The flowers that she sings and tends to reach out towards the full moon as if they want to gather the moon's beams of tranquility and love into each of their five petals. When the gardener touches the center of the flowers, the petals curl around the gardener's hand, their grip like a baby's...curious, wanting, longing, begging.

"Life within this garden tends to be very lonely. Sure there are the butterflies, the foxes, the rabbits, the cats...they tend to wander about and the figure - our gardener - reaches out to touch them, but she cannot tell stories to these creatures. These creatures do not speak the same language that she does. This brings her to despair and with her tears, she waters her plants who cannot do anything for her mother except reach out for her.

"So, one day, the gardener had a thought come into her mind.

"'I'll bring children into the garden, and I will spin their heads with stories, plant the seeds of imagination into their minds, water them with my tears and watch them grow big and strong underneath Khonsu's guidance as they run amuck in my garden of shadows and dreams. I will make them sleep underneath the stars and then...I will never be lonely.'

"The gardener planned this out carefully. She tended to her plants with hands that had been cut tending to blackberries and roses. She called out to the same butterflies, foxes, rabbits and cats that were company and taught them tricks. She wrote a multitude of stories onto the walls of the garden until each and every brick was covered in handwriting that can only be read by mice. She wanted everything to be perfect.

"And so, on the next full moon, she opened her mouth and began to sing.

"She sang for as long as she could, pacing across the garden path like she always did, but this time she did it with a purpose.

"She sang and sang and sang until it felt like if she would never recover her voice again. The animals waited, tails twitching in anticipation.

"And then, they came.

"Children of different ages, with eyes the color of stones or water or the earth itself, and hair of varying hues of light, fire, shadows and of the earth itself, entered the garden. The gardener couldn't have been happier. The animals approached them with apprehension, with curiosity, with awe. The children mimicked the animals' movements before there was nothing but joy and laughter in the garden.

"The gardener couldn't help but be happy. She had company now. She would never be lonely anymore. Nothing would keep these children away from her.

"But there was one little problem with her plan.

"Sure it was nice for the children to enter the garden, but it never occurred to her that maybe, just maybe the children didn't want to stay in the garden forever. That they would want to return to the comfort of home, to the warmth of their parents who kissed them good night and greeted them in the morning, to the smiling faces of their friends.

"And when a child cried out that they wanted to go home, the gardener didn't know what to do. She tried telling them all of the stories she knew, of the lullabies that she sang to the flowers, of the wonders the children would obtain if they just stayed a little bit longer.

"But the children refused. They cried for their mothers and fathers, causing such a ruckus that it made the gardener snap.

"If she couldn't keep these children, then no one else would.

"The gardener, all with a serene smile on her face, requested if the children did one last thing for her. And that was to close their eyes before she showed them one last surprise.

"So the children did as they were told. The gardener sang one last song as the plants creeped around the children, wrapping themselves around these precious buds and then, when the gardener stopped…

"The children were dragged into the earth, never to be seen again.

"And for this, the gardener sighed. The children would nap here until the next full moon, and when she dug them up, they would want to stay with her forever and ever and ever…

"And ever.

"So if you hear rumors of disappearing children underneath a full moon. Should you hear the voice of a woman calling out for these little blossoms to enter her garden of shadows...run. Run until there is no air left in your lungs and you feel like joining these children into the soil. Run, run for your life and pray that you do not join the gardener, even if she does tempt you with night visions.

"Because at the end of it all, she has prepared a bed for you, one that will cover you in soil until you are nothing more than a seedling for her garden of madness."

At the end of the story, Trip nods his head once. There is an awkward pregnant pause before Dawn begins clapping and proclaiming "How lovely!" at the tale's ending. Then, she is followed by a round of applause coming from the other students.

Except for Mokuba, who still keeps his stoic glare, one that is always shown on the face of his older brother, even while Trip bows and the bell rings.

"All right, then," says Lex, watching everyone gather their books, bags and pencils. "That'll be it for today. We'll continue our next round of storytelling on Monday, starting with Mokuba. Mokuba, you have your story ready, right?"

"...I do," Mokuba answers.

"That's good to hear. I mean, if you weave stories as well as you sing, I'm sure we'll be in for quite the surprise."

Mokuba nods his head as he stuffs papers and books into his backpack and walks off in a hurry. Dawn notices this and rushes off towards him. Something inside her is curious to know more about this boy, and this might be her only chance to uncover it.

The halls are bustling with students leaving their classes and heading towards their lockers. Dawn doesn't need to go to her locker; everything she has is in her satchel.

Instead, amongst the hustle and bustle of students excited that Friday is done and the weekend awaits everyone, Dawn keeps an eye on this boy with raven hair until she sees him open the doors to the school. Sunlight washes over him, and over her too, as she smiles.

"Mokuba, right?" Dawn begins.

Mokuba turns around with a nod of his head. "Your story," he begins. "It was…"

"Delightful? Wonderful? Lovely?" Dawn asks, bringing a finger up for each adverb she uses. "Be honest; I can handle a little criticism. I mean, I'm pretty thick-skinned as it is."

She chuckles at her joke as she pokes at her bicep. Mokuba doesn't respond; then again, he doesn't know that it's a joke in the first place.

"No," he says. "It felt…" He fiddles with the rose on his scarf before he says, "Personal."

"'Personal'? Why would...ohhhh…." Dawn whispers.

Mokuba nods his head. "Seto and I were like that in the past; we had no parents, all our relatives used up our inheritance money and we were taken to an orphanage. Seto was always asked to be adopted, but no one wanted me...the idea that even death wouldn't stop the brothers in your tale from being together just made me feel…" He places a hand over his heart.

"And...is that a bad thing? If you felt so strongly to that story, then I'm happy. It means I surpassed my great expectations!"

Dawn then gets a brilliant idea.

"Hey, Mokuba," she begins. "Are you doing anything after school today?"

"No," Mokuba answers simply, plainly, as if expected of him. "I'm just going to go home and do my homework while I wait for Seto to finish with his work."

"Well, how about I take you to a really cool place?" Dawn asks, slipping a hand into his. "You'll meet lots of cool people and maybe, just maybe, you'll finally be able to lighten up a little. Seriously, sometimes it looks like someone's trying to assassinate your something."

"It's a justified fear, considering that I'm Vice President of Kaiba Corp."

Dawn smiles and places a hand on his shoulder. "If anyone tried to do that to you, they'd have to answer to the YMD Brigade."

"Y...M...D…"

"The Young Master Duelists Brigade. I'll explain to you on the way, come on."

Dawn takes Mokuba down the steps as they race down the sidewalk. A spring is in the girl's step all while Mokuba takes the time to sing something to himself.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockle shells

And pretty maids all in a row…

And for some odd reason, the way Mokuba says the nursery rhyme makes Dawn feel...nervous.

And not the good kind of nervous.

But she does not show this on her face as she races off to her second favorite place in all of Carroll City.

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Ten minutes later, Dawn and Mokuba arrive at Dawn's second favorite place.

You Show Duel School.

The story of its creation is a very funny one. It happened last summer, when she and her close friends found a stranger unconscious in Bandersnatch Park. He dressed like a ringleader of a circus, with a red suit and purple top hat. Where he came from, he didn't explain.

But the way he dueled changed how Dawn saw dueling.

The man didn't stay long, but he did stay long enough to explain that, where he came from, Duel Schools popped up like a bag of popcorn on an open fire. And it was this little nugget of information that gave Dawn the intrepid idea to make a Duel School in Carroll City, the first of its kind, named after the very same school where this 'dueltainer' came from.

And it is this building that Dawn takes Mokuba to, feeling the air conditioner unleash a gentle breeze that cools her entire body down. The school itself was once a restaurant that was foreclosed long, long ago, but it now it is the perfect spot for what is to come.

Already, everyone is ready for class. There are sisters Miette and Kelly timing how long it takes for the other to neatly shuffle their cards then draw a hand of five. Opposite of them is Paul and his energetic childhood friend Barry, the former clenching and unclenching a fist to reveal a hitodama hovering above his palm and the latter trying to snatch it but failing. To their left is Bianca, staring at a paper crane she has folded before writing a few letters underneath one of its wings, and Trip is next to her, scribbling notes on paper.

And, of course, there are Dawn's closest friends.

The one wearing a black dress like she's about to head toward a funeral in a couple of hours is May, who also has little black rose barrettes decorating her hair today. She is talking to her brothers, Max and Brendan, the trio sharing a laugh at what seemed to be a funny joke.

And the girl next to May is Yvonne, who has a pair of cloth dolls on the table, fashioned after train conductors: one wearing white and one wearing black. Currently, she has her hands raised in the air, blue lines of light wrapped around her fingers and attached to each doll. They are learning to walk, to shake hands and to bow. It is a very cute scenario.

But that's not what today's meeting is about.

"Hey everyone!" Dawn shouts, causing everyone to stop what they are doing and turn to her. "I brought a new member to the YMD Brigade! Say hello!"

The commotion from everyone drops, almost to the point that Mokuba thinks he has lost his hearing for a second. Then, Yvonne smirks.

"Welcome to You Show Duel School," she says, taking her dolls into both hands and slipping them into the pockets of her blue overcoat with black cuffs. "Mokuba, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Mokuba begins. "Mokuba K-"

"Shh, shh, shh!" says Dawn, covering Mokuba's hand with a mouth. "In here, we don't use our real names."

Mokuba raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You haven't told him what we're about yet?" asks May with a loud gasp. "Vision, this isn't like you!"

"I wanted to save the surprise!" Dawn giggles, pushing Mokuba to the other side of the room. "Now come on, introduce yourself. You'll learn everyone's names later on."

Mokuba is spun around and met with twenty eyes staring at him, anticipating to hear what he decided to call himself. He frowns as he tries to think of the right thing to say.

Then, it clicks.

"Call me 'Moon Knight'," he says. "Because I am the defender of the moon's compassion under the night sky, for those who wish to have a reprieve from the darkness and to help others to understand that the darkness is not something to be feared."

There is a pause from everyone before Dawn claps her hands.

"How lovely!" she exclaims. "So, from now on, whenever you make it here, we shall call you 'Moon Knight'. Now, have a seat and we'll have this meeting come to session!"

Mokuba nods his head as he notices Yvonne pat the space next to her. Taking the hint, he walks his way next to the puppeteer, tilting his head to the side when he sees the little dolls wave at him.

"How do you…" Yvonne places a finger to her lips and winks at him as everyone turns their eyes to Dawn.

"Welcome to another day at You Show Duel School," says Dawn. "We may be small, but we'll definitely ones to show you what dueling is to be about."

"To bring smiles onto other people's faces," says Max.

"To bring people together with a shared interest," Bianca adds, standing up and waving an arm.

"And most of all," Paul adds with a chuckle, arms folded across his chest, a hitodama in his open palm. "To bring retribution for when the End of Days comes."

"Huh?" Mokuba asks.

"That's correct," says Dawn. "Now, I'm sure you all understand why the YMD Brigade was created, right? But for those who need a reminder, let's start it off with this guy!"

Dawn opens a drawer in the desk in front of her before picking up a poster and a tack. Then, she pins the poster onto the wall, depicting a man in his 30's with black hair, a purple top hat and red suit. He looks like exactly like a ringmaster of a magnificent circus.

"This man is Yusho Sakaki, whom we decided to name You Show Duel School from," says Dawn, pointing to the man. "Last summer, Guignol, Willow and I found him unconscious in Bandersnatch Park and he explained that he was off to stop a great threat from another world.

"But prior to his traverse through darkness and mirrors, he was an amazing dueltainer! He could make a duel so exciting like you were seeing a dueling circus show right in front of your eyes. All three of us dueled him and, unfortunately, we all lost.

"However, we gained something in return. After we helped him on his path, we decided to open our own branch of You Show Duel School and train duelists under his dueling style along with 'repurposing' foolish soldiers who would even think of trying to invade the other 'dimensions' that Yusho's world was split from."

"Worlds? Dimensions?" asks Kelly, tilting her head. "Sorry, I still kinda get those confused."

"Well, this is the perfect time to explain it," says Yvonne, pulling out something from her backpack. It is a kamishibai, a small box with illustrated boards to tell a story. The picture in front of everyone depicts two pizzas, one sprinkled with cheese and the other with bell peppers, pineapple, onions and mushrooms.

"Pretend that our world is this pizza," says Yvonne, pointing to the one on the left. "And the world where Yusho comes from is that one," she pointed to her right. "They're constructed the same but they have their own add-ons that make them feel 'unique'.

"And a dimension…" Yvonne pulls the illustrated board of the pizzas away and slips it into the back. Now there is an image of the two pizzas from before, except the one with four toppings is divided into four slices, with each slice having its own individual topping. "Is when a world is split into multiple pieces. Each dimension in Yusho's world, from what we have noted through surveillance from all the pilgrims that originated there, is home to just 'one' dueling style."

"Just one?" Trip frowns. "That's sad."

"Yusho comes from here," Yvonne continues, pointing to the slice of pineapple pizza. "That one has all the summoning methods known to them: Tribute, Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz."

She points to the one with bell peppers. "This one is the Fusion Dimension, with the main focus being their fortress of a school called 'Academia'. The pilgrims from there told me that there is a mean old professor who turns eager-eyed duelists into cold, heartless, ruthless, and apathetic soldiers. Their mission? Invade other dimensions and turn innocent victims into cards! I mean, I guess it makes them easier to carry, but personally, why not just repurpose them so that you amass an army to take over the other dimensions? What a waste of Instruments."

Then she points to the slice with onions. "This is the Synchro Division and the city is called Neo Domino. It's divided its social class into a shallow Metropolis reference: Tops and Commoners. They ride motorcycles and duel at the same time, and they apparently hold a tournament called the Friendship Cup once a year to 'unite' the two sides."

"Friendship Cup?" asks Barry. "Wait, didn't your brother participate in one of those years ag - AI!"

Barry dodges just in time as Yvonne has tossed a throwing knife right at his face, the knife sticking out against the wall and its cracked yellow wallpaper, causing everyone to gulp. Yvonne's face is stern, icy blue eyes threatening to freeze Barry where he sits.

"Don't mention him while we're here," she states. "I don't want nii-san to be involved in our work."

"R...right," Barry stammers. "So, back to the story."

Yvonne nods her head as she points to the pizza slice with mushrooms. "This is the Xyz Dimension, city: Heartland. This one is focused on nothing but Xyz Summoning. The pilgrims from there explained that they have Duel Schools too, but their classes, and decks, aren't as varied as ours."

"Excellent explanation, Guignol," says Dawn, nodding her head at Yvonne's lecture. The way Yvonne explains it is exactly how she would narrate her puppet shows. "Now, as many of us has learned even before we could talk, people born and raised in Carroll City have gain a peculiar trait to enter through the borders that keep our world separate from others and traverse through darkness and mirrors into what is simply called 'The Nightmare Realm'. Willow, can you explain this in greater detail?"

"I'd be happy to!" May giggles, standing up. "Okay. So, the Nightmare Realm is a large dark ocean where doors to various worlds exist. Sometimes the door looks like a door, but a world that has existed for so long that even the animals dream of leaving their bodies to venture somewhere else, can transform into a tree, rooted into the Nightmare Realm for easier remembering.

"Each door is represented by a symbol to make it easier for us sojourners to remember where we're going and where we have ventured." As May explains this, Yvonne pulls another board away and shows a third board that has two symbols: one being a storm of blue and white hexagons and a five pointed star, each point being an orb colored differently, orange, cerulean, purple, silver and black, and the other a set of four diamonds colored orange, black, purple and silver respectively. "From what we know, the one with the star is our world, and the one with the diamonds is Yusho's world. There are other worlds out there equal to the number of stars in the sky, but these are the two we shall focus on.

"In most cases, throughout the various worlds, there are is always an alternate version of yourself somewhere. And if it's not there, they probably are dead or something else. But, here's what we learned from the pilgrims thanks to Yvonne's little 'stars'."

Yvonne smirks as she shows a fourth illustration board. This one depicts her hugging four little dolls with different colored hair and eyes. But, when one looks closely, they notice that the dolls have the very same face.

"There are four 'boys', one per dimension, that share the very same face," May continues, not even pausing to take a breath. "Why it's like that, we don't know. But there is always a reason for things like this, and we will uncover it one way or another. There are also…"

Yvonne switches the board and shows four chibi drawings of girls with different hairstyles and colored eyes. They also have a silver bracelet on their right wrist.

"Four girls that also have similar faces and a bracelet," May finishes. "Once again, we'll be learning about this as we go along. Is everyone following so far?"

"Hold on," says Mokuba. "How can a Duel School be the cover of a strange inter-dimensional...thing and how are we going to put a stop to it?"

"Because we are something that the Professor, or anyone else associated him, will never see even if it staring at them right in the face," Miette answers. "And that...is that element of the unknown. Those who traverse through darkness in mirrors find it easy to travel outside their world, but going back to their world is much more difficult.

"So, our plan is to gather enough forces and, when the time is right, we ambush Academia, unite the head and the hands with the heart in New Domino, repair the heart of Heartland and get some Instruments along the way so they can be 'Repurporsed.'"

"Repurposed?" Mokuba repeats.

"Surely those Academia assholes can be used for something other than making others miserable by transforming them into cards," Brendan clarifies. "In case you haven't noticed, but we have so many who traverse through darkness and mirrors in Carroll City that it can cause a population crisis if the sojourners don't come back for long periods of time or they decide to settle into another world.."

Everyone nods their heads in agreement.

"I see…" Mokuba mutters.

"But, that's enough about us," says Yvonne, placing the kamishibai back into her bag. "Now then, Moon Knight...let's talk about you."

Mokuba darts his eyes at the eleven kids staring back at him. He looks at Dawn who reassures him with a beaming smile on her face before he nods his head.

"You know me as the younger brother of Seto Kaiba," he begins. "But what else do you really know about me?"

That is what everyone is eager to find out.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The meeting ends two hours later after Mokuba dueled Yvonne using his tellarknights against a deck Yvonne called a "Disguise Deck". As in, a deck that they use to deceive their targets so they don't trace their well-known deck with said duelist. Despite a few mishaps, Mokuba held his own and that's all that mattered.

The students begin to walk back home or whatever they plan to do on this Friday afternoon. The sun hangs low like a yo-yo left to spin on a string, as Dawn locks the door to You Show Duel School and pockets the key. She then turns around and proceeds to follow Yvonne and May for a bite to eat…

Only for a hand placed on her shoulder to stop her in her tracks.

"What the…" Dawn gasps, turning around. She then sighs. "Oh, it's just you, Mokuba."

"Hey," says Mokuba. "So, thanks for bringing me here."

"No prob. I figured that you needed a place to go when you aren't with your brother. I mean, it must be kinda lonely all by yourself."

"Y...yeah, it kinda does."

"Then I'm glad I did something good today. Oh, I better get going. Time for my Friday hotdog! Gotta go - "

"Wait!" Mokuba shouts. "Um, sorry. Dawn, I...I need to pay you somehow."

"No, don't," says Dawn, running a finger down her cheek. "I mean, I really wished that YSD School had its own official building and all with state of the art technology and advertisements, but that's being selfish. Besides, I don't think 'We're going to repurpose child soldiers from other dimensions' is gonna be a good selling point."

"I wasn't talking about things like that," says Mokuba. He looks left and right before he whispers, "I mean, I want to show you something. Meet me at Bandersnatch Park by a quarter to midnight, at that tree in the center of the park."

"Oh, you mean Pleasance Tree!" Dawn states. "How lovely! Um, do I need to dress up in something nice for the occasion?"

Mokuba smirks. "Wear something...black."

"All right, close to midnight, black, and Pleasance Tree at Bandersnatch Park. How lovely!" says Dawn, pulling out her cellphone to make a reminder for tonight. "Oh, maybe I should get Yvonne and May to join! I'm sure they don't want to miss out on something like -"

"No!" Mokuba suddenly shouts. He then shakes his head. "I mean, no. I wouldn't want you to get your friends in trouble for this. They have important things to do tomorrow, right?"

"Well, yeah…"

"Then it's settled. I'll see you, and only you, tonight. See you then."

Dawn nods her head as she sees Mokuba walk off, the ends of his scarf slightly swaying like a pendulum, reminding her of what she has to endure back at home.

But that will be for later. Right now, it's time for her Friday hotdog.

As she heads off to meet with her friends, she pays no attention to Trip staring back at her, grey eyes glaring at the girl with stitches in her arms and a spring in her step. As she heads towards the crosswalk, he walks off and slips his "The Curious" mask over his face, whistling all the while.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Hi there, Kusanagi-san!"

Dawn's chipper voice causes Shoichi Kusanagi to turn around, the expression on his face unable to decide to be happy or annoyed at seeing her. Dawn just giggles.

"So," he says. "What will it be today?"

Dawn sets the money on the ledge of the truck. "Three hot dogs please. One with mustard, one with relish and one with bacon, jalapeños and extra onions."

Shoichi Kusanagi nods his head as he prepares the order. Dawn then walks back to the table in front of the little food truck before seating herself down. In front of her are a collection of papers, each depicting the face of a child, five in total. And to her right, she notices that her satchel is wide open, making it easy for someone to take off with her treasures.

"H...hey!" Dawn exclaims. "How many times have I told you guys not to go barging through my stuff?"

"I can't help it," Yvonne teases, waggling her fingers. "You know how sticky my fingers can be."

Dawn sighs as she closes the satchel with a 'a click' before she lets her head rest on her hands. She stares at the pictures, each of them showing a child staring back at Dawn with a forlorn expression on their face.

"You've been following the case on those missing children?" asks Yvonne, tilting her head.

"Someone has to," Dawn replies. "I didn't get a vision of five children running at night running to a strange moonlit garden for nothing, huh? I mean, it's kinda scary that I got this after I was repurposed…"

"You did say your late grandmother was a seer," Yvonne notes. "Perhaps you've inherited her abilities or something."

"I guess that's one way to put it."

Shoichi arrives and places Dawn's order on the table before heading off. He glares at at Dawn before walking off.

"What exactly do you know about them?" asks May, picking up the hotdog with mustard.

"Well," Dawn begins. "From what's been gathered from the Carroll City Police Department, they're all orphans who once resided in the Queen of Hearts Loving Home for Children."

"'Queen of Hearts' and 'Loving'...that's not something you put together," Yvaine notes.

"Yeah, the woman in charge, Barbara if memory serves me right, wasn't...loving enough," Dawn replies. "But get this, the disappearance of the children coincides with Barbara's death."

"Really now?" asks May, shocked.

Dawn nods her head. "From what was said online and from witnesses, Barbara's body was found dangling on a noose made of thorny vines, her entrails dangling down her body like roots. The children, those five, had vanished and the only hint to the entire thing was a white rose.

"Is anyone planning to repurpose that bitch?" Yvonne inquires.

"Yeah because the last thing Ryoken and Yusaku nii-san need is a repurposed dominatrix," Dawn snarks.

Yvonne shrugs her shoulders, taking the relish covered hotdog into her hand and taking a bite.

"Do these kids have names?" asks May, tilting her head.

Dawn nods her head and spreads out the papers once again. She then names each of them: the girl with blond hair in pigtails and a teddy bear (Rebecca), the boy with scruffy brown hair and a burnt action figure in his hand (Mikey), the boy with lavender hair in a ponytail (Leon), the boy with brown hair in a bowl cut and bangs (Julian) and a girl with long flowing blond hair decorated with a bow (Sonia).

"And none of them have any family?" says Yvonne.

"Nope. They were just left at the doorstop of that 'Loving Home' one day and now they just vanish," Dawn sighs. "There must be something I can do to help them."

"But why?" May inquires. "This is something you should leave to the police. I mean, they're professionals."

"...If they were, then wouldn't they have learned about the Lost Incident sooner?" Dawn hisses.

Both Yvonne and May look in concern. Even after all this time, any mention of the Lost Incident causes Dawn to freeze up. She has a good reason though; that very Incident is the reason for every single bad thing that has happened to her until now.

From her being unable to hug or even hold her older brother's hand for an entire decade, her self-image issues that stemmed from the failures to physically comfort him, seeing her mother hang herself due to said older brother's PTSD, the bullying she endured, the miscommunications that lead to the stitches on her arms and legs and how she became "repurposed"...

The fact that she can remain this cheerful after all of the trauma piled on top of her is nothing short of a miracle.

"I don't want this to become another Lost Incident," Dawn continues. "I won't let these children be traumatized like that ever again."

"Even if you do find where they went, you're in no position into adopting them or the like," says Yvonne. "The Kougami manor is already full as it is."

Dawn sighs as she takes the last hotdog into her hands. "I know."

Yvonne looks at her watch and blinks. "Damn it. I gotta get going."

"You have another puppet show to perform?" asks May.

"No. I have to go babysit Tate and Liza," Yvonne answers back, taking another bite from her hotdog. "I promised to tell them a new tale with these dolls I got."

"What type of story is it?" May inquires.

Yvonne smirks as she slings her bag over her shoulder. "You'll see later on. Gotta go."

The puppeteer walks off all while Dawn looks back at the papers in her hands. As she does this, May places a hand over Dawn's own.

"I think you're doing something great," she says. "But, if something happens to you this time…"

"...Nothing's gonna happen to me," Dawn states with determination. "Now come on, we gotta get back home in a few minutes."

"Why's that?"

"Well, isn't today the day you wanted to see the 'Dark Cupid' episode of Miraculous Ladybug? Aka the episode that was said to break the Internet?"

"What are we waiting for?" May takes another large bite from her hotdog, mustard smearing her upper lip in her feeding frenzy. "Let's get going!"

Dawn smiles as she gathers her papers and stuffs them into her satchel. Taking her own hotdog into her hand, she and May walk off, neither of them aware of the figure watching them from the shadows. They twirl a white rose in their hand, frowning.

"She's perfect," they say to the flower before crushing it, ignoring the tiny pricks on the palm from the thorns. "Mother will find her to be absolutely wonderful for tonight."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Night falls on Stardust Road.

Every now and then, the ocean glows, making it shine like the stars. But tonight, it is a dark blue, perfect to reflect the full moon like a silver dish.

Inside the manor that overlooks the ocean, Dawn is in her bedroom, pulling out a few items hidden underneath her bed and shoving it into a black bag with bat wings and a silver crescent moon that she received from May for Christmas. Dawn herself is dressed in black, just like Mokuba suggested. Her hair is decorated with two black bows, she wears a cute black dress with white ruffles and long sleeves with black ribbons tied around the upper arms, white leggings and black knee-length boots. A Duel Disk is strapped to her left arm and pinned to her breast is a crest that shows a hammer and pair of scissors crossed together while two sickles on either sides of them, colored periwinkle.

Picking up a small drone that Dawn received from her older brother on her tenth birthday, she squeezes it tight before she places it inside the bag. There. Everything is ready.

Dawn slings the bag over her shoulder before she approaches her desk. Taking a piece of paper, she writes a simple note on it so that anyone who enters her room will know where to find her.

"I'm at Bandersnatch Park," she writes. "At Pleasance Tree. I can handle myself. Don't worry about me. -Dawn"

Dawn lets out a sigh as she sets the pencil down before staring at the stitches around her wrist. For those who don't know the whole story, they assume that Dawn decided to cut herself and pity her.

If she had an origami crane for every person who pitied her, she would had three wishes by now.

Brushing the thought aside, she looks at the time on her cellphone: 11:15. Time to go.

Dawn exits her room and looks across the hallway. Every room is filled with at least one or two residents, none of them who wouldn't know if she would be gone.

But to get to the front door, she has to go to the left, which means going past a specific door that holds two specific people who Dawn loves and simultaneously feels anxious about.

Taking a deep breath, she walks, her boots not making a single sound with each step she takes. On the third door to her right, she stops, leans close and places her ear on it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she listens to what's going on the other side.

"Relax," a masculine voice purrs. "Let your worries drift away like they are balloons flying high into the sky. Just listen to my voice. You are safe here with me, Yusaku. You are always safe."

Dawn curls her hands into fists and turns away. She won't tell her brother or his boyfriend that she's going out; not when they have some "therapy" to go through first.

The first time she learned about her brother's therapy session was what caused the biggest change into her life. Opening the door when no one responding to her knocks caused her to open it and see her older brother in bed with a the person who would ultimately end up being the reason she could live on Stardust Road in the first place.

Ryoken Kougami.

He had been giving therapy to Dawn's brother, Yusaku, for quite some time. But when Dawn saw her brother blankly repeating Ryoken's suggestions one year ago, oblivious to his younger sister standing there, looking in horror at what is going on...the entire scenario was far too much for the girl to handle.

She ran away in horror, down Stardust Road, tears in her eyes as she wanted to get away from everything that happened on that awful day. From the local bully Ursula mocking her that her best friend, Yvonne, was hiding secrets from her, then coming home to Kougami Manor in order to cry on her brother's shoulder only to see Ryoken brainwashing him? She honestly wanted to die there and then.

She would get her wish a little bit later, after she was kidnapped, held as a hostage, watched as Yvonne mercilessly killed the idiots who were willing to sell her as a sex slave and then had a bomb go off that had her dead and her hands, arms and legs ripped out of her body.

Dawn grits her teeth as she storms off, grasping the handle of her bag tight as she thinks about her mission. Mokuba, as far as she knows, is connected to the disappearance of the lost children. How? She has no clue, but there has to be an ulterior motive for someone like him to invite Dawn out for a midnight soiree all by herself, without her closest friends by her side.

Fine then. Dawn will play by Mokuba's rules. She'll dress in black, she'll meet him at Pleasance Tree at Bandersnatch Park, and she'll be there at 11:45 sharp.

With that in mind, she heads toward the front door, a bag full of tools needed for her crusade and a Duel Disk for protection.

The door opens easily. A blast of cool air hits Dawn's face and she hopes that that hasn't woken anyone up. When she hears nothing, she smiles. Good. That's how she wants it to be.

She closes the door and locks it. She takes one last look at Stardust Road, looking at the full moon mirrored in the water before she walks off, excited, anxious, determined, slightly nauseous. As she walks, three thoughts enter her mind. Three thoughts that makes sure that she keeps walking towards Bandersnatch park.

One, she is going to save those five children.

Two, she will not let the Lost Incident happen again.

Three, she will prove that she can handle herself and that her gift of repurposement will be put to good use

Dawn Fujiki continues her trek, her blue eyes shining with the same determination that her brother displays when he duels. When her mind is focused on something, nothing can stand in her way.

And whoever decides to stand in her way ends up in a body bag.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Bandersnatch Park is lovely at night.

And Pleasance Tree is the most well-known landmark of the park.

Pleasance Tree has weathered various storms, sheltered couples, children and family underneath the shade, has been a location for various wedding photos, picnics and make-out points and, the rumors go, acts as the entrance to a strange land of night-time magic and wonder.

Mokuba Kaiba stands underneath that tree when Dawn approaches it at 11:45 on her phone. He is dressed in a blue and teal striped shirt, jeans, an orange vest and his trademark scarf around his neck. Dawn nods her head as she adjusts her bag. Play it cool.

"Mokuba! Hey Mokuba!"

Mokuba turns to see Dawn approach him, dressed in a Gothic lolita dress and bat winged handbag. He smiles and waves back.

"Good to see you make it!" he says. "Was it hard sneaking out of the house?"

"Is it hard to memorize the ingredients in a grilled cheese sandwich?" Dawn replies. When Mokuba snickers, she adds, "No one knows I'm here; they're all in their beds, dreaming about sheep or the like."

"Ah."

"So, Mokuba...why the sneaking out, the near-midnight meeting, the fact that I look like I should be going to a tea party in a haunted house and that I'm supposed to come alone?"

"Because," Mokuba looks around before he whispers, "I wanted you to be the first person that I show this to."

Dawn raises an eyebrow when sees Pleasance Tree. "Um, Mokuba, unless you carved my initials on the bark with yours in a heart, I think I've seen this tree plenty times in my life."

"No," says Mokuba. "I'm talking about what lies past it."

"What lies...past it?"

"Yeah! Look."

Mokuba walks towards the tree and places a hand onto it. He takes a deep breath and then…

His eyes glow white as the emblem of a white rose appears on the bark of the tree. Dawn gasps as the rose glows before it splits in half and forms a shining portal right in front of her eyes.

"Where does it takes us?"

Mokuba turns to her and takes her hand into his own. "To a land of enchantment. Ready?"

The butterflies in Dawn's stomach flutter, but doesn't deter her. She takes Mokuba's hand and the two leap into the portal.

Down they fall, and to Dawn, it is exactly like how Alice entered Wonderland, except she can't find a jar of marmalade to place in a cupboard nor does she think about how the words "latitude and longitude" are so grown-up.

Dawn's mind begins to wander to Trip's short story, the one about the gardener and her desire for company. Would this be the way to enter the garden? Through an old tree that somehow lead to an enchanted place where a kind woman tended to plants like they were her own children?

And if so, how does Mokuba know about this place?

Dawn doesn't get a chance to theorize when her vision is covered in a blinding light. When it fades, she finds herself sitting in a pile of grass, staring at everything in front of her.

And everything is...beautiful.

There is no other way to describe it. The garden looks like it has been perfectly tended to by a family of gardeners whose designs were never written or planned, but rather came into their heads then immediately acted upon. There are small shrubs shaped like rabbits or squirrels and foxes that seem to look at her with curious eyes. There are butterflies that glitter in the dark like stars, leaving trails of pixie dust wherever they go. Vines with flowers that glow like lanterns light the walls, the cobblestone roads are free of dirt. There is a wisteria tree that makes her heart break and a fountain depicting the trio of fairies from the Dancing Fairy card, their wings sparkling as if covered in glitter.

"I knew you'd like it," Mokuba giggles, standing next to Dawn. He takes her hand into his once again and helps her stand up. "Welcome to the Midnight Garden."

"The Midnight Garden…" Dawn repeats, looking at her surroundings. "So, it's not just something Trip made up for the sake of a writing project?"

"Oh no, it's very real," Mokuba says, staring at a white marble statue on the other side of the garden. "Let's start over there. That's my favorite part of the garden. Come on!"

"Hey, Mokuba! Wait up!"

But Mokuba races off so fast that he does not hear her. Dawn follows him and, in her rush, her boot crushes something, emphasized with a loud CRUNCH.

She looks down and notices that she has stepped on a flower with five long petals the color of moonlight. Moving her foot aside, she gasps.

The flower isn't a flower. It is...a hand.

Five fingers stiffened from rigor mortis and now snapped from the hand it belonged to spread out on the soil. Trip's story flashes in her mind, how the gardener dragged the children into the dirt, and in front of her is a dislocated arm sticking out like a blooming flower…

This...this can't be real.

It is then that Dawn takes in the other flowers around her. A tic forms underneath her left eye at what she sees.

Dozens of hands reaching out towards the white marble statue embedded into the ivy-covered brick wall, festooned with various crystal flowers that glow in the pale moonlight. The decorations bow their heads at a marble statue of a woman with yellow agate hair that flows down to her lithe waist and with a onyx rose placed on top of her head. Her skin is the color of chalcedony and she wears a strapless flowing dress carved from alabaster, the carves resembling frosting on an elaborate wedding cake. Amongst the folds is a large rose as if formed by large strips of fondant. Half of her serene face is covered, leaving only a single sapphire eye and half of a loving smile gazing back at Dawn.

"This...this is…" Dawn stammers.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Mokuba sighs, appearing by Dawn's side as if he has been there the entire time. "That's Mother, Dawn."

"M...Mother?!" Dawn repeats. "Then you...you're…"

Mokuba turns to her, dull amethyst eyes showing a hint of delight as they soon flicker into the color of the sun. His lips are curled into a bright smile, but it looks like a smile that he imitated from a mannequin. Lifeless. Hollow. Empty.

"Big brother," Mokuba whispers, still keeping his smile on Dawn. "Our guest has arrived."

A shadow looms over the girl. Dawn gasps and turns around...

And then, there is a knife that swiftly makes a straight line through the girl's throat.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"You serious?" Yvonne exclaims, wrapping up in a blue overcoat over her cyan pajamas. "You mean to tell me Dawn went on her own with Mokuba Kaiba and didn't tell us at all?!"

"If I wasn't serious, I wouldn't have asked you to take me to Stardust Road," Trip replies, green hair covered by the hood of his favorite orange jacket. "We need to get Dawn out of there before sunrise or else we won't have another chance."

"And by that you mean we won't have another chance until the next full moon or we won't have another chance because she'll be dead?"

"What do you think?"

Yvonne doesn't answer as they finally climb up the hill towards the Kougami Manor. The puppeteer wastes little time as she races towards the door and pounds on it with a fist.

"Takeru! Specter!" she shouts. "Either one of you better be up right now! Open up or else I'm gonna force myself in!"

After incessantly knocking for about thirty seconds, the door opens, only to find a sleepy Takeru Homura on the other side.

"Why are you at the manor at this hour?" The red-and-white haired teen murmurs, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Why can't you call?"

"Because the only numbers I have are May's, Brendan's and Dawn's," Yvonne replies. "And May doesn't like her 'beauty sleep' interrupted, Brendan is sleeping over with Hilbert and Hilda and Dawn is not responding to her calls because she's not in the manor at the moment."

"Don't be ridiculous," says Takeru. "Dawn is in her room at this hour."

But Yvonne's look of "Yeah, right" causes Takeru to pause.

"Let me in," Yvonne growls, pulling out something from the pocket of her coat. It is a switchblade which she flicks the blade and points it at Takeru.""Right. Now."

"Takeru, who is it outside?"

Takeru turns to see someone approach them. "Oh, Ryoken-san. It's Yvonne and one of her friends."

"It's Trip," Trip replies, grey eyes staring into the icy blue ones of Ryoken Kougami. "Where's Yusaku?

Ryoken frowns. "And why exactly do I need to wake him up at this hour?"

"Because Dawn is in trouble," Yvonne answers. "Trip says that she's gone to Bandersnatch Park along with that new kid, Mokuba and…" she turns to Trip. "What exactly is going on?"

Trip sighs, feeling as if he is tired of repeating something over and over again. "Let us in and I'll explain everything. But first, has Dawn read you her recent assignment for her Creative Writing class?"

"You mean the one based on the Hanging Tree?" asks Yvonne. "Well, yeah she has. But Trip, what does a short story have to do with all of this?"

"It has to do with everything involving this," Trip answers. "Because that tree she's gonna meet Mokuba in? Well, he and his brother were hung there centuries ago."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The feeling Dawn has when she wakes up is is as if someone has decided to press barbwire against her throat.

Everything starts to clear as she tries to orient herself. Just before she was knocked out, she followed Mokuba into the Night Garden and noticed that many of the 'flowers' in the garden were actually hands, and that the hands were positioned near a shrine of a woman wearing a dress like a white rose.

Then there was how Mokuba stated that the statue was like his "mother"...

She looks around. Above her head is a wisteria tree and across from her is Mokuba - that jerk - along with two other figures. The first figure, judging by his cerulean longcoat, short brown hair and sapphire eyes - is the one who slit her throat, Seto Kaiba.

And the second one?

Dawn feels like she's seeing things, but the second figure is the same statue of a woman but brought to life.

The woman folds her hands over the skirt of her show-white dress, her single blue eye lovingly gazing at five figures eagerly listening to what she has to say. Dawn's eyes widen; the five figures are the missing children!

What the hell is the CEO of Kaiba Corp. doing in the night garden with a strange woman, five missing children? And why the hell would someone like him resort to murdering her?

Those are questions she would have to get the answers for later, after she frees herself from this mess.

Okay...Dawn thinks to herself. So Trip's story wasn't just something he wrote for class. It was a warning. Those kids are about to become like the very same ones who got trapped there long ago! I gotta do something and get me and those kids out of here...think, think, think!

She takes a good look at what is going on the other side of the garden. Seto and his brother are carefully listening to the woman speak, their eyes in some sort of trance from the words. It reminds Dawn of all the times Yvonne would weave splendid tales with her puppets, or how Trip can make lure his audience in despite that creepy stone-like mask he wears.

Thanks to living with Ryoken, she has developed his and Yusaku's habit of listing three items whenever they think things out. So, what are the three things that Dawn noticed?

One, her bag and Duel Disk are by the woman's side.

Two, said bag is currently open (a really disgusting habit she has of people; leaving one's bag open means that you want someone to steal from you!)

Three, peeking out of the bag is her drone!

A wide smile appears on Dawn's face as she maneuvers her hands to pull down the sleeve of her right arm, revealing a set of stitches around her wrist. She then pulls out the stitches like they are floss, and notices a thin blade sticking out from underneath her skin.

With a few rotations of her hand, she cuts through the vines just enough to free her other hand and then stick it into the pocket of her dress. After a few seconds, she pulls out a remote control around the size of a cigar.

She chuckles as she turns the remote on. This is going to be so much fun.

"And the princess with the blue eyes and the knight with the hand of justice rode off through darkness and mirrors to a world that they have not entered, their only goal to spend time with one another with the time they had left," The woman recites, smiling at the five who are so entranced with her tale. "And so, they lived happily ever after."

The five children applause as the story ends.

"That was so much fun!" says Mikey. "You're a really good story teller, Miss Shirobara."

Shirobara smiles and pats Mikey on the head. "You were such great listeners, I couldn't help but want to fill your head with my magical tales. But alas, it is time for you to go to bed."

"Aww…" The children groan.

"But don't worry," Shirobara smiles. "Once you awaken, you will find yourself in a brand new life, one where you can always be happy. You can tend to the flowers, play with the animals that frolick here, listen to my stories and songs...you will never have to experience the pains that you had back at that 'Lovely' Home for Children."

"And we'll never feel sad ever again?" asks Leon.

The woman in the white rose dress smiles and kisses the purple haired boy's head. "Never ever again."

"What are we waiting for?" asks Rebecca, clutching onto her teddy bear tight. "Let's do it, Teddy!"

"Time for bed, my little ones," Shirobara coos. "Sleep tight."

The children let out loud yawns as Seto and Mokuba lead them toward a plot of land with five freshly made graves ready for them. But just as the kids are about to follow them, they hear something...chirp.

"What was that?" asks Julian, looking around.

"I don't know," Sonia answers. Then, there is a louder chirp. "Wait, there it is again!"

The woman tilts her head at the sound before she notices something shake in the black bag next to her. She approaches it and picks up the item that his chirping, a small drone that looks like a penguin, colored cyan, white and orange.

"A penguin?!" Mokuba exclaims.

"He's more than just a penguin!"

Mokuba turns around just to find someone attack him with a thorny vine, leaving scratches across his face. He stumbles back before he is attacked again and again and again.

"I brought you to You Show Duel School and this is how you repay me?" Dawn snarls, approaching the eight person audience, a remote control in one hand and a braided thorny whip in the other. "That's the last time I invite new recruits to the YMD Brigade."

Just as Dawn is about to strike Mokuba once more, his older brother steps in front of him. She stops, right hand still gripping onto the control the size of a cigar.

"How…" asks Seto, noticing that the slash he made through Dawn's neck has vanished. "How are you still alive? I…"

"Killed me?" Dawn finishes, narrowing her eyes. "Well, a benefit of being repurposed with vampire blood seeping through your veins is that one has a very powerful healing factor. Which is what you're gonna need after I do this!"

She presses a button on the remote control. Then, the little penguin drone's eyes glow white before it flies towards Seto Kaiba, slamming against his head with enough force to knock him onto the ground with a thud.

"You know," says Dawn. "They always say that it takes 'Two to tango'. Well, I'd like to think that 'Tango makes three' instead!"

Tango the Penguin Torpedo chirps before Dawn uses the remote to have him fly toward her side, stroking its belly. Meanwhile, the five children huddle together over as Dawn approaches them.

"We need to get out of here," she says, extending an arm out. "Follow me."

The children hesitate, looking back at the woman in her white dress, Mokuba covering his face with his hands, and the unconscious CEO before staring at Dawn.

"B...but…" says Leon. "It's nice here. Miss Shirobara cares for us."

"She tells us all these nice stories and sings songs and she loves us so!" Rebecca adds, hugging her teddy bear tight.

"Well the witch with the gingerbread house was nice to Hansel and Gretel before she decided to wanted to eat Hansel and make Gretel her slave," Dawn retorts. "Come on, we have to get going before - AH!"

A series of vines wrap around her ankle, dragging her towards Shirobara. Dawn begins pressing the buttons on her control as her penguin drone lights up and flies towards her side.

"You are being very rude," Shirobara points out. "My son brought you here and he was going to let you stay in the garden forever and this is how you repay him?"

"When I brought him to the You Show Duel School, I didn't reveal that I liked burying corpses in the ground or have someone slash his neck!" Dawn exclaims, now hanging upside down so the skirt of her dress flies over her face. She flicks her left wrist as a small blade appears underneath her skin and grabs onto her skirt with her right hand. "Put me down right now or else face the consequences!"

"The way I see it, I have every right to to torture you until you break," Shirobara hisses, dragging Dawn close so the two are staring at each other. "I didn't want to do it, but you leave me no choice."

Dawn takes note of her bag still next to Shirobara. "Wait!"

"Wait you say, do I look like a waiter?" Shirobara snarks.

"I mean…" Dawn clears her throat. "You don't want to kill me yet...not in front of these children!"

Shirobara tilts her head, noticing how the five children are close to crying.

"I suppose you make a point," she mutters.

"Exactly!" Dawn exclaims. "So, uh, do you know how to duel?"

"We've taught mother everything we know about dueling," sais Mokuba, thin scratches going across his face from Dawn's attack. "She's very good at it."

"And so am I. So, uh, how about it? We have a duel and if you win, you must let me and the children leave the garden."

"And if I win?" asks Shirobara.

"Then…" Dawn frowns. "I stay in your garden forever and you do whatever you want to me. Do we have a deal?"

"Hmmm…" says Shirobara, running a finger under her chin. "I get to do whatever I want with this little Morning Glory, hmm? Well, I have wanted a flower girl for some time!"

She claps her hands and the vines that suspend Dawn in the air release her, causing her to drop onto the ground with an "oof".

"Next time, I'd consider something like a bed of flowers for my fall," Dawn mutters, standing up. "Now, if we're gonna duel, I need my Duel Disk. Which is in my bag. Right next to you. Over there."

Shirobara looks down at the black handbag with bat wings and opens it. There is a Duel Disk with a lavender body inside.

"You mean this?" she asks, taking the item into her hand. "Well, here you go."

She tosses the Duel Disk into Dawn's hands, while Dawn slips the Duel Disk onto her arm. With Tango resting on her right shoulder, she slips the control for him back in to her pocket.

"All right then," says Dawn, drawing her cards. "Let's get dueling!"

Shirobara smirks as vines wrap around her left arm before it transforms into a Duel Disk with a deck holder/lifepoint meter resembling a white rose and the tray a long green leaf. She then stares at the children who look in curiosity like kids do at anything magical.

"Don't worry little ones," Shirobara assures them. "Once I'm done with this Morning Glory, you can finally rest."

Dawn frowns as Shirobara clasps her hands over her heart and lifts her head to the night sky, mouth open to sing a single note. Then, the bodies of both Mokuba and Seto Kaiba glow before shrinking into small orbs that fly into Shirobara's open hand before she crushes them with a satisfied grin on her face.

"Wha…" Dawn whispers. "What did you do to them?"

"You'll see soon enough," Shirobara chuckles. "Now then, let us venture into the garden of shadows! Let the duel commence!"

A gust of wind collects leaves and flower petals as they swirl around the field all while the moonlight gives Shirobara an ominous aura. Dawn narrows her eyes; this is a duel that she will win.

"Let's duel!" The combatants shout.

(Dawn: 8000)- - - - - - - - (Shirobara: 8000)

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"What do you mean the Kaiba brothers were hung on Pleasance Tree centuries ago?" May exclaims. "That's absurd!"

In the living room, five people sit around a glass table as Takeru and Specter serve cups of tea and hot cocoa for everyone and Dawn's note in the center. Takeru looks forlorn; at times like this, Dawn would be having a study session with her closest friends or they would plan out how they would build up the curriculum for their Duel School. Her absence makes the atmosphere tense.

"Our Twilight Princess shall return soon enough," says Specter, patting Takeru's shoulder. "Come on, we should prepare some gifts for her."

Takeru nods his head as he follows Specter into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Trip stares at May, hand tented in front of his face.

"Absurd, yes. False? No," he says. "For someone who has dedicated most of her free time to catch up with the modern times, you tend to limit your mind to the curious sites that Carroll City has to offer."

"Well that's because it's kinda hard to believe that the CEO and Vice President of Kaiba Corp. are repurposed corpses, although that does make more sense as to why they constantly keep wearing scarves everywhere," Yvonne notes. "And how exactly do you know such a thing?"

"Because," Trip answers with a cold smile on his face. "My nickname as 'The Curious' isn't just a nickname; it's a title passed down in my family for generations. Each person who bears that name collects strange tales, always finding ourselves drawn to them like a bee is attracted to nectar. We record these stories for others to read and, if a story remains unfinished, to uncover the truth and write its ending."

"That sounds like a very imposing job," Ryoken murmurs, embracing a distraught Yusaku. "And how exactly does this relate to Dawn's assignment exactly?"

Trip takes a sip of hot cocoa before continuing. "Dawn's story, however she managed to make it exactly like how the legend goes, ended with the villagers finding the bodies of the brothers hanging on the branch. But what she didn't reveal is what happened after they were buried."

"Why would someone bury them?" asks Yvonne. "I mean, unless they want a bunch of zombies on hand, it would be best to cremate the bodies and get it over with."

"Yes, that was the biggest mistake that the villagers did in the end. They just didn't have the heart to burn their little bodies. Instead, they decided to carefully position their arms and legs so that they were asleep in each other's arms, then place them into an unmarked grave. Simple as that."

"'Simple as that,'" Yvonne repeats. "If I had a knife for every single time I heard or read that phrase, I'd have enough to use for target practice."

"But when night fell and the moon shined like a silver coin, she came." Trip continues.

Yusaku blinks. "She?"

"Glad to see that you finally show interest to the tale, Yusaku-san," Trip notes. "But this woman is someone who first appeared in this story of the Hanging Tree. She carried a lantern in the shape of a white rose and walked toward the grave. With the lantern in hand, she sang and the light in the lantern began to glow. Beams of moonlight washed down on the grave and then…

"Two hands popped out. The woman then helped pull the brothers out of the grave, wiped the dirt out of their faces and clothes, treated the two like they were her children. Then, she took their hands and rushed off to who knows where.

"My great-great-grandfather, who was one of the children who found the bodies of Mokuba and Seto Kaiba dangling from the tree, saw this from behind an old barrel and he raced off to tell his mother and father about it. But, of course…"

"No one would believe him," Ryoken finishes. "Typical."

Trip nods his head. "My great-great-grandfather was sent to bed and was told that seeing those brothers dead must have traumatized him. But that was nothing compared to what happened to what happened the morning after."

"Another body hanging from the tree?" asks Yvonne, taking a sip of hot chocolate.

"Absolutely. But this time, instead of two little boys, it was the body of a grown man. And that man was known as 'Bandit Keith'."

There is a slight pause as everyone looks at Trip silently taking another sip of cocoa. Yvonne sets her cup down and shakes her head.

"That's the same name from Dawn's story," she says. "But that doesn't make any sense - how would she know the name of that person and write a story from who knows how long ago?"

Ryoken rubs his chin in thought. "Yusaku."

"Yes?" asks Yusaku, turning to his boyfriend.

"Didn't you once mention your grandmother had psychic abilities?" Ryoken asks. "Like she could have dreams of things in the past that were left unfinished?"

"Yeah," Yusaku answers. "She would tell Dawn and me so many stories of unfinished business that she attended to. So maybe…"

"Maybe Dawn inherited her gift?" Ryoken finishes. "Hmm...that does make a lot more sense than her just using a song to come up with a story."

"So you're saying that there's something in regards to the reanimated Kaiba brothers and a strange white dressed lantern lady that Dawn has to handle all by herself?" asks Yvonne.

"Oh there's more to it than that," Trip states with a humorless chuckle. "My story about the night garden happened some time prior to that lady reviving Seto and Mokuba. She lured many children into her night garden and when they decided not to stay with her forever, she buried them, leaving a single hand sticking out of the dirt.

"And, get this, according to an illustration made for this story, the gate to this Night Garden is through Pleasance Tree; the same tree which was used to hang those boys long ago. It opens once during a Full Moon and only by someone who was born and raised in that very same garden.

"However, if one doesn't leave the garden by sunrise, they are doomed to stay in the garden for all eternity and to become an offering for the gardener's 'children'."

The temperature in the room has dropped significantly.

It is rare for either Yvonne or May to shiver in fear from a horror story, but they both do now. Ryoken then stands up.

"We need to get going," he says. "If we're going to save Dawn from becoming fertilizer, we must go now."

"Not without some gifts first," says Takeru, rushing into the living room with two items in hand. "Specter and I won't be able to come, but please hand these to Dawn to show that we're here for her."

"Thank you for that, Takeru-san," says Yvonne, taking the items into her hand. She then turns to the boy whose hair is styled after the wisteria. "What about you, Yusaku? Do you want to see your sister die in front of your eyes again?"

Yusaku's eyes widen as he remembers that fateful day. After Yvonne and May defeated the people involved in that sex trafficking case, he raced toward his terrified sister and hugged her for the first time in years. Unfortunately, the moment was short-lived when one of the traffickers activated a bomb attached to him and caused an explosion that, while it caused a few injuries on Yusaku, killed his little sister.

It took days for Kyoko, Aso and Dr. Genome to repurpose her body using spare parts, along with Yvonne's sewing skills and a bit of May's blood before Dawn was brought back to life. How he blamed himself for not being able to comfort his sister when she needed it the most. How he blamed himself for pushing her away when all she wanted to do was hug him and he wouldn't accept those hugs.

It was right there and then, when he saw his sister open her eyes once more, that he would hug his sister tight whenever he could. She deserved that at the very least.

Clenching his teeth, Yusaku stands up, green eyes filled with a desire to bring his sister back into the Kougami Manor safe and sound. And he will bring her back no matter what it takes.

"Take us there," he tells Trip. "Take us to my sister."

Trip smirks. "Gladly. Now, let's get going."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Since this is my garden, I'll take the first move," says Shirobara, drawing her card. "And for my first move, I play the Field Spell called Black Garden!"

She slips the card into the field slot of her Duel Disk, the card depicting the statue of a faun surrounded by vines and blooming black roses. Then, the scenery around the duelist changes into a tunnel constructed by similar vines and black roses.

"Now every time we summon a monster onto the field, their attack scores are cut in half. Plus, for every monster summoned, we get a 'Rose Token' in return.

"Next, I play a Continuous Spell Card called The World Tree!"

Shirobara slips another card into her Duel Disk, depicting a magnificent tree with bright green leaves and orange flower buds in its branches. Behind her a tree just like the one in the card's artwork appears.

"For every Plant-type monster destroyed, my tree gains a 'Flower Counter'. What these counters do, we'll get to later.

"Now, for my monster. I summon Lonefire Blossom in Defense Mode!"

Emerging onto the field is a strange plant with a stem consisted of a yellow and black stem twisted together and two blue leaves sticking out. The flower itself is a small bomb with its wick lit. (500/1400 -) 250/1400) Then, to the left of Lonefire Blossom, a single red rose rises. (800 DEF)

"I activate Lonefire Blossom's effect," Shirobara continues. "If I tribute a Plant-type monster I control, I get to Special Summon a Plant-type monster in my deck onto the field. So I tribute my Rose Token to summon Bird of Roses in Attack Mode!"

The Rose Token vanishes before Shirobara's newest monster appears. A large bird with a green body consisting of a large palm frond, and wings also made of lighter green palm fronds that end in roses. A large red rose tops its head like a crest. (1800 -) 900 ATK) Then, another Rose Token appears. (800 DEF)

"I end my turn with two face-down cards," says Shirobara, her hand now reduced to a single card. "You ready, Morning Glory?"

"You'll see in a minute or two," says Dawn, drawing a card. She smiles at what she has drawn. "First, I summon Witchcraft Pittore in Attack Mode!"

Appearing in front of Dawn is a young girl around her age, with light pink hair tied into a ponytail which, funnily enough, the tail looks like a paintbrush and the end of said ponytail is covered in paint. She wears a white blouse and pink skirt covered by a forest green paint covered smock with a strange emblem that matches the one on Dawn's dress stamped on the bottom, colored white. In her left hand is a large glass bottle that contains yellow paint, and strapped to a belt on her right is a small leather bag with a paintbrush sticking out. Finishing the look are the leather boots. (1000 -) 500 ATK)

A Rose Token appears next to her, which she begins to paint its petals blue. (800 DEF)

"How adorable!" Shirobara coos. "I adore art!"

"So do I," Dawn agrees. "But Pittore isn't staying long. You see, when I tribute her along with a Spell Card in my hand, I get to Special Summon a 'Witchcraft' monster from my deck!

"So, seeing as you like shiny things, let me introduce you to the woman who works with them! I offer Witchcraft Pittore to summon Witchcraft Edel in Attack Mode!"

Pittore vanishes as a new, taller Spellcaster appears. She is a woman in her 20s, with violet and indigo hair tied in a ponytail along with a crown of sparkles topping it. She wears a purple sleeveless and strapless dress with black trim and a black sash wrapped around the middle with golden sparkles decorating it, the Witchcraft emblem on the bottom right corner of the skirt. She wears long fishnet gloves along with various bracelets and rings on her wrists and fingers. Her feet are adorned with black platform heels. In her hands is a large silver monkey wrench with a ruby clamped between the wrench's jaws. (2000 -) 1000 ATK)

Another Rose Token emerges, which Edel stares at disapprovingly. (800 DEF)

"And why stop there? I activate Edel's effect! I send another Spell Card from my hand to the grave and I get to summon another 'Witchcraft' monster from my deck. So, here comes the master of needles and thread. I summon Witchcraft Haine!"

Dawn sends another card from her hand to the graveyard as a third Witchcraft monster appears. She is around the same height as Edel with grey hair streaked cyan and gold and topped with a small hat. She wears a denim ensemble which includes a long trenchcoat, where a golden crest lies at the tail of the coat, boots that rise up to her thighs, and a golden box strapped to her side. Hovering around her are large needles the size and sharpness of rapiers. (2400 -) 1200 ATK)

A third Rose Token appears while Haine pulls out a roll of measuring tape and measures the token from petal to stem. (800 DEF)

"Very impressive," Shirobara admits. "However, this won't stop me from doing this. I activate my Trap Card, Token Feastevil!"

Shirobara's face-down card flips, depicting a bunch of goblins about to feast on adorable Scapegoat Sheep Tokens.

"Whenever a 'Token' monster is summoned, I can destroy as many as I want and then inflict 300 points of damage for each one destroyed. So I'll destroy all four on the field and inflict 1200 points of damage!"

The Rose Tokens get sucked into the Token Feastevil card before four orbs of light shoot from it and collide with Dawn before vanishing..

(Dawn: 6800)- - - - - - - - (Shirobara: 8000)

Meanwhile, four orange blossoms bloom on Shirobara's World Tree, but Dawn isn't focused on that as she is focused on squashing Shirobara's monsters.

"That's not gonna stop me," Dawn grunts. "Witchcraft Haine, time to dress Bird of Roses up! Embroidered Rampage!

Witchcraft Haine raises her hands into the air as four large needles point towards the bird/plant hybrid. Bird of Roses squawks in horror as it is skewered by Haine's needles and explodes into leaves and flower petals. Meanwhile, a fifth orange flower blooms on the World Tree.

(Dawn: 6800)- - - - - - - - (Shirobara: 7600)

"Thanks for that," says Shirobara, taking two cards from her deck into her hand. "You see, if Bird of Roses is destroyed while in Attack Mode, I can Special Summon two Plant-type Tuners from my deck onto the field in Defense Mode! And the ones I choose are my Naturia Rosewhip and Spore!"

Two monsters rise in Bird of Roses' place. One is a red tulip with a grinning face and the other is a cyan puffball with blue watery eyes. (Naturia Rosewhip: 400/1700 -) 200/1700, Spore: 400/800 -) 200/800) Two more Rose Tokens rise, filling Shirobara's field. (800 x2)

That's bad! Dawn thinks to herself. Naturia Rosewhip's Defense is too strong for my monsters and Spore's special ability is gonna make it come back and with a stronger level. God damn it….

Dawn darts her eyes back and forth between the two Tuners all while Shirobara smiles at the internal battle in her opponent's mind. After looking at her choices three times, Dawn sighs.

"Edel, attack Spore! Gem Crusher!"

Edel charges into battle, her silver monkey wrench ready before she leaps into the air and swings her weapon onto her target with glee. A sixth flower unfurls its petals on the World Tree, the flowers shining like little suns.

"I'll end my turn with a face-down card," says Dawn, placing a card into her Duel Disk. "And then…"

Two cards pop out of Dawn's graveyard, which she adds into her hand.

"Wait a second," says Shirobara. "How do you get to return cards from your graveyard?"

"Hmm? Oh, right," says Dawn. "I sorta forgot to mention that the cards I discarded in order to use Pittore and Edel's effect were Witchcraft Creation and Witchcraft Bystreet. And my 'Witchcraft' Spells have two effects: one for when they're played and one if they're in the graveyard. During my End Phase, as long as I have a 'Witchcraft' monster on the field and I have 'Witchcraft' Spells in my grave, I can bring them back to my hand or, in the case of Witchcraft Bystreet, place it in one of my Spell/Trap Zones!"

"That's not…"

"Fair?" Dawn finishes. She shakes her head. "That sounds rich coming from someone who has to make me choose between two Plant-type Tuners with one of them being able to come back from the grave and change its level like it was nothing. I find your response to be absolutely h-y-p-o-c-r-i-t-i-c-a-l. But for now, I activate the power of Witchcraft Bystreet!"

She slaps her Spell Card onto her Duel Disk and it appears behind Edel and Haine. It is a cobblestone street with seven signs depicting different types of stores. Magic seeps through its windows, suggesting that strange things are at work.

"You're up," says Dawn, bowing to her opponent. Shirobara frowns as she draws a card.

"I activate the effect of The World Tree!" she begins. "Whenever a Plant-type monster is destroyed, I gain a 'Flower Token'. And depending on how many Flower Tokens I offer, I gain some very powerful effects.

"So for this, I shall offer two Flower Tokens to destroy Witchcraft Haine!"

Two flowers wither from the great tree before Witchcraft Haine shields herself from the inevitable destruction. Shirobara grins as Haine braces for the kaboom…

But after five seconds, nothing happens. Witchcraft Haine inspects the sleeves of her coat and sighs when she finds nothing torn.

"What?!" Shirobara screeches. "She should've been destroyed by now!"

"Should have," Dawn notes. "But this is when the effect of Witchcraft Bystreet comes in. You see, the first time a 'Witchcraft' monster would be destroyed by battle or card effect, Witchcraft Bystreet negates it."

"Then I shall destroy that next! I offer two more Flower Counters!"

Two more flowers wilt before a blast of light destroys Dawn's Continuous Spell Card. Despite the loss, both Witchcraft Edel and Haine stand strong.

"And with that out of the way, it's time for me to bring one of my lovely blossoms to play. I tune Naturia Rosewhip with Lonefire Blossom and one Rose Token! Let's go!"

Naturia Rosewhip smirks before transforming into three green rings. Lonefire Blossom and a lone Rose Token turn into a group of four stars that fall in line and zip through the rings.

(*3 + *2 + *2 = *7)

"Lofty rose that buds in a garden of integrity! Bloom here, watered by blue moonlight! Black Rose Moonlight Dragon!"

With a roar, a large draconic figure emerges onto the field. It has black scales and pink talons, and wings that look similar to that of rose petals trimmed with black. Topping his head are braids of rose petals. Behind him are a collection of black thorny tendrils and a glowing aura like that of pure moonlight. (2400 -) 1200 ATK)

When the light dies down, Dawn looks up to see the dragon staring back at her with a look of interest. But that's not what she's really seeing.

Instead of a dragon, in its place is Mokuba, but with piercing yellow eyes, black scales covering his face and a pair of spiraling dragon horns decorated in rose petals.

"M...Mokuba?" Dawn whispers. "You're...you're…"

This, apparently, is something that Trip didn't cover in his story. The sight of this strange dragon causes Sonia to scream and hide behind Julian. Julian gulps, imagining he is a knight off to protect the dear princess when he sees the dragon stare at him.

"Oh?" Shirobara asks with a tilt of her head. "You happen to know one of my children?"

"This...this is…" Dawn looks in disbelief. "He's a dragon?"

"That and more…" Shirobara answers all while Black Rose Moonlight Dragon purrs and nuzzles her. "But back to his effect. Whenever Black Rose Moonlight Dragon is Special Summoned, I can return a Special Summoned monster you control back into your hand. And the one I choose is Witchcraft Haine! So go, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon! Rose Ballad!"

Black Rose Moonlight Dragon turns his gaze at Witchcraft Haine before another moonlight aura radiates from its body. Witchcraft Haine snarls as she stands her ground.

"Haine's not going down that easily," says Dawn. "I send one Spell Card from my hand to the graveyard to activate her effect. Haine can destroy one face-up card you control and the card she chooses is Black Rose Moonlight Dragon!"

She slips a card to the graveyard as Haine points towards the Synchro Monster. Four flying needles zip into the air before slicing the monster into pieces, but not before Black Rose Moonlight Dragon unleashes a blast of sound that hurls Haine back into Dawn's hand.

But as Black Rose Moonlight Dragon was destroyed, Dawn swears that she could hear Mokuba crying out in agony.

What the hell did Shirobara do to them?

"You did it!" says Leon. "You slayed the dragon, Morning Glory!"

"Stop calling me that," Dawn mutters, but she appreciates the cheers the kids are giving her. It's a total confident boost!

"You may have destroyed my Moonlight Dragon," Shirobara notes. "But without Haine on the field, you won't be able to protect yourself from my next move! I summon Botanical Girl in Attack Mode!"

With a giggle, a woman emerges onto the field, her dress resembling a Venus flytrap and the top of her head resembling a pitcher plant. (1300 -) 650 ATK) A Rose Token appears to her left. (800 DEF)

"Then, I will bring back Spore from the grave by Banishing Lonefire Blossom! By doing so, Spore can increase its level equal to that of the monster I choose to Banish!"

Lonefire Blossom's image vanishes as Spore hops onto the field once more, a big grin on its face. (LV: 1 -) 4, 400/800 -) 200/800)

That makes Spore's level shoot to four! Dawn thinks. She's gonna Synchro Summon again!

"Now Spore, Botanical Girl. Let's bring out my second blossom!"

Spore winks before transforming into three rings and Botanical Girl turns into three stars that excitedly gets in line and zooms through the rings.

(*3 + * 4 = * 7)

"Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!"

And then, another dragon emerges onto the field. Unlike Black Rose Moonlight Dragon, which has wings inspired by a rose, Black Rose Dragon looks like a dragon that is born from a rose, with its underside covered by rose petals and longer horns made from rose petals compared to that of his lighter brother. He growls at Dawn before opening his mouth to roar at the girl. (2400 -) 1200 ATK)

And due to the effects of Black Garden, one more Rose Token appears. (800 DEF)

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention," says Shirobara. "Whenever Botanical Girl is sent from the field to the graveyard, I get to take a Plant-type monster with 1000 Defense Points or less from my deck to my hand. So that means you can expect even more surprises hidden within my lovely garden, dear Morning Glory!"

This can't be happening...Dawn thinks to herself, watching Shirobara take another card to her hand. Instead of the dragon, the young girl briefly sees Seto Kaiba's figure with the CEO wearing a black coat decorated with rose petals and fierce magenta eyes along with two horns topping his head. This can't be Seto Kaiba! I'm supposed to fight Seto Kaiba in a freaking duel? I'd rather swallow glass.

"And when Black Rose Dragon is Special Summoned, he destroys all cards on the field!" says Shirobara, snapping Dawn out of her thoughts.

"But doesn't that mean Black Rose Dragon is destroyed?" asks Dawn.

"Correct," Shirobara croons. "That's why I'm going to dress him up real nice before he burns everything down! I activate my face-down card, Forbidden Dress!"

Dawn's eyes widen at the Quick-play Spell Card of a woman with auburn hair and a white tunic looking at a strange looking dress in front of her. Black Rose Dragon growls softly as its attack drops but a glowing aura surrounds him from the top of his head to the tips of his rose-like feathers. (1200 -) 600 ATK)

"Clear the field and let everything be ready for the next step, my love!" says Shirobara. "Black Rose Gale!"

Black Rose Dragon screeches before he flaps his mighty wings, the powerful bursts of air he unleashes destroying everything on the field. From the Black Garden to the Rose Tokens to Witchcraft Edel, nothing is safe from his onslaught.

"Now," Shirobara continues, pointing at Dawn. "Attack directly with Black Rose Flare!"

Dawn braces herself as Black Rose Dragon unleashes a fireball that strikes her Duel Disk. It manages to push her back, but not much.

(Dawn: 6200)- - - - - - - - (Shirobara: 7600)

And the loss of 600 lifepoints isn't on Dawn's mind at this point. What she is thinking about is how the famous CEO of Kaiba Corp. is a dragon who has been luring children into this macabre garden for who knows how long. This makes no sense, and this is coming from someone who has been repurporsed, her best friend has puppets that walk and talk like normal humans and three of the people living in Kougami manor are vampires!

"How...how is this possible?" Dawn asks.

"It's simple, really," Shirobara begins. "I'm well versed in the art of dueling so I know how to-"

"I don't mean how you're capable of Synchro Summoning!" Dawn snaps. "How are Mokuba and Seto Kaiba dragons?! Better yet, what's going on here with Pleasance Tree and the kidnapped children and this garden?!"

"...You really want to know?"

Dawn nonchalantly shrugs her shoulders. "If I'm gonna be trapped here for who knows how long, I might as well get to know who I'm gonna be stuck with."

"Very well," says Shirobara. "I'm sure you've heard the legend of the Night Garden, correct?"

"Just this afternoon," Dawn answers.

"Well," Shirobara begins. "There's more to this story than you know. You see, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon told me about your little story about the two boys who hung on that tree. It's a funny coincidence that you just explained what happened to Mokuba and Seto centuries ago."

"Wait, the two brothers were…" Dawn covers her mouth with her hands. "That...that's impossible. There's no way Mokuba would decide to just take a noose and kill himself. No, no no nononono…."

"Yes to all of your 'no's," Shirobara sighs. "But to skip the boring part of how the townsfolk buried the brothers in a grave and I revived them then made them take revenge on that horrid Bandit Keith, I decided to gift them with the power of Draconicfiguration."

"Wait, you mean you gave them the ability to transform into dragons?" Dawn repeats.

"Is it that obvious?" Shirobara asks. "My dear sons kept me company, chasing away those who would bring harm to the Night Garden and carried children away into my lovely home, where I could tend to them like they were nothing more than another flower that has bloomed underneath the moonlight."

"Wait, doesn't that mean…" Realization hits Dawn. "They were the one who killed Barbara from that Children's Home?!"

"She pulled a long face…" Seto hisses in his form as Black Rose Dragon. "And mother doesn't like that."

He laughs, which sounds like a roaring engine, causing the children to scream in terror and hold each other tight. Dawn grits her teeth; the idea of dead dismembered bodies with their entrails spilled out make her sick to her stomach. She can't help it; after all, she ended up becoming that a year ago.

Still, there are more important things to worry about. Taking a deep breath, Dawn turns to the children and smiles at them.

"Don't worry everyone," says Dawn. "I'm gonna stop this guy no matter what!"

"I'd like to see you try," Shirobara chuckles. "Now, I play one face-down card and that's it. You're up now, little Morning Glory."

"Will you stop calling me that?" asks Dawn, drawing her card. She looks at her hand and nods her head. "Well, since you decided to burn everything, I think I can play this without worry. I play the Spell Card Witchcraft Sabotage!"

She plays her Spell Card, depicting a red-haired Witchcraft monster calming Witchcraft Edel from covering a sleeping cyan-haired Witchcraft monster with a large glass dome.

"This card lets me Special Summon a 'Witchcraft' monster from my graveyard with no strings attached! So I'll bring back Witchcraft Edel so she can lay the smackdown on you!"

But just as Witchcraft Edel emerges from the card…

"I activate my Trap Card, Ground Collapse!" says Shirobara. "Now by offering a Synchro Monster I control, I can negate your summoning and prevent you from summoning a monster until the end of your turn!"

"No!"

Black Rose Dragon roars as the Trap Card depicts the ground falling due to a massive earthquake. Witchcraft Edel braces herself, but then she sinks into the ground with a scream, leaving Dawn's field empty.

"Anything else?" asks Shirobara.

"...I'll play two cards face-down," Dawn mutters, slipping two cards into her Duel Disk. She now has one card in her hand. "That's it."

"Good move," Shirobara purrs, drawing her card. "And just to show that I'm a benevolent being who only wants what's best for lost souls, I play Card of Sanctity!"

Coins rain from the sky as both duelists make five more draws until they each have six cards in their hands.

"Now, I'll summon the monster I received from Botanical Girl on my last turn. I summon Flowerbot in Attack Mode!"

Rising onto the field is a robot that looks similar to a flower with a yellow face and red metallic petals. In its hands is a raygun that he points at Dawn's empty field. (1500 ATK)

"Next, I play Double Summon to summon Naturia Cosmobeet from my hand!"

Dawn gulps as she sees the well-known Spell Card before another Naturia monster appears, depicting a beet with stubby arms and legs, large blue eyes and flowers sprouting from his heads. (700 DEF)

"Did I mention that Naturia Cosmobeet is a Tuner?" Shirobara giggles, noticing the look of horror on Dawn's face. "Time to tune my monsters once again!"

Flowerbot transforms into three stars while Naturia Cosmobeet turns into three glowing rings. The three stars align and zip through the rings.

(*3 + *2 = *5)

"Lady who blooms like the flowers she tends to. Bring the garden of enchantment to life once again! Synchro Summon! Level 5! Garden Rose Maiden!"

Emerging from the grown is a large white rose. When the petals unfurl, there stands an exact replica of Lady Shirobara, her smile serene in contrast to the wicked smirk on her duelist's face. (1600 ATK)

"Another Lady Shirobara?" Mikey asks in confusion.

"She's a pale shadow of the real thing," Dawn mutters causing Shirobara to snarl.

"Garden Rose Maiden," she begins, gritting her teeth. "Attack directly!"

Garden Rose Maiden raises her hands into the air as a storm of white rose petals swirls above her head. Then, she fires her attack at Dawn, who smirks.

"She's gonna have to get in line!" says Dawn. "I activate my face-down card, Back to the Front!"

Dawn's first card flips, revealing Muscle Medic tossing Marauding Captain back to the frontlines while Freed the Matchless General is served tea from some female nurses.

"This card lets me Special Summon a monster from my graveyard in Defense Mode. And the monster I choose is Witchcraft Edel!"

With an excited yelp, the purple dressed Witchcraft monster appears, crouching in defense with her trusty wrench closeby. (2300 DEF)

"Then, I activate my other face-down card! I activate...Witchcraft Masterpiece!"

Dawn's other card flips, depicting a few Witchcraft monsters - Witchcraft Haine, Edel and the one with cyan hair - standing in a triangle formation on top of a magic seal. In front of them is a holographic construct of a person.

"Now I choose a Spell Card from either of our graveyards and add a copy of it into my hand. And the card I choose is Witchcraft Sabotage!"

A card pops out from Dawn's deck, which Dawn takes into her hand all while Edel snickers at how Garden Rose Maiden must stop her attack.

"I'll have to end my turn there," Shirobara pouts.

"And I start my turn," says Dawn. "I draw!"

She draws a card from her deck, expanding her hand to eight cards.

"First, I place Witchcraft Edel in Attack Mode."

Edel stands up, pointing her large wrench at Garden Rose Maiden. (2000 ATK)

"Then, I summon Witchcraft Potere in Defense Mode!"

With a giggle, the newest Witchcraft monster appears. She is around five to six years old, with blond hair tied into little cat ears and dressed in a white blouse and jean shorts with a denim apron on top of that, where the Witchcraft crest is stamped onto the pocket of said apron. A light green cloak is draped over her body. In her left hand, she wields a staff styled after a trowel and floating above her right hand is an adorable creature made of clay. (2000 DEF)

"How adorable!" Shirobara coos. "I'd like to have some adorable clay figurines to make the garden feel more alive!"

"That's gonna have to wait," says Dawn. "You see, Witchcraft Potere's effect is exactly like Pittore's! By sending her and a Spell Card from my hand to the graveyard, I get to Special Summon a 'Witchcraft' monster from my deck. And the one I play is ready to set the whole world on fire. I summon...Witchcraft Schmitta!"

Potere bows before she is replaced by a new Witchcraft monster who appears to be in her teens. She has red hair tied up into a ponytail, a pair of steampunk goggles perched above her head. She wears a white top, with the Witchcraft symbol stamped in blue on her right side, that exposes a black bra and red Daisy Dukes held with a belt buckle that is gold with a black center. Strapped to her legs are leather pouches, two on each side, and she wears white knee-length stockings and brown leather boots. In her red gloved hands is her strange weapon with a long blade and two mallets on each side of the blade. (1800 ATK)

"And don't forget Edel's effect. Now I offer another Spell Card from my hand to Special Summon Witchcraft Haine that's also in my hand! Remember her? You send her back there when you used your Black Rose Moonlight Dragon's effect!"

Shirobara cringes when the black coat wearing Witchcraft monster appears, four large needles ready to attack. (2400 ATK)

"And now it's time to attack! Witchcraft Schmitta, attack with Vulcan's Wrath!"

Schmitta charges into battle, carrying her hefty blade in hand before she slices Garden Rose Maiden in half.

(Dawn: 6200)- - - - - - - - (Shirobara: 7400)

"Witchcraft Edel and Witchcraft Haine, do your thing!"

The two monsters nod their heads as they charge their attacks. Edel races towards Shirobara and slugs the white rose woman in the stomach with her wrench before Haine follows it up with a slash from a giant needle.

(Dawn: 6200)- - - - - - - - (Shirobara: 3000)

"I'm ending my turn there," says Dawn. "And I'll bring back my first Witchcraft Sabotage to my hand! So summon all the monsters you want; Witchcraft Haine will make her stitches nice and neat for whoever comes in her way."

To emphasize this, Witchcraft Haine performs a series of parries and thrusts with a needle in hand.

Shirobara stays silent as she draws her card. When she looks at it, the serene smile on her face transforms into a sadistic grin that causes the children to shriek in terror.

"First," she begins. "I play the card I placed back on top of my deck from Flowerbot's effect. I play Pot of Avarice!"

Dawn grimaces upon seeing the goofy purple pot. Shirobara is quiet as five cards are ejected from her graveyard, slipped back into her deck, and then draws two cards after her deck is shuffled. Upon seeing her newly drawn cards, the sadistic grin on her face is a smile that seems to belong to a psychopath ready to slash Dawn into pieces.

"I think you may have spoken too soon," she says. "Because when you sent Garden Rose Maiden to the graveyard, you activated her special ability! Now I can Banish her from the graveyard to Special Summon a Dragon Synchro monster from the very same place! And the one I choose is Black Rose Moonlight Dragon!"

Garden Rose Maiden's figure appears once more, albeit transparent. She clasps her hands and places them over her heart before she sings and fades away into miniscule grains of light. Then, rising from the ground is Black Rose Moonlight Dragon, who unleashes a roar like a wail at the sacrifice of his dear mother. (2400 ATK)

"And unlike his darker brother, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon's effect works whenever he's Special Summoned! Now, I return that little seamstress back into your hand!"

"And I'll send your dragon back where he belongs!" Dawn retorts, sending a card from her hand into the graveyard. "If Haine's going down, she's dragging her prey with her!"

Haine narrows her eyes as she grabs another large needle and races towards the Synchro Monster. When she gets close, she performs two slashes that slices the monster's head clean off before she leaps back into Dawn's hand.

"What do you say to that?" asks Dawn.

"I say that I'm glad you took the bait," says Shirobara. "Now that Haine is out of the way, I can bring the real star of the show back!

"First, from my hand, I summon White Rose Dragon!"

A large white rose blooms onto the field. A head peeks out, revealing a baby dragon with the same black body as the Synchro Rose Dragons and green thorns acting as spikes on its tail. Its wings are long white petals that act like fingers. (1200 ATK)

"It's so cute!" Rebecca and Sonia coo.

"And when White Rose Dragon is Normal Summoned, I can summon another 'Rose Dragon' from my hand," Shirobara continues. "So I choose to summon the Tuner called Red Rose Dragon!"

Then, a large red blooms next to the white one. It crouches on all fours with two red roses on its back and long thin green leaves as wings. (1000 ATK)

Not good, not good, not good! Dawn thinks. She's gonna summon another Black Rose Dragon!

"Exactly!" says Shirobara, her grin stretching out like bubble gum. "Now my dragons, come together and Synchro Summon Black Rose Dragon!"

White Rose Dragon turns into a quartet of stars that zip into the trio of green rings that was once Red Rose Dragon before the figure of Black Rose Dragon emerges onto the field with a mighty roar. (2400 ATK)

"And that's not the last of my Rose Dragons!" Shirobara continues. "When White Rose Dragon is sent to the graveyard as Synchro Material, I get to send a Level 4 or higher Plant-type monster from my deck to my graveyard.

"And when Red Rose Dragon is used as Synchro Material, I get to Special Summon a 'Rose Dragon' from my deck. And if the Synchro Monster was either 'Black Rose Dragon' or a Plant-type monster, I get to take one of two specific cards into my hands, not that I will need them to defeat you.

"So now, I bring forth a dragon that blooms once in a blue moon. I summon Blue Rose Dragon!"

As Shirobara takes one card to the graveyard and one card to her hand, a serpentine dragon with wings from a blue rose emerges. (1600 ATK) But he doesn't stay long when Black Rose Dragon unleashes a scorching wave of heat from its powerful wings that causes all monsters on the field to be destroyed once again.

"Wait," says Dawn. "What was the point of summoning another monster when Black Rose Dragon's going to send it to the graveyard?"

"That's exactly the point!" Shirobara shrieks. "When Blue Rose Dragon is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can summon either a 'Black Rose Dragon' or Plant-type monster from my graveyard. Guess who's back~!"

Dawn says nothing when Black Rose Dragon rises like a phoenix, growling at the girl in her black dress. (2400 ATK)

Dawn snarls, baring her teeth in an attempt to show that she is just as fearsome as the dragon.

"Seto Kaiba," she begins. "I don't know if you can hear me there but lemme tell you something...you are a JERK!"

The dragon replies to the insult by opening his mouth, unleashing another roar that threatens to knock Dawn off of her feet.

"You're only saying that because you have lifepoints to spare," says Shirobara. "But now, you'll see one of my powerful generals. All I have to do is Banish a Level 7 Plant-type monster from my hand and in the graveyard to summon him."

"When did you send a Level 7 Plant-type monster to your grave…" Dawn's eyes widen as she recalls the effect of White Rose Dragon. "Oh no…"

"Oh yes," says Shirobara, relishing the look of horrified realization on Dawn's face. "Now I Banish Fallen Angel of Roses from my grave and Queen Angel of Roses from my hand to unleash the guardian angel that protects my garden from those who would defile it!"

Two figures appear in front of Shirobara before they grab each other's hands and lift them into the air. A light shines upon them before they fly into the sky and Shirobara chants,

"Come forth, from the sacred land at the World's beginning! Rosaria, the Stately Fallen Angel descends!"

And that figure does descend.

It is an angel with two pairs of wings the two on his right a dark violet and the two on his left crimson. His skin is the color of alabaster with gold bracelets, and golden emblems with peridot insets on his boots. The only article of clothing he has is a white skirt with trails of white cloth dangling down his sides. His head is covered by a white helm, but his white eyes stare deep into Dawn's soul as if disapproving at the fact that she managed to escape death. (2900 ATK)

"And I'm not done," Shirobara sneers. "I equip Black Rose Dragon with Thorn of Malice, giving him 600 more attack points!"

An Equip Spell depicting an evil eye peeking through a wall of thorns appears. Then, these very same thorns wrap around Black Rose Dragon, who lets out a roar of pain from how the thorns pierce its black scales. (2400 -) 3000 ATK)

From how Dawn see it, she sees Seto Kaiba's entire body wrapped in these thorns. And he is angry; a raging dragon about to set fire to a nearby village because he can.

"It's over, little girl!" Shirobara screams. "Attack her directly! Rosaria, attack with Valhalla Harvest! And Black Rose Dragon, burn her down with Black Rose Flare!"

Rosaria strikes first, flying towards Dawn and brandishing a claymore colored purple and red like his wings. He performs a diagonal slash that causes Dawn to drop to her knees.

Then, Black Rose Dragon opens his mouth and fires a large blast of fire, big enough to engulf Dawn. All Dawn can see is the suicide bomber who caused her death, the maniacal look on his face before he pulled the trigger and caused the explosion that ended in her death in her brother's arms.

When the attack strikes, the only thing Dawn can do is scream, and she has not screamed this loud since that night when she was kidnapped. She collapses onto the ground, eyes wide as her lifepoints drop down significantly.

(Dawn: 300)- - - - - - - - (Shirobara: 3000)

"Get up Miss Morning Glory!" says Leon. "Please get up!"

"This is getting scary," Rebecca sobs, clutching her teddy bear. "Someone save us!"

As the kids start to panic, Dawn sits up, wrapping her arms around Tango as if he is a security blanket. She's in trouble. She's down to 300 lifepoints, none of her Spell Cards are strong enough to stop these monsters and she is all alone without anyone contacting her because she was stupid enough to go alone to meet up with a repurposed moonlight dragon boy close to midnight!

Just one more turn and she will be trapped here forever. That she's not worried about, but those children are counting on her. She will never forgive herself for as long as her repurposed body lets her live if any of the children die under Shirobara's hands.

This can't be how it ends...Dawn thinks to herself. What was I thinking going out by myself, playing the hero? I'm no hero...I'm utterly useless! I couldn't stop mom from killing herself, I couldn't cure my brother's depression...I got myself caught in the crossfire while Yvonne ended up killing all of those people…

It's all over...I'm gonna lose and no one knows that I'm here. Yvonne, May, Max, Brendan, Takeru, Specter, Ryoken, Yusaku...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry….

Tears fall down her eyes as she begins to sob. She feels so pathetic. What the hell was she thinking? She's no hero. She's not strong or brave or courageous like her friends or family. She's a horrible person who doesn't deserve love, just like Ursula said that fateful day. She deserves to die in the Night Garden.

Suddenly, Dawn is swept off of her feet and into a warm hug.

Strong arms press against her heart. She knows these hands, knows them like they are her very own. How much she cried to be wrapped up in this embrace when she was younger, only to finally get it just seconds before her death…

"Y...Yusaku…" Dawn whispers, looking up into a pair of warm peridot eyes. "You're...how did you…"

Yusaku just lays his chin on the crown of his sister's head and smiles. "Let's just say that we got a little...curious."

"Huh?"

"Dawn!"

Dawn turns around, seeing three very familiar people approach her.

"Yvonne! May! R...Ryoken-san!" she exclaims. "What are you all doing here?"

"That stone-faced storyteller friend of yours gave me a call," Yvonne explains, holding her cellphone out. "And we rushed to Stardust Road to get back up."

"I warned you!" May exclaims in a tone of a mother scolding her child, carrying her black and white parasol in one hand. "What were you thinking going out like that?"

"How was I supposed to know that Mokuba wanted to turn me into fertilizer?!" Dawn exclaims before sighing in relief. "You guys…"

"Takeru-san and Specter couldn't make it, but they told us to give you this," says Yvonne, pulling two items out from a bag. "Catch!"

She tosses the items towards Dawn, who catches them with ease. One of them is a metal thermos and the other is a bundle of lavender wrapped in a handkerchief.

"They're so thoughtful," Dawn whispers, unraveling the handkerchief and inhaling the scent of lavender with a sigh. She then looks at the metal thermos. "And is this…"

"Takeru-san's Aztec hot chocolate!" Yvonne finishes. "He didn't have time to truly steep it, but it's the thought that counts."

Yusaku opens the thermos for his sister and pours a cup for her. Dawn takes the cup into her hand and sips it, tears falling down her eyes from how spicy it is and how she is showered with so much love. And here she is, being so selfish and thinking about herself…

As she finishes her cup of cocoa, Dawn turns to the person who hasn't spoken yet, feeling ashamed just by staring into his eyes.

"You came here too, Ryoken-san…" she whispers, attempting to avoid eye contact with the white-haired man who stole her brother's heart. Even after all this time, she still has this fear that he will take her brother's love away, leaving her all alone.

Ryoken nods his head. "You are a very important part of Yusaku's life, and mine. Of course I'd come for you."

"He threatened to murder Trip if he didn't explain himself immediately," Yusaku explains. "He was that worried for you."

"He...he was?" Dawn asks, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Of course he was," says Yusaku. "Just because he's been helping me out with his 'therapy' sessions, doesn't mean that Ryoken hates you. He loves you, Dawn."

Dawn's eyes swell with tears once more as she feels like she wants to run into Ryoken's arms and apologize for ever doubting him. Ryoken's smile is all that needs to be said.

It's all right. I forgive you. You'll always be showered with love.

Yvonne notices the five children and waves towards them. "Hey kids, remember me?"

Mikey turns and gasps. "It's the puppeteer! What are you doing here?"

"We're off to bring you to a nice safe home away from crazy gardeners and her savage roses," Yvonne answers. "Come over here where it's safe."

The children nod their heads, but just before they are about to take a step, large vines rise from the ground and form a large domed cage above their heads. The five scream in terror as they try to break out of their prison all while Shirobara snarls, her long blond hair sticking out, exposing mad sapphire eyes..

"Not yet," she states. "The duel isn't over. You little ones only get to go free if Morning Glory wins."

"You can do it, Morning Glory!" says Sonia.

"Save us, Morning Glory!" Julia shouts.

Dawn turns and sees the five children cheering for her, no longer frightened nor scared of the situation. Rather, they all have smiles on their faces, mostly to cheer her up after everything that has happened.

"Cheer all you want," Shirobara hisses. "But I am such a gracious host. Morning Glory, why just give up now and let yourself stay in the peace of the Night Garden forever? There will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more hurt. You won't have anyone insult you or call you names. You will never have to feel abandoned. You'll be happy here forever more."

It is a very tempting offer as Dawn looks at the garden. At its beauty. At its tranquility. For who knows how long, children have entered this garden and its wonders, smelling flowers, running and playing underneath the moonlight, looking in awe at the animals who make their home here, and hearing Shirobara's wondrous tales.

It's nice, but that's all it is.

Dawn removes herself from her brother's embrace and turns to Shirobara. She takes a deep breath, stands as tall as a soldier and says, "No."

Shirobara blinks. "N...no?"

"NO!" Dawn shouts. "I'm not going to give up now; not when I have so many people who want me to win, who want me to come back into their arms! Not when I have so much people who love me from the bottoms of their heart."

Shirobara's face falters slightly. "But their love is limited. They will leave you behind, filling you with endless suffering and pain. I can give you want you want, just like I gave it to all of the children that have entered the garden."

"That's because you give it to all of those children before they even have a chance to live!" Dawn screams, loud enough for Shirobara and Black Rose Dragon to shrink back in terror. "Yes, it's horrible that they don't have loving families or the like and, okay, maybe you and your sons did a good job in killing that bitch." She looks to the five kids and silently apologizes before continuing. "But to let them 'rest' in your garden without giving them a chance to be happy is nothing of cruel.

"Sure there's gonna be lots of pain, but that's part of life itself! To be happy without understanding anger, sadness or hurt isn't living at all." Dawn places a hand on her heart. "I suffered through so much these past few years, but I also gained a lot of happiness from people who truly care for me...so let me just say this, Shirobara…"

She turns to Yusaku who nods his head as he takes Tango into his hands. He places Tango's beak next to his sister's cheek as if the penguin is giving her a kiss. Dawn giggles at the gesture before she points at Shirobara, filled with renewed confidence.

"I am gonna reject your reality and substitute it with my own!"

Shirobara frowns. "And how are you planning to do about it?"

"By ending this duel, finding good homes for these children and ensure that no one ever has to go through this whole ordeal EVER AGAIN!" Dawn roars, drawing her card. "My move!"

"Go get her!" Yvonne shouts.

"You can do it, Dawn!" May adds.

Ryoken doesn't say anything, but the smile on his lips says enough.

Yusaku steps back as Dawn looks at the card in her hand. The look in her eye is exactly like his own whenever he makes up his mind on something. He can't help but smile at how much his little sister has grown: from being inspired to help build a Duel School to standing up against this strange rose woman despite the odds against her.

"I play Magical Mallet," says Dawn. "Now I'll exchange two cards from my hand with two newly drawn ones."

The red mallet with wings briefly appears as Dawn sends two cards to her deck to be shuffled. Then, she makes two new draws before smiling.

Dawn shows a card to Shirobara. "I play Witchcraft Sabotage one last time to bring back Witchcraft Edel! And then I'll summon Witchcraft Schmitta from my hand before offering her and one Spell Card to the grave to summon a 'Witchcraft' monster from my deck. And the one I choose is the one and only Witchcraft Master Verre!"

Edel appears once more with a cackle, eyes wide as she points her wrench at the imposing monsters. (2000 ATK) Then, a brief image of the fiery Witchcraft monster appears once more before she shows a Spell Card in her hand and waves goodbye. She disappears in a plume of fire before Dawn's final Witchcraft monster appears, resting on a glass couch. She looks around the same age as Dawn, with shoulder length cyan hair with violet streaks. The left side of her hair is tied into a ponytail by a white flower. She wears a white dress with thin black straps and a pink ribbon around the waist along with matching white leggins and shoes that match her dress. Resting by her side is a trident with prongs made of glass and a blue orb in the center. (2800 DEF)

"That's your great master?" Shirobara asks, noticing Master Verre's stats.

"Looks can be oh so deceiving," says Dawn. "Now, then…"

She takes a deep breath before she raises her hands above her head, remembering how Yusho Sakaki introduced himself to her, Yvonne and May almost a year ago when they dueled him. In her mind, a spotlight shines above her head and a drumroll is heard in the background as she announces, "Ladies and gentlemen! The end of this grand duel has arrived! But before I finish, please let me introduce you all to my powerful duo!"

She brings her left arm out to Witchcraft Edel, who performs a V-sign next to her right eye. "First, is the ever loyal Witchcraft Edel! Without her guidance, I wouldn't be able to bring all of my important players onto the field!"

Dawn then points to points to Witchcraft Master Verre, who blows kisses to the captive audience. "And second, meet Witchcraft Master Verre. She may have appeared in the eleventh hour, but hey, better late than never!"

With this, Dawn points at Black Rose Dragon. "Now Witchcraft Edel, attack Black Rose Dragon one last time and bring an end to this nightmare once and for all!"

Edel nods her head and races towards Black Rose Dragon, preparing her wrench as she leaps into the air, her figure silhouetted by the full moon.

"You foolish girl!" Shirobara laughs. "Edel is too weak to defeat Black Rose Dragon! You're finished!"

"Am I?" asks Dawn, a smirk on her face. "Well then, why don't you look at your Duel Disk if you're so confident that you're gonna win this?"

Shirobara looks at her Duel Disk and notices that Edel's stats have skyrocketed.

"W...what is this?!" Shirobara screams. "Why is her attack points greater than my dragon's?!"

"That's because I activate Master Verre's special ability!" Dawn screams. "Whenever a Spellcaster monster I control goes into battle, I can increase the attack and defense of that Spellcaster by 1000 for every Spell Card I have in my hand, provided that they all have different names.

"And guess what? I have four different Spell Cards in my hand!"

Dawn reveals the four cards: Witchcraft Creation, Witchcraft Collaboration, Witchcraft Draping and Witchcraft Scroll. The four cards glow as Witchcraft Edel cackles at the power that pulses in her veins. (2000/2300 -) 6000/6300)

"Overkill, much?" Ryoken observes.

"This is gonna be epic!" May squeals. "Like that Shinsuke Nakamura/AJ Styles fight where they go all Bullet Club mid-match!"

"This attack isn't just for me, Shirobara," says Dawn. "This attack is for all the children whose lives you ripped away for your own selfishness. This attack is for Yvonne, who has suffered so much like I have yet still keeps standing. This attack is for May, whose blood pulses in my veins and who reminded me that there are people who truly care for me. This attack is for Ryoken, who brought me into his life even though he didn't have to. This is for Takeru and Specter, who treat me like a princess and go as far as make these gifts for me to prove that they are with me in spirit.

"And most importantly, this attack is for my brother who I would NEVER trade for! Even if you gave me the entire world! GET HER, EDEL!"

"Fooly Cooly!" Edel screams just as she descends and brings her giant wrench down on Black Rose Dragon, shattering the mighty dragon as if it is made out of glass before she drops onto her knees and gives Dawn a thumbs up.

(Dawn: 300)- - - - - - - - (Shirobara: 0)

Dawn pants for breath as the holograms vanish, dropping to her knees as she feels her anger subside. Yusaku is immediately by his sister's side, running a hand down her spine as his sister calm downs.

"Are you all right?" he asks, green eyes filled with concern.

Dawn turns to her brother and smiles. "I could use a hug."

Yusaku smiles and hugs his sister, tears in his eyes all while the five children, Yvonne and May cheer and Ryoken nods his head.

"That was c'est magnifique!" Yvonne shouts. "You really showed her what you're made of."

"Morning Glory did it!" Rebecca cheers. "Hooray!"

The children cheer and applaud Dawn as the navy-haired girl slowly stands up, Yusaku placing a hand around her shoulder to keep her steady as she cradles the thermos of hot chocolate and the lavender in the handkerchief in her arms. She could really go for a nice nap with some lavender scented pillows and candles that smell like hot chocolate with peppermint when you light them.

"Here's your bag," says May, taking the black bat bag that has been left alone for the entire duel and slings it over Dawn's shoulder. "You have no idea how long it took to make that pretty thing after all."

"Thanks," says Dawn as she and Yusaku stuff everything in their hands into the bag. Thank goodness it's enchanted to stuff anything, up to a kitchen sink, inside without causing it to sag. "Now all we have to do is get out of here before…"

"No!"

Everyone turns to see Shirobara panting for breath, eyes glowing with fire that is ready to burn the entire garden down if it means getting revenge.

"This isn't how it's supposed to end!" she roars. "I will not allow myself to lose these children! They belong to me!"

"They aren't yours and they never will be!" Dawn shouts. "We had a deal! You let me and the children go if I won!"

"Fine, fine," says Shirobara, calming down. "I will let you six go...but you never said anything about your friends here!"

At this, a duet of roars is heard throughout the garden. Everyone looks up to see the silhouettes of Black Rose Dragon and Black Rose Moonlight Dragon stare down at them, their shadows covering the uninvited guests.

"This is for our dear mother!" Black Rose Moonlight Dragon screeches, body covered with a glowing aura.

"Wait, was that Mokuba's voice?" asks Yvainne. "Don't tell me...that dragon ate him?!"

"That dragon is Mokuba," says Dawn. "We have to get out now!"

"Oh no you won't!" Black Rose Dragon roars. "You're gonna pay for that last attack, witch!"

"I'm no witch," Dawn wants to say but Black Rose Dragon unleashing its flare attack stops her. Fire starts to scorch the garden as the children scream in fear.

"We got to get them to safety!" says Yusaku.

"We need to calm this fire down first," says Yvonne, seeing the garden starting to burn with each passing second. "Too bad we can't conjure a storm or the likes."

"You can't," says Ryoken. "But Yusaku and I can. Ready?"

Yusaku nods his head as he and Ryoken extend a hand out, their eyes glowing cyan as a large gust of wind blows across the garden.

"STORM ACCESS!"

A purple and blue vortex appears above their heads as rain falls down upon the garden. As this goes on, Yvonne and May rush towards the cage.

"How are we gonna cut it open?" asks Yvonne.

"We don't," says May, spinning the parasol in her hands. "Stand back everyone!"

She brings her parasol back as if she is up to bat, then swings it towards the cage. A storm of squeaking bats fly out and begin to nibble on the vines as if they are delicious fruits. The children look in awe as the bats cut a big enough hole for them to exit.

"Stay close kids," says Yvonne, wearing one of her trademark performing smiles. "We'll get you out of this rain and into some warm clothes."

"And there will be cups of hot cocoa courtesy of Takeru-san!" May adds. "Hold hands and follow us."

The children nod their heads and begin to follow the puppeteer and vampire out of the garden. Meanwhile, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon dives down, planning to take Dawn into its grasp like she is a princess.

And while Dawn is treated like a princess, she isn't as helpless as one.

Dawn pulls out an item from her bag - a large needle like the ones in Witchcraft Haine's artwork. She grips onto the eye of said needle like the hilt of a sword and waits….waits...waits…

When she sees the magenta eyes of the dragon, she charges forward, ignoring the pounding in her ears, the roar of the wind...she rides with the wind, like her brother does. She is the wind.

And she brings her arm back before performing a thrust straight into the dragon's heart, hearing Mokuba within the dragon's exterior scream in pain before he drops to the ground, transforming into the boy with black hair and the white scarf. Dawn returns the needle into her bag before pulling out a sword similar to the one Witchcraft Schmitta uses in battle, although it's colored blue and white rather than red and gold.

"You like playing with fire right?" asks Dawn, watching Mokuba slowly lift his head. "Well, so do I!"

As she raises the sword above her head, Mokuba's amethyst eyes are filled with fear - something he has not felt in such a long time. Time seems to slow down as Dawn brings the sword down on his head.

"NO!"

And then, a strong hand pushes him out of the side and takes the blow, blue flames from Dawn's weapon licking their skin as they scream.

"No!" Mokuba cries. "Mother!"

The person who took the blow is Lady Shirobara who stands tall despite her dress and hair singed with blue flames and Dawn looking like a knight in armor ready to slay the next dragon in her path.

Black Rose Dragon, who was just about to snack on both Ryoken and Yusaku, turns to see his mother dying. Then, he starts to fall, his body shrinking until there is no dragon, but rather Seto Kaiba about to smack his head onto the cobblestone roads. Fortunately, Ryoken dives toward the body just in time, rolling onto the grass a few feet.

"I don't think you need to have your neck broken a second time," Ryoken notes, placing a hand on the dead grass. "What the…"

The garden begins to wilt, the flowers and leaves start to turn black. The ground starts to collapse. But at this time, Yvonne and May have escorted the children back to the entrance to the garden and are waiting for everyone else to get out.

"We need to get out now," says Yusaku. "The garden is falling apart!"

"But how?" asks Ryoken.

His answer comes from Dawn preparing to kill Shirobara where she stands, the white rose lady's skin burnt from the flames of Dawn's weapon. Thunder and lightning flash, rain splashes on Dawn's face as she prepares to end this nightmare once and for all.

"Don't hurt her!" Mokuba screams, tears in his eyes. "Don't hurt our mother!"

"She's not your mother!" Dawn shouts. "She just brainwashed you into thinking she was! If she loved you, she wouldn't have told you and your brother to drag innocent children to their deaths!"

"I loved those children so…" Shirobara murmurs. "Every single one of them…"

"Loved them enough to kill them." Dawn spits out. "Now look me in the eyes. At least have your chin up when I kill you."

"Stop, Dawn!" says Yusaku, grabbing his sister's wrist. "We have to go!"

"But…"

The ground nearly collapsing beneath her feet is enough proof that she has to stop. She sighs, slips her sword back into her bag, then drags Mokuba to his feet. The three race to the entrance where Ryoken has the unconscious Seto Kaiba draped over his shoulder.

"Hurry!" Ryoken shouts, noticing how the animals howl in pain and the hands planted in the dirt start flailing about in rage. "This place won't last longer!"

As they continue to run, Dawn can't help but look over her shoulder at the pathetic site that is Shirobara. Was her intentions good in that she wanted to make children happy? Yes. Were her methods good? Not in the slightest.

It reminds her so much of her brother's "therapy". Yes, the idea of Ryoken hypnotizing Yusaku sounds bad, but without that therapy...without it, Yusaku wouldn't be holding her hand or hugging her. He'd still be rejecting her attempts to be in his arms and find himself unable to interact with anyone.

Was Ryoken in the wrong for doing so? Was Shirobara wrong for wanting to make these children happy?

….

Dawn stops running, hands balled into fists before she turns heel and races back to Shirobara.

"Dawn!" Yusaku shouts. "What are you -"

Dawn quickens her pace, jumping over a chunk of ground before she stops in front of Shirobara and takes the rose maiden into her arms, as if the woman's weight is the weight of a feather (a benefit to her repurposement is the increased strength Ryoken gave her). She takes a deep breath and rushes back to her friends, leaping over the numerous hands that try to snatch onto her ankles, wishing to drag the repurposed girl with them in the hopes that she will save them too.

"No one hurts my friend!" Yvonne shouts, eyes glowing mad. "Take this!"

Yvonne calls upon the multitude of glowing strings around her fingers and flings them towards the blooming flowers, tangling them with all of her might. She digs her feet into the ground as the hands try to drag her away, hoping to bide enough time for Dawn to make it back to them.

Dawn kicks and stomps on the hands, ignoring the sickening snaps and dislocated fingers as she makes it to the other side.

"Let's go!" says Ryoken, looking out of the portal to see Trip staring back at them. "Now!"

With no time to waste, everyone enters the portal…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

And eight bodies are thrown out of Pleasance Tree before the portal seals itself shut for good.

Dawn groans as she feels something on top of her. Said something is her brother, holding her tight.

"Nii-san," she murmurs, running a hand through navy, pink and cyan hair.

Yusaku smiles and places a kiss on his sister's forehead. "That was very reckless of you, you know?"

Dawn looks at the person next to her and sighs. "What she did wasn't morally right, but her intentions…"

She trails off as she notices Ryoken standing next to her, an all-knowing look in his eye. Meanwhile, Yvonne lets out a sigh of relief.

"That...that was exhausting," she notes. "Trip, next time you might wanna warn us earlier about these midnight excursions. I don't think mom is gonna like why I came back home in wet pajamas."

"I'd be more worried as to how we're going to corral these little ones," May notes, seeing the five children. "I don't think there's enough of Takeru's hot chocolate to keep them busy."

There is a groan from both Kaiba brothers as they open their eyes. At the sight of their poor mother's burnt mother they can only rush towards her and help her sit up.

"Mother, don't leave!" Seto shouts. "Please don't leave…"

Mokuba covers his face as tears stream down his cheeks. As this goes on, Dawn stands up.

"How did the garden start dying like that?" she asks.

"Because Shirobara's lifeforce is tied to it," Ryoken muses. "Or maybe she needs those children to keep it alive. Was this mentioned in any of those stories, Trip?"

Trip shakes his head. "No. And perhaps, we'll never know now."

Shirobara groans softly, opening a blue eye to see her sons crying over her. She smiles as she sits up and wraps the two in a gentle embrace.

"Don't cry for me, my loves," she says in her soft and gentle voice. "It takes more than a simple fire to take me down."

"But the garden," Mokuba cries. "It's gone...all because of her!"

He points at Dawn, who looks back at them with a look of pity and anger on her face.

"I didn't want her to kill any more children, but I couldn't stand the idea of letting her rot when she 'raised' you and Seto for most of your undead life," she says. "Yeah, I'm soft. What are you gonna do about it?"

"...Thank you," Seto says, relief on his face. "Thank you for saving mother."

"Well, I can't let you lose your mother like I lost mine," Dawn mutters before she leans onto Yusaku's shoulder. "So tired…"

Yusaku places a hand on Dawn's forehead. "You're burning up a fever. Looks like you'll be stuck in the manor for a while."

"That's fine. As long as you come and visit me whenever you're free from your 'therapy' sessions."

Yusaku chuckles and wraps his sister in a tight hug.

"Well, that's nice and all," Yvonne notes. "But we still have to figure out what to do with these kids. We need to find a place for them to stay and someone to take care of them. And, unfortunately for you guys, I already have my hands full with my little poppets and all."

There is some silence as everyone tries to figure out a solution. Then, Dawn snaps her fingers.

"You know what?" she begins. "I've heard that it's pretty in to have a non-profit business..."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

One month later...

"Nii-chan, did you hear the news?" asks Dawn, as she, Yusaku and Ryoken sit underneath the shade of Pleasance Tree, a picnic laid out for the three of them. "The Night Garden Foster Home has had another successful adoption!"

"Really now?" asks Yusaku, looking at the text message on his sister's phone.

"Yeah," Dawn says. "Thanks to a generous donation from Kaiba Corp., the Night Garden has been running smoothly to take in any and all children into the loving arms of a lady who likes to be called Miss White Rose. Already have those five had someone to take them in! Rebecca has a grandfather and Mikey, Leo, Julian and Sonia all have big brothers to care for them now."

"That's good," says Yusaku. "They all deserve to belong in the arms of someone who truly loves them so."

Ryoken replies with a chuckle as he wraps his arms around Yusaku's waist. "I agree with that wholeheartedly."

Dawn giggles as she opens her bag. "So, you guys mind if I read you a story of mine?"

"Is it one of your assignments?" asks Yusaku, seeing Dawn pull out a book out of her bag.

"No, it's one of my favorite picture books!" Dawn answers, showing the cover to Ryoken and Yusaku. "The same one that inspired me to name nii-chan's gift 'Tango'. I...I feel like it talks about all of us."

"You think of Yusaku and I as penguins?" asks Ryoken.

This causes Dawn to burst out laughing, lying on her back before she takes a deep breath and sits up once again.

"I think of Yusaku and you as two souls destined to be together," Dawn says. "And I'm Tango, the little penguin chick you adopted. I just...I don't know what's gonna happen in the future, but I wanna at least spend it with the both of you, and everyone who has motivated me to be my best. That is...if you'll let me."

Yusaku reaches out towards his sister and places a hand underneath her chin, tilting it up so she gazes into a pair of peridot and blue topaz eyes.

"Always," he says.

Dawn smiles as she picks up the book and begins to read. "'And Tango Makes Three,'" she recites. "'In the middle of New York City there is a great park called Central Park. Children love to play there. It has a toy-boat pond where then can sail their boats. It has a carousel to ride in the summer and an ice rink to skate on in the winter…'

"'Best of all, it has its very own zoo. Every day families of all kinds go to visit all of the animals that live there…'"

And as she reads, she does not pay attention to the boy with the orange hooded jacket, whose face is covered with a grey mask, observing her. Underneath the mask, he smiles. For now, all is right in Carroll City.

With a nod of his head, he walks off, all while carrying a white rose in his hands.

---

"I Understood That Reference!"

The songs Dawn uses for her story are "The Hanging Tree" (well known from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) and "Jo" from Goldfrapp.

The Creative Writing Teacher, Lex, is from the now defunct Pokémon Learning Center website, which had Flash animated skits and lessons to teach kids Math, Language arts, Science and Social Studies. Lex was the guide for language arts.

Trip's alias of "The Curious" comes from the horror anthology kid series known as "Creeped Out". Everything that Trip says is true: The Curious is a strange grey masked figure (played as a male but in-universe, that may not be the case) who collects strange tales - or rather a souvenir in relationship to said tale - and announces his presence with an eerie whistle (which you'll have to watch the show online to hear it)

"Salute the Sun": Anyone who plays Dark Souls will get this reference.

"Wear something...black." This line comes from "American Horror Story: Coven". And Dawn's outfits is from the credits of "Rise of Darkrai".

Fans of the original Yu-Gi-Oh series know of the five children mentioned. For those who don't know about Julian and Sonia (because their names were never mentioned in the dub), they were Raphael's younger brother and sister. Barbara comes from Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, though.

The inspiration of the hands sprouting out from the grass is from the Vocaloid song "Fear Garden" where the singer, Rin Kagamine, has a fascination with chopping arms off and planting them like they are flowers.

"'Wait', you say, do I look like a waiter?" - This is one of Kefka's famous lines in Final Fantasy VI, responding to Sabin shouting "Wait!"

"Fooly Cooly!" Edel's cry is from the anime of the same name (usually known as FLCL). The minute I saw Edel's artwork, I honestly saw Haruko Haruhara and her Rickenbacker.

"And Tango Makes Three" - This is a well-known picture book based off a true story of male penguin couple Roy and Silo who would eventually raise a baby chick all on their own. The Penguin Torpedo is based on a monster that appeared in the original anime. And also it was given on Dawn's 10th birthday; in the Pokémon anime, you're a trainer when you hit 10 and her starter mon was Piplup.

Shirobara's name literally means "White Rose". The inspiration came from the Japanese brand name.

The Ursula mentioned in Dawn's backstory was one of Dawn's Pokémon Coordinator rivals in the anime. She was essentially the Harley for May.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Vision: Love and pain are one of the same. Emotions blooming from a single source and staying within one's heart for all eternity if one so chooses.

If you are in need of one or the other, come to the Night Garden and take a rest underneath the stars, one hand reaching out for the moon or for a woman with a dress made from a large white rose. She will heal your heart and will make you, for a single night, one of her little flowers resting in the deep dark earth below.

The Curious: Thank you for that, Vision. Now, let's get a sneak peek of the next story and…

Oh dear. This won't end well.

Guignol: This is HORRIBLE! Someone has stolen my beloved dolls and my schtick of being a master puppeteer. This is something that should not be allowed and something that I will NOT ALLOW!

Next time: To find this wicked thief, the Grand Lorde Guignol must stage a dazzling show against this dastardly villain, only to find that the enemy she has been chasing all along has a few strings attached to them. A lot of strings attached, actually.

"Karakuri Circus" coming next.