A cold wind blew through the large room, making the hooded figures shiver and huddle closer together.
"W-when is h-he going to get h-here," complained one, wrapping his arms around himself in a vain attempt to thwart the cold.
"I don't know!" snapped another in response. "All I'm aware of is the fact that he's supposed to arrive here. As for when, I don't know," she sighed. The room was steadily growing more frigid, as the candles they had set out minutes before winked out one by one.
"Hmmmm…I'm starving," mused a third. The group dissolved into conversation, unaware of the tall figure cloaked in darkness slowly approaching them.
"I wonder," said a cold, angry voice. The talking ceased abruptly, and the six members turned around to face their leader. "Do any of you imbeciles have even the slightest plan for taking down the Signers?"
One of the newest members, a young man with smooth black hair, raised his hand tentatively. "Um..Sir? I was thinking…what if we…"
"Silence, fool! It was a rhetorical question." The dark figure massaged his temples, taking in a deep breath, clearly frustrated. The shadowy tendrils floating around him multiplied and seemed to reach for the unfortunate man, until they froze in their tracks, stopped by the very man they emanated from.
"Since none of you seem to have the brains for this incredibly simple task," he whispered sarcastically. "I will sacrifice my time and energy and peace of mind to do this for you." He waited several seconds before his followers suddenly began talking all at once, placating him and assuring that they would get the work done so he didn't have to.
"Thank you." He cleared his throat and began to speak louder, more forcefully, instilling fear and absolute silence in all of his followers. "As you know, the first set of Dark Signers failed to eliminate those wretched children who carry the Mark of the Crimson Dragon. They have been soundly defeated, but little do those foolish people know that we have returned, and will use any means necessary to succeed this time around." He pointed to the six members seated around the table, calling them by name.
"I have chosen you to use your exceptional Dueling skills to defeat the Signers and restore the rightful power to this world." A gleaming purple petroglyph sketched itself on his forearm, the shape of a wolf's head. One by one, he touched his followers and a purple mark subsequently appeared on everyone's forearm. The Signs glinted malevolently, tendrils of dark power seeping out of the newly created Dark Signers. As one, they lifted their arms and shouted in unison.
"THE REIGN OF THE CRIMSON DRAGON WILL END!"
Two Days Later-12: 00 P.M. New Domino City.
"Hey Mikhaela, can you pass me the wrench?" called Yusei. She selected a wrench and passed it under the Duel Runner to a waiting Yusei.
"How's everything going with the engine?" she said, glancing to where Yusei's legs stuck out from under her Duel Runner. After unceremoniously crashing her Runner into Yusei's during a Duel, she sheepishly tugged what remained of her Duel Runner to Yusei's garage and begged him to fix it. He agreed and began working on it. After two days, her precious Runner finally began to resemble its former self, albeit without an engine.
"It's going good. But we'll have to let the Runner cool down before I weld the final pieces on. This is really delicate work, and I don't want anything bad to happen."
"Hey, Yusei?" she asked.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"I'm sorry if I'm causing you trouble with this," she mumbled. He backed out from his position under the Duel Runner, and propped himself up on both arms.
"Hey, don't sweat it. After all, it's kind of my fault that I ran into you." He ran his hand through his hair sheepishly. Crawling back under the Runner, he made a few minor adjustments before crawling back out and gently placing the hood back on, screwing it in place.
"Ok. It's all fixed. It just needs to stay here for a day or two without any racing, or sudden changes in temperature or it might not stay fixed. The garage is temperature-controlled, so the bike shouldn't be affected by any abrupt changes." Placing the screwdriver on a metal tray, he wiped his oil-stained fingers on a rag, and threw a canvas cover over the newly repaired bike.
"Thanks a lot, Yusei. I really didn't know anyone else to come to for a repair like this. So what do I owe you?"
Yusei scratched his forehead, calculating the cost. "Well it was an expensive repair, but since I'm the one who ran into you—"
"Hello, everybody!" A cheerful voice rang through the garage, followed by a burst of hot summer air. Sakura, a Duelist that specialized in Fairy-type monsters, stood at the threshold, the door wide open. Mikhaela's mouth dropped open as her Runner made a ghastly puttering sound before falling apart again, the tentative welding that had been holding it together breaking.
"I—I um…" she looked at her Runner.
"Oh, no." Yusei muttered. "Sakura, what have I told you about intruding when the 'Do Not Disturb' sign was hanging on the door?" He quickly inspected the Runner for any signs of other damage, before nodding, convinced that he could just re-weld the broken parts.
"Oh, sorry!" Sakura said airily, breezing past the door, leaving it still open. "I just couldn't wait to tell you! Guess what? There's going to be a Turbo Tournament next week." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a flyer, smoothing it out before handing it to him. Yusei scanned it for a minute before placing it in his own pocket.
"Doesn't it sound fun?" Sakura asked.
"Well, yeah, it does, but I've kind of got a major repair job going on right now." He glanced at the remains of Mikhaela's Runner.
"Um…it's okay Yusei," interrupted Mikhaela. "I don't mind, as long as it's fixed before the Tournament." She got up and made to leave. "As for the payment…"
"Don't worry, Miki. It's on the house." Yusei smiled.
She grinned and picked up her duel disk, leaving her Runner in Yusei's hands. Sakura watched her go and made sure she was out of earshot before muttering.
"I think you like her."
Yusei swatted her shoulder. "I do not." But he couldn't help staring at her; she was so pretty. He sighed and picked up his screwdriver, the tips of his ears turning red.
"And I think she likes you." Sakura sang.
"Aw, shut up, Sakura" he complained. But he couldn't help but smile. Maybe he should get to know this girl. She certainly was a powerful Duelist, but there was something about her, a sort of aura about her that drew him to her. He went around and picked up the engine, placing it on a table. Yes, he would talk to her more. Maybe, just maybe, she was the one.