Chapter One

Shattered Mind Frame

A rather large, red dragon sauntered towards me. He rose onto his hind legs. His eyes blazed like suns. We stood upon a plane of infinite darkness. I stuck my hands in my pockets and said, "You interrupted my dreams."

This is important. His words echoed throughout my mind as though mimicking my own thoughts. His voice was deep and resounding – the opposite of mine. He said, The war will repeat soon. I have selected five humans to bear my power and fight on my behalf.

I laughed. "You woke me up to waste my time with jokes?"

I do not joke, he said. Five humans wear my marks, and five humans will dispel the wicked gods.

I grinned and tossed up a hand. "I wonder if your chosen humans bleed crimson, too."

His set of ruby-red teeth snapped down an inch from my nose. You will not harm them. Your duty is to protect them.

"You have no right to define my duty. There was no agreement to protect goddamn humans."

The dragon's growl rumbled the very atmosphere. You will not harm them.

"As if you have any power to decide! That's the thing about symbiosis. You need me. You don't have the leverage to make demands. You're just a desperate dragon putting up a front of intimidation. I think I'll take you up on your offer and discover how crimson your marked humans can be."

He roared in my face, tossing my hair. I should have left you in hell!

Blackness swallowed my consciousness in the wake of the memory's end. I attempted to move my arms and legs, but they weighed tons. My sight was corroded; I was only able to make out various shades of blue. I tried to speak but my mouth wouldn't follow instructions. A man's voice said, "That wasn't anything close to what I'm looking for. I said the Spirit World, dammit!"

"I believe the anesthetics are wearing off, sir," a chipper, feminine voice said.

My blurry vision adjusted to a pair of forest-green eyes. They were thinned by a smile. "You're quite the fighter, puppet. Do you know how much simpler your life would be if you gave me what I wanted? It is simply incomprehensible how unable you are to grasp the fact that you are helpless. There is no dashing rescue on the way. There is no daring escape for you to find. You have nothing. You are nothing. Listen, puppet. If you give in, you can have the freedom you so long for. All it takes is for you to give in."

I wanted to put my energy into clenching my teeth, glaring at him, or anything, anything – why couldn't I do anything?

Because I was helpless and nothing. My neck slacked. I was staring at my own shoes. The man snapped his fingers. "Administer the anesthesia again. I have a hunch we'll figure out what we're here for this time."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I rubbed at my face and groaned as I sat up. It felt like I'd slept for centuries. Had my own snore woken me up? Eugh… gross. I glanced around for a clock or a window to figure out what time it was. The room's red wallpaper didn't strike any memories. In fact, nothing in the room did. Where was I? And… when did I fall asleep, anyway?

Frantic knocking on the door distracted me. A voice from beyond it called, "Hello? Hell-ooooo! Is anyone in there? If my roomy is, please open the door! I lost my key, and I'm too afraid to ask for another!"

My head ached but I needed to let the poor guy in. As soon as I stood up, I almost fell again. I managed to steer myself to the door and push down the handle. The door burst open, and a blurry force slammed into me. I caught focus on a boy with brown curly hair and blue-green eyes.

"Oh! S-Sorry, I didn't think you were in here! I was trying to bust the door down." He hopped to his feet, but I could only prop up on my elbows. At least he appeared to be genuinely sorry. He was wearing a strange outfit: a dark purple robe with a tall collar and puffy white pants. I looked down only to realize I was wearing the same thing. It was quite the fashion statement, to say the least. An itchy one.

"It's… fine," I stammered. My voice felt cracked from misuse.

"So, it's your first day at the Movement, too, right? This place seems so cool!" He slammed his fist into his open palm. "Finally a place to practice my psychic powers!"

"Movement? What is this place called… again?" I tried to sound like I had just forgotten the name.

"The Arcadia Movement, of course! We're a part of the rising power of the decade, a safe haven for psychic duelists like us. How could you forget? Like, practically everyone knows who Akiza is now, too! Oh my God, she is so cool, and hot, too!" I didn't want to crush his spirits, so I decided not to ask anything else. Then again, that name did sound familiar… Akiza.

A low voice rumbled among my thoughts: She is one of our Signers.

"Um, did you say something?"

"No, did you hear something?"

"It was probably nothing," I said. "By the way, what's your name?"

"My name? It's Zerudachen, but you can call me Zeru," he answered, stretching out his hand. "What's yours?"

Name? Oh, easy. It's…

Not so easy. I couldn't remember my own name. My own name! I smiled nervously and kept shaking his hand like an idiot. What was it? Something to do with water…

Rain. Your name is Rain.

"Rain," I said, praying that was some sort of memory burst and not an ominous voice in my head. I wasn't crazy. Not in the clinical way. I hoped.

"You sure that's the truth?" Zeru said. "It took you an awful lot of time to come up with that."

"It's been a really weird day," I apologized. "I may be a little slow."

"Ah, that sucks! Hey, I know. How about a duel? That'll get you back into the swing of things!"

"How about a duel." At that phrase, several memories sprouted up in my head: many different voices, all asking the same question. Maybe doing this seemingly simple task could help me out. "Yeah, sure."

"Alright, ready your deck!"

Deck? I instinctively looked at my arm; for what reason, I had no idea. A contraption was strapped to it with a pack of cards inside. When I raised it to position, a lever stretched out and shot out five areas where cards could be placed. The lever holding it was sickle-shaped. The term duel disk came to mind, though I wasn't sure where from.

I had definitely done this before. Maybe. Hopefully. I said, "I'm ready."

"DUEL START!"

After our shout in unison, I said, "You can take the first move."

"Alrighty, time to put this trial deck to good use! I summon Krebons in defense position, set one card face-down, and end my turn!"

A jester-like monster danced opposite me and tinged blue. I added a sixth card to my hand and considered my options. I hoped I'd get a memory burst from the cards, but I didn't recognize them at all. I could sort of see the idea here, though. "I summon Alien Shocktrooper and attack Krebons!"

"My monster's effect activates," Zeru said, setting his hands on his hips with gusto. I wondered how he kept his cards from sliding off. "By paying 800 life points, your attack is negated!"

His life counter dropped to 3200. I said, "Uh, why are you so happy about that..?"

"You'll see!"

I rolled my eyes. He'd be a world-class poker player. "I activate the continuous spell 'A' Cell Breeding Device and end my turn."

"Fiiinally. Watch closely, 'cause this is gonna be super cool! I summon Mind Protector in defense position and tune it with Krebons! Two stars plus three equals five, aligning to Synchro Summon Magical Android!"

His two monsters sparkled and twisted in form to become a teal-robed woman bearing a staff. Her long, pink locks fluttered as though a breeze disturbed our room. Zeru commanded, "Attack Alien Shocktrooper! Mindfrared Blast!"

His Synchro Monster's 2200 attack overcame Shocktrooper's 1900, so the beam of emerald light from Android's staff blasted through my monster to me. It hit my shoulder, and the skin beneath my robe burned. I grimaced and clutched at the afflicted area. Zeru yelped. "Ah, I'm sorry! I thought I had it under control… We can end the duel if-"

"Is your turn over yet, or what?"

Zeru's mouth hung open for a few moments. "Uh, yeah. My life points increase by 600 for every Psychic on my field thanks to Android's effect. You sure you're okay with this?"

His life boosted to 3800, giving him a 100-point lead. Brushing off my shoulder, I said, "One A-Counter is added to your monster thanks to my spell card. I summon the level one tuner Alien Ammonite and, by its effect, special summon Alien Shocktrooper from the graveyard. These monsters fall in sync to bring Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar to the field!"

A disgusting green monstrosity tore through a dark, starlit portal. Red and green tentacles lashed wildly in all directions, and solid white eyes glared at my opponent. Zeru's face twisted. "That thing's gross."

I matched his expression. "Sure is. But! It has some nice abilities. For example, I can return my spell to my hand to add another A-Counter to your Magical Android. Gol'gar's second effect lets me remove two A-Counters to destroy a card on your field, like… Magical Android!"

"Woah, woah, hold on!" Zeru shouted. "I activate Psychic Soul! By tributing Magical Android, I regain life points equal to its level times three hundred!"

His counter increased to 5300. I said, "That doesn't stop my Fortress's direct attack! Starfall Demolition!"

Its white eyes shone neon green, and twin beams fired at Zeru's chest. He was thrown off his feet by the attack; his life fell to 2700. "H-hey! No powers!"

I wondered what he was babbling about. The pain was as normal as playing the card game to me. "Uh, right. I'll activate 'A' Cell Breeding Device again and end my turn."

He hopped to his feet. "Well! I guess neither of us can control our powers. No problem, Rain! That's why we're here, right? Anyway, back to the duel! I'll summon another Krebons in defense position and equip it with the spell Telekinetic Charging Cell! I no longer have to pay life points to use his ability. That keeps me untouchable!"

"Did you forget about my A-Counter combo?"

"Nope! I set one face-down and end my turn! This next turn, you'll be done for!"

He's a pretty open guy, isn't he? I said, "My draw. One A-Counter is added to Krebons. Next I'll activate-"

"Not so fast! I use my trap, Fiendish Chain! This prevents your creepy alien thingy from using its ability, attacking, or being tributed! Take that!"

"So that's what the face-down was for, huh," I muttered. "Well, that's no problem at all."

He blinked several times. "Huh?"

"I summon Alien Hypno in attack position and use the spell card Double Summon! I'll use the extra summon it allows to Gemini Summon Alien Hypno, letting me use his effect. Since Krebons has an A-Counter, I can take control of him!"

"What?"

Hypno's glowing red eyes and spindly fingers beckoned Zeru's monster, and its control swapped to my side of the field. "I'll change Krebons to attack position and attack directly with both of my monsters to end this duel!"

Hypno and Krebons whacked him in unison, but their strikes phased through his body. His life dropped to zero, and he punched the air. "Dangit! That was a solid move. Never saw it coming! What made you choose that sort of deck?"

I glanced at the stack of cards and returned the ones I'd used to the deck. "Not sure. To be honest, the cards are kind of 'alien' to me. Ha ha… ha… haaa?"

One of his green eyes squinted. "You're weird, you know that?"

"Actually, I don't know much about me."

A knock on the door interrupted our conversation. He said, "That must be our daily assignment!"

Zeru opened the door, and a woman entered. "Greetings, new recruits. Sayer has a special job for you two today. You will be attending the Fortune Cup with Miss Akiza Izinski to both view professional duels and be guardians of our dear spokesperson. Prepare your decks and follow me, please."

My duel disk compacted itself. "I'm ready."

"Me, too," Zeru added. "Let's head out, roomie! This is going to be so awesome."

His excitement was sickening. Or maybe I hadn't gotten over that he burned me. We walked out to behold the inside of the Arcadia building. The walls were painted brick red. Just in front of me was a railing made of glass. The metal top was painted gold. Fancy – or, rather, attempting to be.

I peered over the balcony. We were on one of the higher floors, so the people in the lobby looked like ants. The balcony went all around the building in a thin strip. Not very efficient with their space, huh? I guessed there aren't many psychic duelists.

We were on the west side heading south to the main elevators. Our room was on the same level as the director's office, so there was a lot of activity around us. We walked to the elevators and rode down. On the main floor, there was even more buzz.

"You two should be fine from here. Good luck," she wished us with a giggle. We exited in silent agreement and ran into two people. Judging by Zeru's loss of composure, I assumed the woman was Akiza. She wore a red outfit that belonged at a renaissance fair. A plain, white mask covered her features.

The man she was with – Sayer, was it? - wasn't much; he wore a long trench coat. All I could see were his fancy shoes and odd burgundy hair. In the back, it barely fell past his shoulders, and in the front it was all bundled up over his right eye and curled upward. As soon as they saw us, they stopped talking. When his gaze fell on me, his jaw jumped as if trying to hide a smile. Unexplainable hatred festered in my heart. I pushed aside the random feeling. It was probably nothing.

"Welcome to your first job, you two," he said.

I thought Zeru was about to explode. Hearing him try to talk was kind of sad. He started with several stammers until managing to form a "hello". He introduced himself and told Akiza how she had always been his idol and how she looked very pretty today. She seemed impassive, but maybe it was the mask. He stuck his hand out, and she actually shook it. She turned to me.

"What about you? How's the first day?" I was tempted to say something like "awful" or "confusing." I tried to be as nice as possible.

"Okay," I uttered without smiling. She started to ask if something was wrong but Sayer cut in.

"We must make our way towards the Memorial Circuit. It's almost time to make our grand entrance." The noonday sun sparkled on the glass skyscrapers of the city. A massive crowd filtered towards the stadium, and our group was escorted straight to the entrance. Through the windows, I could see a huge duel field with a track running around it. People were filling the stands. A giant screen above the crowd read, "Welcome to the Fortune Cup!"

It must have been a huge event for this city. This city… what was it again? Why were there so many holes in my memory?

"Rain, get your head out of the clouds!" Zeru tapped my nose. "No pun intended. We have to catch back up."

Akiza and Sayer pushed through reporters and duelists. They caught interesting looks: some horrified, some amazed, and some excited. We ran after them. At the end of the hall, Sayer was arguing with someone. I slipped past and entered the room behind him. Akiza wasn't there, so I figured she was prepping for her duels.

I was relieved to have alone time to think. So I was Rain, a psychic duelist at the Arcadia Movement. Was that the truth? I didn't remember signing up for an Arcadia Movement or being a psychic duelist. What did I remember? Nothing. Nothing..?

Impossibly loud cheering caught my attention. This room's window had a side view of the stadium, so I could see what was happening in the tournament. The first round's duels had already finished. From the looks of the standings, Akiza had made it to the next round. The next match was a spiky-haired kid – Yusei Fudo – against a large man named Greiger.

That name, Yusei, sounded so familiar… I massaged my forehead. Had I known him? I chose to ignore the feeling. The match would be on Duel Runners. What were those? The duel was starting, but where? After the countdown, the two competitors zoomed past on motorcycles. Runners were… Vehicles you could duel on? The rules were different from a regular duel, too.

Yusei defeated his opponent, and the crowd roared. The excitement decayed to horror as the big man, Greiger, drove his bike over a ledge to catapult himself over the stadium. Halfway through his maneuver, a spike shot out of his bike and shattered the glass enclosing the upper viewing deck. Greiger was swiftly detained. I hoped whoever he attacked was alright. The duels went on, so I assumed they were.

I paid close attention to Akiza's duel. She was facing a man with creepy glasses known as Commander Koda. Akiza won, but she brutally hurt Koda with her psychic powers. The crowd booed her, and her mask kept her expression hidden. From what I gathered, her abilities made the damage in duels real.

Did I really have power like that? The ferocity the crowd directed at Akiza made me nauseous. This must be why the Arcadia Movement was a 'safe haven.'

The duel between Yusei and Akiza followed. Akiza summoned her ace monster: Black Rose Dragon. The audience's hatred intensified. From the looks of it, though, she suffered from paralyzing emotional stress. I couldn't blame her with what she was standing up in the face of.

Yusei tried to reach her, but she was hiding behind the mask. It seemed as if he was done for, but he summoned what must have been his ace: Stardust Dragon. Yusei pulled through with an amazing strategy and won the battle. Of course he did. He always managed to turn the tables.

Wait, what? How did I know…

A commotion started in the hall. Akiza burst into the room and collapsed on the couch, crying. Her mask was gone. She must not have noticed me, so I wound a strand of hair around my finger and tugged at my robe's collar. This Akiza was the opposite of how she appeared in the duels: calm, collected, tough. She needed help, but what could I say? I had to try. I got up, walked over, and patted her back. She quickly rose and glared at me, eyes shining.

"Why… why are you here? Leave me alone!"

"Look. It's… okay." Oh, my stars, I was terrible at this.

"No, I'm a monster," she whispered. "Everyone hates me. Everyone is afraid of me. They're right to be. I would be better off dead!"

Her sentiment struck a chord deep within me. The words spilled out of me without thinking. "Akiza… Mind if I just call you Aki? Anyway, if they see you as a monster, what's the problem? It just proves that they're not worth your time. Live for you, ignore the background noise."

"You…" She tilted her head to observe me with one chocolate eye. "I thought I recognized you from somewhere. You're that girl on all the wanted posters, the Satellite they call the shadow. Is that why you… understand? Being a Satellite in the City can't be a happy existence either, can it? You're a part of the Movement, too. That's a double dose of hate, like me and Yusei put together…"

My head spun. "Satellite? Wanted posters? Um, I don't follow."

"Don't you remember being in the Facility?" she asked. "You have a criminal mark."

…A what? There it was again, the hole. The memories attached to the familiarity slipped through my fingers like water through a sieve. Well, whatever. The most important thing was to move forward. I cleared my throat. "Well, Aki, it's my job to protect you, and I plan on not letting you down. Whatever those people believe… you seem like a nice enough person to me."

She laughed softly and rested both of her hands over her heart. "You know, maybe you're right. If others like you and Yusei can go on despite the people around you… maybe I can, too. I hope you stay in the Movement. Sayer can keep you safe. He's so sweet. He takes care of me, too, like he's my guardian angel."

…Angel?

Pain pulsed through my brain, and I saw a bare room with a single, barred window. A teenager with icy blue hair stood beside it. Moonlight glinted against a bright yellow stripe breaking the skin down the right side of his face. He said, "You and me, we're partners. We've got to stick together, because we're all each other has!"

"But we don't always have to be alone," I begged. "We have friends."

Sudden venom dripped through his words: "So they can betray us, too?"

I was thrown back into the present and gasped for breath. My heart threatened to explode out of my chest. Aki's eyes tilted down, and she reached for my forearm. "Are you-"

The instant she touched me, red light shone from her right arm. A pattern resembling a crooked claw glowed on top of her glove. She swiftly covered it with her other hand and backed away. When she did, the light dissipated, her glove blank like the other half of its pair. Her eyes were wide when she said, "It reacted to you!"

"What was that?"

"Don't worry about it," she urged. "Forget you saw anything."

What was happening to me? That crazy light, and that memory..! Who did I see? When I thought of his face, I felt so… so sad, and so empty. Why? Who was he?

Before I could ask any of the many questions on my mind, Sayer burst in. His green eyes glinted with anger. "Akiza! We're leaving. You, peon! Go in front and make sure no one gets in our way."

The hell did he just call me?

"No." Aki rose. "I'm watching the final match. And, you… tell me your name."

I lowered my head so my bangs cast shadows over my eyes. "It's Rain."

Sayer wasn't happy about Aki's decision but agreed to her wishes. The competitors zoomed past the window, and I recognized both of them as Yusei and Jack. Yusei and Jack? How did I know them… again..?

I needed a better view. I exited the room and sprinted to the upper deck. Yusei was up against the reigning champion: Jack Atlas. They both had their ace monsters out – Stardust Dragon and Red Dragon Archfiend – but something was wrong. Their arms were glowing bright red like Aki's had earlier, and the sight made me queasy.

It's time. Set me free.

The deep, unnerving voice spoke in confident tones. A flash of red blurred my vision. I had to steady myself and take a moment to catch my breath. A massive red dragon soared above the stadium. It glowed red, black, and orange like an inverse sun. Its blood-colored hide was stark against the deep blue of the daytime sky. I joined in the crowd's collective gasp.

The Crimson Dragon. The name shattered through the memory block in my mind. In another flash, the Dragon disappeared, and nausea hit me like an ocean wave. The duel appeared to be over, so it must have been time to leave. I ran back to the hallway to enter the main lobby. Before I could, though, a girl with swirly-eyed glasses stopped me.

"Wait! That uniform means you're from the Arcadia Movement, right? Well, I have some questions for you! My name's Carly Carmine, ace reporter."

"Do I look like I care?" Her expression drooped. I sighed. "Sorry. If I were you, I'd just go home. I know I wish I could."

"Um, hey! Does that mean they're keeping you hostage? I smell a scoop!" I smacked myself on the forehead. "What? Oh my gosh, is that Akiza and Sayer, leader of the Arcadia Movement? I'm out, but don't think this is over! We'll meet again, I'm sure!"

I hoped not. She shoved her way past me, but before she was completely through the door, she halted.

"Wait a second! Haven't I seen your face somewhere before? Ah, no time! See you!"

My face? I- I didn't even remember what I look like! I had to remind myself to keep moving forward. My priority was finding Zeru. I walked out after she was gone and heard the door burst open behind me. A man dressed like a little clown stepped out. I followed his line of vision to see Sayer escorting Aki outside.

"Stop!" he exclaimed. His voice was high-pitched like a woman's. "Akiza Izinski must remain here for the meeting. You can't take her back yet!"

Sayer's eyes glinted with malice. "I can take her whenever I want. She doesn't want to stay here, and she doesn't have to. Good-by, Lazar."

Lazar steamed. His eyes met mine, and his expression shifted to shock. "The fugitive is here! Guards, detain the girl with white hair!"

I must have had white hair, because he pointed straight at me. The first dashed at me. I instinctively dodged and slammed my fist into the back of his skull, knocking him out cold.

A gloved hand curled over my fist. Something about the touch raced chills down my spine. I was frozen like a statue. I couldn't take my eyes off of Sayer's sly smile. He stepped in front of me and said, "This one's with me, too. Don't touch her or else."

Even I could feel the silent threat resonating throughout the room. How did he have so much power over them? Hell – over me?

He escorted me outside the stadium with ease and told me to go back on my own. He said he would clear things up. My feet took me to the Arcadia Movement while my head spun.

The clown dude called me a fugitive. Was that true? Aki said I had something called a criminal mark and mentioned a place called 'the Facility.' Was I there? What did I do? Judging by my immediate reaction, it may not have been pretty. Would I really do something like that? I hoped not, please, no…

My head was pounding from the memories attempting to resurface. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I walked right into someone. "Oh! Um, my bad-"

I looked up to see Yusei Fudo, alleged winner of the Fortune Cup. When he saw me, his eyes widened just like Lazar's had. "R-Rain? You're… here? But why are you- I thought you were- Wait, why are you wearing that uniform?"

He observed me with such fondness my memories almost burst. I definitely knew this Yusei Fudo. Why couldn't I remember? And, why was I wearing the Arcadia Movement uniform? I was about to say something but, as if on cue, Sayer appeared and rooted himself between my old friend and me.

"Damn you, Fudo! Why must you always meddle in my affairs?" He grabbed my arm and dragged me forward. I fought his grip and broke free to hear Yusei.

"Rain? No, stop! What happened? Where's Kalin?"

Kalin.

Kalin.

I tried to hold a grip on reality, but it was too late. His name had broken the seal; I was thrust into the past.

End of Chapter One

(((A/N: Hey howdy! Thanks for reading! Here's a note that criticism of the writing and story are gratefully accepted!

This story is dedicated to an old user by the name of Daisuke Tokayuma, who read it in its original form and loved it despite its glaring flaws. Since then, this story has been completely rewritten. You gave me the courage to keep posting. Each and every reader means the world to me. I hope you enjoy this story of how one person can make all the difference.

The framework of this story is VERY LOOSELY based upon Reverse of Arcadia, but it blends with the anime and original scenes. I plan on updating every Saturday. Ta-ta for now, and thanks for reading again!)))