A/N: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF DREAMFALL CHAPTERS OR YU GI OH 5DS! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! ALL I OWN ARE MY OCS!

Chapter 1: Dreams - Part 1

Yusei opened his eyes and looked around. He was quick to notice his friends there beside him: Jack, Akiza, Leo, and Luna. They turned to find themselves in a place unknown. It was surrounded by rocky hills and ledges covered with snow that was falling continuously despite very little clouds. Around the entire area were lights. Over on a ledge appeared to be a room or something with a light on while farther from that and them was a fire with someone near it.

"Yusei, where are we?" Luna asked.

"I'm not really sure," he answered. He looked down a bit in thought, 'But why does this place seem so familiar?' He shook his head to clear his thoughts for the time being. "Let's head up to that room, though. That might give us some answers."

They looked up it to see a girl, about four years younger than Yusei's age by appearance, in a strange outfit coming and leaning against a pillar. On her body, though, were strange designs along her body. The most prominent of them being on her forehead and both her forearms. On her forehead was an arch with five lines spiking out of the top of it. After than two lines trailed down her neck. On her left arm was a giant with several other circles and dots in and around it. On her right was an image of what appeared to be a hourglass. All of it and then down her legs were connected with two lines. Her eyes were a deep blue eyes with her hair a dark brown that it was nearly black. Her skin was a bit on the tan side but was practically flawless. She seemed vigilant as she looked at the other lights. The others quickly hurried up to him.

"Hey!" Yusei called, but the girl showed no indication that she even heard him. The man tried to grab her shoulder, but he merely phased through. "What?"

The girl turned and walked over to a bed with the light there. They then noticed it was a hospital room with a sleeping version of the girl on the bed. The girl they were with now sat on the bed and looked at her unconscious form.

"What's going on, Yusei?" Leo asked.

"I have no idea," he answered.

"How long have I been here? In Storytime," the girl muttered. "Seven months? Nine? I don't even know." She sighed. "Don't worry about that, Ayumu. Just worry about helping the other spirits."

"Storytime?" Akiza repeated.

"Other spirits?" Luna added.

"This place is actually kind of cool," Leo commented.

"Cool or not, I think we're seeing her memories of this place," Yusei stated.

"Yeah, but why?" Crow wondered.

"That's the question of the day," Jack added.

The girl, Ayumu, seemed to sense something and got up. She walked back to the edge and they turned with her to see a light had a purple-white glow shining from it. She looked down. "I hear her calling out for help. Great, she's trapped in a looping night terror," she commented.

"A looping night terror?" Crow repeated.

"Do you think these trapped spirits have anything to do with that new Dreamachine everyone's been talking about and getting addicted to?" Akiza suggested.

"Maybe," Yusei answered.

Ayumu reached out her hand and in an instant, they all found themselves on a bridge and a person passed by them from behind. Ayumu turned that way with them. She looked up to see the person, a woman, falling again, calling, "No!" She came by and Ayumu tried to grab her as she fell again.

"Dammit," Ayumu cursed. "I can't grab her. She's falling too quickly." She gave a confident grin, though. "But I can do something to change that." The woman came down screaming and Ayumu's markings glowed and the brightest area being the hourglass, shocking the onlookers. Suddenly, time seemed to slow.

"Whoa…" Leo commented.

"This girl can slow time!" Crow exclaimed.

As the woman came closer, Ayumu finally grabbed her, telling the woman, "Hold on."

"Oh god… don't let go!" the woman begged. Aymu pulled her up and the woman leaned against the railing, Ayumu looking at her with her arms crossed. "Thanks for… for saving me. It feels like I've been falling forever. What is this place?"

"A bad dream. I'm here to help you wake up," Ayumu replied. That shocked the onlookers.

"Okay. Okay. Just a dream, it's just a dream," the woman stated. "I could have sworn it was… This feels so real."

"In a few moments, it won't. You'll forget all about it. But I want you to remember one thing: Stop using that thing, the Dreamachine," Ayumu told her sternly, the words worrying the onlookers. "Stop using it or you'll be back, and maybe I won't find you next time, and maybe you'll be stuck in a nightmare forever."

"Oh, God, no. No, I promise, I'll remember," the woman agreed.

"Do something else with your spare time. Go shopping. Take more naps. Anything but this," Ayumu ordered. He sighed. "Time to wake up."

"Thank you. Again. Who are you?" the woman asked.

"Doesn't matter. You won't remember anyway. Just go, and never come back," Ezra replied.

The woman glowed and floated up a bit before disappearing. Ayumu looked out with the watchers and noticed a black shadow nearby. It worried them as she said, "That dream is just… total blackness. The absence of light." She hurried down, the others following.

When they reached the dream, they saw a man sitting under a street light in fear. They entered it to find the man in a tunnel. Ayumu sighed a bit before walking up to the man.

As she got closer, the man called, "No! Don't! Don't come any closer! Who are you? Why are you here? Leave me alone!" She kneeled down to the man who looked at her and said, "The darkness, it's everywhere, it's getting closer, oh man, I can't see anything, I can't leave, it's not safe out there."

"Come with me," Ayumu told him gently. "I'll help you escape."

"What? Who… Who are you?" the man asked.

"You're dreaming. I'll help you get back. Follow me," she replied, not answering the man's questions. The man stood up. She walked forward but the man stopped at the edge of the light in fear. Ayumu went up to the next street light. She used her powers from here and turned the light on.

The man finally moved forward to follow her. "Dreaming? No, that can't… that can't be. This is too real, too real."

"That's because you're connected to a Dreamachine," Ayumu replied. "If you remember nothing else when you wake up, remember this: The Dreamachines are dangerous. Don't use them, or you'll get stuck here, and maybe I won't find you again."

"Don't say that. Don't say that. I'll remember. I swear," the man agreed. "I don't ever want to come back. I won't touch a Dreamachine again."

"Good." Ayumu walked up to the next light that was sparking a bit. She lit up the bulb but commented to herself, "That bulb won't last long." As such, she activated her time powers again and slowed down time. She hurried over to the next light bulb as the man walked over to the one she just turned on. "Stay close to me, and you'll be fine."

"I hate the dark. I can't stand it," the man commented.

"A grown man hating the dark?" Jack mocked. "That's a first."

"Jack, we all have our fears," Yusei retorted.

"You have a light within you. It's strong," Ayumu told the dreaming man, taking their attention back to her memories, her words shocking them a bit.

"But I don't… I don't know how to turn it on," the man responded fearfully.

"Just stay close, and I'll keep it burning. Just promise me you'll stay far away from Dreamachines," Ayumu pressed.

"You bet. I'm never connecting to Dreamtime again. Not after this," the man agreed.

Ayumu turned to the last light and turned it on. The man began to walk towards her. At the end of the tunnel was a bright light. She walked towards it with the man and the watching friends following. That's when all the lights shut off.

The man ran to a corner in fear, calling, "I'm drowning in it! The darkness is swallowing me up!" he crouched to the ground, holding his head in his hands. "The dark, the dark is everywhere!"

Ayumu's marks lit up, the brightest being at her forehead. "There's a light inside him, but it keeps turning off. Something's fighting back," she commented to himself. She used her powers again and said as if she read the man's mind, "It's him! The source of the darkness. He's feeding it. His fear is totally out of control. He's fighting me and he doesn't even know it. He needs to stop, or I can't help him." She walked up and kneeled in front of the man.

The man stated fearfully, "It's happening again, it's happening, the darkness, it's closing in."

"You're letting your fears control you," Ayumu told him.

"I hate the dark. I can't stand it," the man retorted.

"I know, and you're feeding it. You need to let it go. Your fears and worries. You have the power to banish the darkness. Remember? The light within you?" Ayumu responded.

"That's right," the dreaming man agreed. "The dark makes me forget."

"So just… let it go! Brighten up! Shine for me, alright?" Ayumu continued.

"But I don't… I don't know how to turn it on," the man replied fearfully.

"You're not alone. I'm here to help you," Ayumu reassured.

"Th-Thank you," the man responded.

The woman stood up and the man followed. The girl then used her powers and the man grew bright. All the lights immediately turned back on. "See?" Ayumu called. "All this time, you carried the light within. There's nothing to be afraid of, anymore."

"Thank you," the man responded. "Could you point me to the way out?"

"Walk into the light," she told him.

The man looked at her uncertain. "Walk into the…?" he trailed off.

Ayumu gave a reassuring giggle and said, "Don't worry, not that kind of light. You'll just wake up."

The man walked towards it pausing for a moment to say again, "Thank you." He then disappeared into the light. Once he was gone, the light followed.

"What is going on out there? It's getting worse," Ayumu wondered in worry.

Yusei had to admit, there was something becoming familiar about this girl, like he had seen her before long ago. The way she acted, what she said. Her eyes and hair. There was just something so familiar to him and he couldn't place it. It kind of frustrated him.

Ayumu walked to the edge and saw a red light in the near distance. "What is that? A… bedroom. A bedroom? I know what that means."

"Do I want to know?" Leo asked.

"Probably not, but we're going to find out," Yusei stated and they were quick to flash over to the bedroom.

It looked old and spooky with a wardrobe that had tentacles flinging around inside. There was even a creepy painting on the wall. It was almost the stereotype of a bedroom nightmare. A young girl sat on the bed, curled up with her hands around her knees in fear.

Ayumu looked at the wardrobe, when the girl called, "What are you doing? Get away from there!" The elder woman looked at her and sat next to her on the bed. "Shh… Don't make a sound. It will hear you."

"Who will?" Ayumu asked with a kind and gentle voice.

"The monster in the closet. It will hear you and eat us both," the girl replied.

"I promise, it won't hurt you," Ayumu reassured.

"You swear?" the girl checked.

"I swear. I won't let it. But you need to get back home," she replied.

"I can't find my way," the girl responded sad and scared.

"The way back in through there, through the wardrobe," Ayumu told her staying kind and gentle.

"I can't go in there! It will eat me alive!" she retorted.

"Not if we destroy it first. Do you have the key?" Ayumu asked.

"I don't know where it is. My mom locks it every night… and tells me to behave, or she'll unlock it and let the monster have me," the girl responded.

"Good parenting," Jack commented.

"Great parenting…" Ayumu sighed. "Don't worry, I'll find the key. And whatever's in there, it's no match for me, I promise."

"Are you, like, a superhero?" the girl asked.

"Something like that. What do you think of my costume?" Ayumu replied with a small grin to comfort her.

"It's really cool," she answered.

Ayumu stood up. She checked around a bit before feeling under the bed. But it was too dark to find anything. She used her powers and something lit up under the bed. She turned and went around and grabbed the light from the other side.

"A flashlight!" she stated, pleased.

Ayumu turned it towards the wardrobe only to find the creature immediately hid behind the doors before anything could happen. "Yeah, don't think you'll be getting a free pass there," she told it with a grin. She turned away, letting the monster reveal itself before using her time powers to slow time. She then turned the light to the creature. It cried out as it disintegrated before it vanished. "There we go. Monster gone, now all I need is the key."

Ayumu walked over towards the painting, and notice something shine in the light of her flashlight. She walked up to it and found it to be the key. She nodded to herself. He went over to it and unlocked the door.

The girl called in fear, "No. Don't get too close. It will take you."

Ayumu opened the door to show nothing was there but a yellow light. "See? It's gone. You're safe now."

"Thank you," she responded. "But… I don't know how to get back home. I don't know where my mommy is."

"She's on the other side of the wardrobe, waiting for you," Ayumu told her.

"It's… It's scary," the girl admitted.

"Whatever was in there, it's gone now. I promise. Come on," the elder reassured her. The girl carefully walked up and approached the wardrobe. She stopped next to Ayumu. "Do you use a Dreamachine?"

"Mom makes me. She says it keeps me occupied. Then she gets time to play with hers," the girl explained.

"Again, great parenting," Crow stated sarcastically.

"The next time she does that, you need to say no," Ayumu told the girl.

"She won't like that," the girl responded nervously.

Ayumu gave a small laugh to comfort her as she said, "Maybe not," She turned serious again, "but you tell her it's dangerous, that it gives you nightmares. And if she refuses to listen, tell someone else. Or scream, fight back, run away. Just… Never, ever use a Dreamachine."

"I could tell, Daddy. He doesn't live with us, but I talk to him all the time," the girl responded.

"You do that," Ayumu told her. "Now go through and you'll wake up again."

The girl stepped into the wardrobe, but paused and asked, "Thank you… what's your name?"

"Ayumu," the boy answered. "And remember, no Dreamtime. I might not be able to find you again." The girl nodded and stepped through and disappeared. "This has to stop."

They turned to see the fire was now extremely close and there was a strange looking man by it. Ayumu ran up to him and called, "The Vagabond!" The man didn't even turn to her. The onlookers were confused a bit. "Yo, Master of Storytime, what's going on out there? More and more people are getting caught in loops. I can't keep up. I thought the Dreamachines weren't dangerous anymore. I thought we took care of that. If not, then-"

"Hello, Ayumu," the man greeted, interrupting the woman.

"Sorry, yeah, hi," she responded. "Look, I'm trying to help them all, and… and…" She sighed. "It's too hard. There are too many! And their nightmares… They're getting worse."

"How long had she been dealing with nightmares here?" Akiza wondered.

"Or better yet, how many did she have to face to protect people?" Yusei added.

The Vagabond then said to Ayumu, "You have to go home."

"What's there to go back to?" she asked.

"Whatever waits for you on the other side is for you alone to discover. Your single thread runs through the fabric of the universe, weaving events together," the Vagabond replied. "But where it ends, I do not know."

"I'm a thread without a spool," Ayumu commented. "Oh, for God's sake, I'm starting to talk like you." She sighed. "What I mean is, I don't have a home. I have nothing out there. And… No one. I have no one." That shocked the onlookers a bit. "Besides, I'm needed here. What will happen if I just… abandon them?"

"Their night terrors are symptoms of a larger disease," the Vagabond responded. "As long as the disease itself is alive and spreading, those people will keep coming back."

"But… I'm…" Ayumu paused for a second. "I'm afraid. I can't do it."

"The dream is being tainted," the Vagabond stated as he finally turned to Ayumu. "The universe is getting sicker. They all need you."

"Who needs me?" Ayumu asked.

"All who live, who have lived, and who will live," the Vagabond answered. "You saved your reality once, Ayumu. This time, all the worlds, all of Storytime, all of time, is at stake. When you wake up, this will all be a dream. And that dream will quickly fade. Soon, it will be forgotten entirely. Unless you fight to remember it."

"What do I need to remember?" Ayumu asked.

"You must open your heart and mind to messages from those who know what to do," the Vagabond replied.

"You don't know?" Ayumu questioned.

"I'm not omniscient, Ayumu. Much is hidden from me. I can see all threads as they are woven. But the greater weave itself is too large for me to see. I'm too close," the Vagabond explained. "And… even here, some of the past is… obscured. This… bothers me. I believe someone may have clouded my memory by design. An enemy. A shadow with tendrils into Storytime and elsewhere. All the more important, then, for you to remember." That worried the others.

"Will it even matter?" she asked.

"If you stay here much longer, you may never be able to leave," her elder friend answered. "And then everyone's story ends. All the people who love you, all the people you love, and everyone else, past, present, and future. Torn out of the story like pages from a book."

"So what do you need me to do?" Ayumu asked.

"I want you to wake up and remember. And then I want you to save-"

"Save the world," Ayumu finished a bit annoyed. She then added with sarcasm pouring from her voice, "I did such a great job with that last time around."

"You changed everything," the Vagabond assured. "That story had a beginning and an end. But it was also only the first half of your story."

"How do I wake up?" Ayumu asked.

"There is a door. Find the door and unlock it, and you will wake up," his friend replied vaguely.

"If it's locked, where's the key?" she questioned.

"You will know," the Vagabond answered staying cryptic. Ayumu sighed in annoyance. "I'm not trying to be cryptic. But I don't have the key. You do. Within you."

"I'll just have to trust you on that," she agreed. "Will I see you again?"

"If all goes well, at the end of your and your brother's journey, when your and your brother's stories are complete - you will both see me again, one last time," the Vagabond answered.

"That sounds… final," Ayumu responded, a bit nervous. "But, yeah, okay, I'll, um, go. Find the key. Unlock the door. Remember everything. Save the world. Write my story with my brother. Return for the epilogue. Very Hero's Journey."

"You will do fine, Ayumu Honda. I have faith in you," the Vagabond reassured. "Maybe bigger, bolder words are in order, but they would amount to the same: Good luck."

Ayumu and the others were quickly back to the boy's original Storytime room next to the comatosed woman's hospital bed. She walked to her comatosed body, "If I'm ever going to find a way out of this place, that's my doorway. Me." She sighed. "But the signal from my comatosed brain is too weak. It's getting drowned out by my waking thoughts. To tap into my subconscious, I'd have to somehow boost the signal and turn down the volume on my conscious mind."

"What's she planning for that?" Akiza responded.