Connections

Crow and Jack held each other for dear life. The encircling black hooded figures were tripling their heart rates. It was the type of thing that only happened in the scary movies that they weren't supposed to watch. The leader of this impending attack on their lives was none other than their new mom.

She wasn't the mom either imagined. In fact, they wished that they had not based a major life decision on a pack of cards. They might very well die. Crow thought of how he would not recover his hoard or learn to fly. Jack thought of how he failed to protect his subjects by letting Crow die with him and leaving Yusei to become their hell spawn. He wouldn't be able to make amends with Martha either for leaving her to run things alone. At that point, Jack considered getting violent while Crow made a last brave attempt to charge through their legs. He got caught by one of the fearsome devils. A girl with a surprisingly strong grip held the squirming would be escapee. Jack's fists were stopped by a silver brute and another snakelike fiend. The packs' attention seemed to turn to the blonde with mild amusement.

"You didn't tell them about us yet, did you?" Rei accused Asuka who nodded.

"They didn't leave Martha's side in the house, and I wasn't risking them freaking out in the car." Asuka explained to her defensively.

"Everyone pull down your hoods. We all look like a bunch of grim reapers," She grumbled. Ryo and Edo chuckled and complied. Fubuki played along, and grinned. It was nice to see her simply feel for once. Half the time, he wasn't sure Asuka was still in there. The brunette simply giggled. Rei sensed how panicked the two new babes were compared to the calm two-year-old who had literally been taken from his home twice. Asuka watched the stricken five year olds. It was time to set them straight.

"Don't worry. No one is going to hurt you. We're just a little different," Asuka assured them. The two toddlers were a bit too spooked to listen. Their keepers didn't believe it wise to release them which only made the situation worse. Asuka frowned. She would have to get more hands on then.

Yusei, meanwhile, yawned and wriggled out of her grip. She complied, knowing she would have to introduce him to the others sooner or later. He froze at the similar empty black eye rims around him. He hid behind her as he wasn't willing to believe every zombie was friendly. She patted his back reassuringly. He ventured from behind her only to be ambushed by Fubuki who had heard quite a lot about him. Asuka placed trust in the group sparingly. As her brother, he was a glaring exception. Any gushing on the kids, reminiscing, or troubles passed her lips, he heard about it.

Naturally, he decided to entertain him. Yusei appeared to already dislike being carried by a relative stranger. Fubuki wasn't one to give up easily. He rocked him in an effort to subdue Yusei's newfound anxiety and gave his sister a thumbs up. She nodded in approval while narrowly avoiding getting bit by Crow. Fubuki traveled to his own chambers with Yusei in tow. Once there, he handed the young boy a notepad and a pen.

"Here, I have no idea where Asuka hid the toys but what kid doesn't like to doodle?" He explained heartedly. Yusei accepted the offering and proceeded to walk out of the room. Not one to stifle people, Fubuki simply walked beside him. He was sure if Asuka had been nearby she would have him locked in a room somewhere. The murderous atmosphere in the last two years had taken a toll on his sister. He remembered their frequent past outings as kids with longing. She doubted these kids would see as much sunshine. Not that the desert outside was anywhere near as fun as the big old tree they used to sit under and play cards in.

"Have you picked out a room yet?" Fubuki casually asked. The kid stopped walking and thought about it. He shook his head and replied.

"Maybe later," Yusei continued walking holding his notepad and pen vigilantly. Fubuki humored the boy for a few more minutes before telling him.

"You do realize we've been going in circles right?" Fubuki quipped, causing the boy to halt and turn around.

"Could you show me around?" He mumbled, and Fubuki grinned. He was a sweet kid, quiet like Fujiwara. He'd have to keep Ryo away from this one.

"Sure," He responded happily. Would he have eaten yet? He wondered. It didn't matter anyway. He'd probably like something sweet so the kitchen was as good a destination as any. He figured and hoped his sister was having as much luck with the other two.

Asuka was growing tired of the attacking little ones. She already was kicked twice and punched once. The others had long given up and gone inside so she scooped them up and headed to her room. Asuka hoped a heart to heart would make them settle down.

Inside, she put both on her generously sized bed, the result of which led them to fight each other instead. She rolled her eyes and separated them. Talking to both at once probably wasn't the best idea. She also would rather not have either of them wander off yet. She needed to get their attention.

"Boys listen or I won't give you your new toys," she threatened. They stopped and looked at her strangely.

"You're not going to eat us?" Crow asked in surprise. Asuka slapped her forehead in dismay. She was really getting tired of that question.

"No, I am supernatural, but that's all," She insisted. They whispered to each other for a few minutes. Asuka honestly thought that progress had been made until they hid under the covers. Soon, each tried to hog the covers which ended with Jack pushing Crow off the bed. He gave Jack a dirty look. Soon, the younger brother had an idea. He might have stowed away something of use on his person. So, the orange haired toddler shook his hair which held a bunch of shiny metal knickknacks in it. He piled the hidden treasure together and stuffed it in his pocket. When he realized Asuka witnessed all this, he slid under the bed warily.

She laughed out loud at the little scavenger's antics. She hadn't seen such ridiculous displays of childlike charm since Judai. She disregarded the thought. Automatically associating him with Judai wasn't fair. She might inexplicably start going harder on him. The humming bird's partner proceeded to drag him out by his foot. He pounded his fists on the floor in protest. She ignored his temper tantrum and lifted him up. This wasn't working.

She could gain the upper hand easily, but she knew that there was a possibility of spoiling them if she gave in and showed them their toys early. As a compromise, she decided to give them each one of the simpler toys. She handed Crow a spinning top. Jack scrunched his lips jealously until she distracted him with a magnetic rail twirler. They were preoccupied, but she was no closer to easing them into the truth. The dark signer figured that she might as well try again.

"I'm not sure if you know this or not, but its as good start as any. I'm Asuka Tenjoin. This is the castle I built for all of you," Asuka introduced herself. Crow stopped his spinning top to listen. He liked the idea of the castle being built for them. It was an excuse he could use later if he damaged it in any way. She was pleasantly surprised to see them behave and glad that Martha had ingrained manners into all of them.

"Cool, can I keep playing with my toy? Crow asked impatiently. Considering how many toys she'd given them over the years, it was slightly disheartening to see them so engrossed in an one dollar toy. Oh well, she did buy these knickknacks on a whim. As Jack spun his toy, he had a different opinion on what her motives were.

"Yeah right, you're just an old bat who got lonely." Jack accused her impetuously. Okay, some learned more manners than others, she decided. Smart boy, Aslla Piscu interjected. She rolled her eyes, but she had to admit he wasn't completely wrong.

" Well, I am old. I am lonely. However, I am a humming bird, not a bat." She corrected him while showing off her tattoo. Jack blinked profusely. Martha would have socked him if he said something like that. Her reaction confused him. She had revealed something important in the process though. He recognized the symbol. It happened to be a motif of many of their toys, especially Yusei's. That insignia also indicated she was one of the people who shipped the orphanage supplies. The hummingbird bearer he knew gave special treatment to the trio. They often received packages under that mark, meant for them and them alone. He developed a new found respect for this person. She obviously had been looking out for them all along, but she still wasn't as good as Martha as far as he was concerned.

"There's more to this insignia than meets the eye. It gives me magical powers," she elaborated while transporting from one end of the room to the other. Crow ooo and awed. Jack showed little emotion, yet edged her on.

"What else can you do?" He asked. She put her hands on her hips in annoyance. He wasn't satisfied easily. She lifted the bed they were on. Jack almost stumbled off before she tilted the bed to balance him.

"And?" He continued to pester her, appearing unfazed by everything he had seen so far. She put the bed down as the stunt had proven useless. Her shoulders slumped as the situation began to wear on her. What exactly did these kids see on a regular basis that made them so hard to impress? She wondered even as she indulged them.

"I can live indefinitely," she retorted, biting her lip as she heard the word vampire begin to spread. At least that was the end of it, she thought. Asuka could hear Aslla Piscu cackling. That bird was no help sometimes.

"And?" Crow asked this time. She had genuinely grabbed his attention. Well, two out of three sort of liked her. It's a start. Asuka decided and picked out something that sounded impressive but would not disturb them.

"My body's nearly invulnerable," She proclaimed which led Crow to poke at her with a sharp piece of scrap metal. Not a scratch on her, he marveled. She took away his weapon and gave him a look that said it didn't mean she liked getting hurt. He grinned sheepishly.

"And" They said simultaneously. She pinched the bridge of her nose. She'd rather not go into full detail on her abilities. It varied immensely depending on her god's mood.

"Anyway, everyone here is a dark signer like me with the same sort of power and ominous appearance. Inhabited by generous gods, we are basically the lifeless given purpose. Everything would be great except we all have a common enemy. The feud started when," She stopped abruptly which peeked their interest as she hoped. Jack made eye contact and put down his toy. Crow raised his hand.

"Yes Crow," She said, giving him permission to speak.

"You didn't finish the story." He whined. To her surprise, Jack was equally peeved.

"Yeah, what enemy?" He asked with a certain amount of skepticism.

You'll be stuck here all day. Perhaps, you should have waited to sour them toward the dragon until tomorrow. Tonight will be more than enough to make them fear it. The humming bird taunted. She ignored him. If they were to seal off the crimson marks tonight, she needed them to come running to her, not the vast expanse of desert.

"No, you don't want to hear about that. The monster is kinda scary," she protested with faux determination.

"But I want to hear the rest of the story." Crow pouted.

"A monster?" Jack inquired curiously. She only needed to tell the tale to have them in her grip.

"All right, I'll tell you. You see there was a battle between gods. Those of the earth that defended us: the humming bird, condor, spider, lizard, monkey, and giant. Then, there was the vile crimson dragon of the sky who wished to enslave the people and keep them from their desires," she explained confidently as she already knew Crow liked this sort of thing and Jack was intrigued by the gods.

"The dragon and its followers defeated our gods. The earthbound immortals were sealed into the earth that they wished to protect. Every time they manage to escape, the crimson dragon hunts them mercilessly and relentlessly, " Asuka spoke in a slightly sad undertone.

"That doesn't seem fair," Crow shouted. Jack nodded reasonably. They had received a small taste of persecution in Satellite. Asuka wrapped her arms around them.

"I know," She said sincerely. She may have skewed the story some, but so long as her desires were granted, she could care less what the crimson dragon's true motive was.

"Don't worry. The beast is dormant for now. Here, I'll draw out how it looks like. Its followers carry this symbol," She announced ceremoniously and drew out the dragon. Jack subconsciously hid his arm when she drew out the wings. He'd had that mark all his life. Now, he wished he didn't have it. She might grow to hate him, and he was starting to accept the idea that she might be a cool mom.

Asuka knew and expected such a reaction. Crow was pointing at Jack's hidden mark eagerly. He didn't grasp the reality of the situation, to him it was just a legend. Satisfied that she'd sown the seeds of doubt, she patted Jack's back reassuringly.

"Of course, what I said can remain a story so long as all of you are with me." She instructed as she lifted Jack's sleeve. She touched the mark experimentally wondering if it would flare as Yusei's had once. Jack flinched at her touch. The instinct to run overwhelmed him. Never had he felt this sense of entrapment and cowardice. Of all the things she could have done, she pecked him on the cheek. He ducked his head down to hide the unwanted redness it caused and Crow snickered.

"Then, it's just a symbol, my boy" She proclaimed cooly. That finished, she found the time had come to let them run loose. Not that she wouldn't watch them as diligently as a man waiting for the lotto numbers to be announced. The new mom felt the need to find her missing youngster as well who had missed the official explanation of everything.

"Come on, let's find your brother before Fubuki has him in a suit. We might be too late actually," she considered with nostalgia. He hadn't really tried to dress her up again since she flipped him over. Part of her missed it, so many other things had changed, the routine sibling squabbles would have been nice to continue.

She took hold of their hands and teleported. Sure, some would consider it lazy, but with her unpredictable brother, it was a worthy investment. Her superfluous entrance won its share of onlookers including her brother. Yusei, luckily, was untouched by her brother's fashion ways. An empty ice cream cup beside him, the boy was simply scribbling on his notepad. The two siblings ran over to Yusei and spoke to him excitedly. The others were in the midst of eating their deserts and talking amongst themselves. She hoped nothing questionable had come up in conversation. The blond took her sweet time walking over to her fellow dark signers. Apart, they were pleasant. Together, they tended to almost tear her limb from limb with their demands.

"You worked wonders," Rei complemented off handedly.

"Yeah," She said tiredly, sitting next to Fubuki. She noted Rei and Ryo's close proximity, but said nothing.

"At least, I won't have to deal with your little brats," Ryo dictated icily. Their alliance was an uneasy one, but one she trusted to hold. She also would have him eat his words.

"Oh, I guess you don't mind if they touch your stuff then?" She commented callously. Ryo surveyed the room. The kids were nowhere to be seen. There was a chance that she was bluffing, but checking his room couldn't hurt. He stood quickly and rushed out. His mood soured as he heard laughter behind him. If any of them had the fortune to stumble into his room, they were dead.

He clicked the door open to find two out of the three intruding. Yusei sat on the bed with his infernal notepad. Jack to his dismay was fiddling with his old electric collars. Scratch what he said before, he was dead if that kid got shocked. He launched himself over there quickly taking the brunt of the shocks.

"These are not toys," he scolded the blond. Jack shook his hand in a panic as he wanted the electric tingle to leave him. Ryo sighed, and returned the old mementoes to their proper place. He barely felt the electricity run through him. It made him feel rather lifeless in comparison to before when the shocks would motivate him to crush others souls.

"Let Jack shock himself with shock collars," Yusei said aloud, documenting the incident on his notepad. Those words sent a chill down his spine. The brat was going to tattle on him.

"Give me that pad or I'll drown you in the bathtub," he threatened.

"Threatened to drown me in bathtub," Yusei declared and wrote with undaunted determination.

"Okay, I warned you," he hissed, only to be attacked from behind. Asuka glared at him.

I don't think she'll believe I was kidding. He thought tiredly.

Not likely, the lizard mused. The damn thing was always so catty. To his relief, the young writer distracted her.

"Started fight to death in front of us," he observed and added it to his list. Asuka dropped him and turned to Yusei. She looked a little nervous. Ryo wondered what the hell the bird in her did to have Asuka of all people apprehensive. Asuka always seemed the most off after the transformation. Right after, her whole world was the damn brats.

"Yusei, sweety, what are you doing?" She asked him politely. Yusei didn't look up but answered.

"Making a report for Martha to read," he confessed. Asuka eyes bugged out of her head at the remark. Okay, he might enjoy the panicked entertainment that the mother bird provided once in a while. She sat next to the little snitch and proceeded to interrogate him.

"What all did you write down?" She questioned worriedly as she had left the two-year-old with Fubuki.

I would probably think twice about that choice. He considered warily. Even in death, the guy pestered him. It was certainly better than the quiet that usually surrounded him.

"Gave me ice cream for dinner, silver haired guy almost threw a fork into my eye, and you told Jack he was possessed by an evil god," he prattled on good naturedly.

"Stop right there. I'm going to need you to give me that notebook," she instructed cautiously. The boy appeared to listen at first. The precious info lingered close to her hand. Then, he yanked it away and instead, dashed out of the room. She grumbled unintelligibly and took off after him.

Ah the bond between mother and child, his spirit muttered sarcastically. He rolled his eyes at the comment. Although he wasn't enthused by the new arrivals, he had greatly enjoyed the last century without them. Asuka hadn't been such an oppressive prick then.

Two gone, one to go, he thought happily. He shifted his attention to the troublesome Jack. The boy had cards in his hand. That alone wouldn't be enough to rankle him, but they were Sho's cards. Getting anywhere near them spelled certain doom for the holder, Ryo thought of snapping his neck then and there, except, the stupid lug had to open his mouth.

"I didn't know you could duel without Synchros. They're kinda neat," Jack quipped. Ryo twitched involuntarily.

The kid probably doesn't know what fusion is either. He scoffed silently. Okay, maybe after he explained some things, he would kill him.

"What sort of cards did you think people used to play with?" He asked rhetorically. Unfortunately, he received an answer.

"Normal cards," He said passively.

This conversation might run longer than I thought. He complained to himself.

Have fun, the lizard snickered. He shuffled his deck grumpily.

"Come on kid, let's duel" He ordered.

Now, Jim had no agenda, kept to himself, and often questioned how wise it was give up his life for this farce. His original reason rapidly disintegrated. That girl wasn't his tomorrow girl. This girl held no future of her own. This girl had embraced the role of motherhood. This girl was twisted into believing that Judai would make it all better. Worst of all, this girl's hands were full of blood. Although officially she had done nothing, she had waited for the exact right moment to reenact Zero reverse. Dark signer Asuka was a monster.

Only her blind love for those children showcased any remaining redeeming qualities. In spite of the circumstances, some humanity in the household was welcomed. His own tainted life had not distorted him much. The whale he found held little interest in keeping dominion over him. So long as Jim continued to serve the creature, Chacu Challhua didn't care what he did on his own time.

The creature despite its animal crest held a fascination with fire. He was often asked to satisfy its want for destruction. Thankfully, he was free to choose the location. The scrapheaps along the edges of Satellite served him well in these instances.

Chacu Challhua had a heart. Like the other gods, it was attracted to certain types of misfortunes. The whale cared for children and so Jim's affection for them intensified. He avoided Asuka's and Edo's pet orphanage for fear of drawing attention to himself. Instead, he traveled around Satellite and the city aiding any child in need. He preferred to satisfy his god's nurturing tendencies than assist in building its destructive force, a preemptive step which let him keep his level head without sacrificing his health as Fubuki had.

Returning from his regular trip to the city, Jim saw quite a spectacle, a little orange haired boy on the roof with crudely fashioned wings. Intrigued, he teleported closer where a second boy with a notepad watched worriedly. Asuka, a disheveled looking mess, stood beside him. He tugged at her now destroyed skirt for her attention.

"He's trying to fly again," Yusei informed her. She nodded, ready to step in. Jim placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. He had an idea of what would keep the toddler from ever repeating the stunt again.

"Let me handle this," he pleaded. She tensed knowing at most she had minutes to keep Crow from jumping. Trust wasn't an easy thing to take from her. Jim hadn't been around her enough over the years for her to justify what he was asking. And yet, she didn't have a reason to distrust him either.

"Okay," she decided. He grinned and stood there doing nothing. As a result, she fidgeted uncomfortably. Crow began to flap his makeshift wings experimentally. She could hear Yusei repeat the words don't jump, over and over. Finally, the blasted bird brain leaped. Before she could change her mind, Jim caught him in mid air. When Jim stuck the landing, Crow laughed nervously in Jim's arms and shivered involuntarily.

"That was scary," Crow uttered, wiping beads of sweat off his brow. He shared his condolences with a quick pat and set him down. Jim needed to put the groceries away. An interesting plus that came with being one of the living dead was you could eat whatever you want. Jim figured the kids would need something more nutritious than ice cream and chips. To his surprise, his marvelous catch earned him a follower as Crow skipped behind him.

"Thank you," Asuka mumbled. Jim took the time to tip his hat to her. He could admit she wasn't the worst monster in the world at least. Crow copied the motion despite having no hat of his own before skipping along again.

"Allowed Crow to jump off roof," Yusei surmised in his detailed report. Asuka narrowed her eyes and lunged. Yusei ran behind her brother who happened to come across them. His cane dug into the ground, and Fubuki scratched his head.

"What are you doing?" Fubuki demanded in all seriousness.

"He is recording a detailed report on their first day here to give to Martha," She confessed, hoping Fubuki would see the problem with this. Her brother smiled in that all knowing way of his.

"Yusei, can I see the notepad?" Fubuki asked nicely. The boy complied much to her annoyance. He showed her its contents which were little more than chicken scratch. She didn't look either in the eye. Fubuki hugged her so they could talk privately.

"We also don't have a mailbox genius," he revealed, pouring salt in the wound. Releasing her, Fubuki returned the item which Yusei put inside his pocket. She lifted Yusei who squirmed at her touch after the murderous chase he endured. Time was on her side as the moon had long overtaken the sun's reign. Tired, he soon rested between her fleshy shackles willingly.

"Where's Jack?" she inquired fretfully. She had lost track of him when she started chasing Yusei. Fubuki grinned knowingly again.

"You know how you wanted them to choose their rooms? Well, he picked the biggest one," He announced smugly. Asuka grimaced.

" I have the biggest room," she fumed in frustration.

"Exactly," Fubuki retorted.

"So, he's there," she reiterated to make sure. Fubuki nodded as he walked along side her. Even if the news irked her, she knew the day could have gone so much worse. Asuka made a side trip to the kitchen where she found Crow in a chef's hat too large for his head. Next to him, Jim assembled a stew. The red head assisted Jim by handing him vegetables and cutting them with the Australian's guidance. As the stew simmered, the cook addressed the group.

"I thought the kids might want something other than ice cream for dinner, Fubuki," he explained pouring the substance into three bowls. Asuka winced. If she considered Martha's presence in the kitchen when she picked them up, there was a possibility Crow and Jack hadn't eaten all day.

"It looks like your missing a boy," Jim pointed out as he set the table. Crow ran to his seat and crushed the food into his jaws savagely. Yusei tugged on her shirt. She guessed what he wanted well enough and put him down. He walked over to one of the remaining bowls and ate slowly. While the kids dug in, Asuka came over to Jim and hugged him. He dropped the ladle he was holding. In the last hundred years, never did Asuka show such an open display of affection to anyone other than her brother and Rei.

"Thank you for everything. Now, if you excuse me, I need call Jack for dinner," she stated graciously. Jim composed himself and picked up the ladle. She left him in the hands of Fubuki who sported a sly grin. She didn't want to be around for that conversation.

When she entered her room, she saw Jack laying lazily on her bed. He opened one eye to check who had entered and relaxed. She wasn't someone to fear. The dark signer rested against the wall.

"This is my room, you know," Asuka revealed calmly. Jack nodded but didn't move.

"So, I can stay here if I want, " Jack taunted and remained on the cushy mattress. There wasn't much evidence that anyone lived here. Unlike Ryo's room, it wasn't overly filled with keepsakes. There was one photo of a man sporting a red jacket on the dresser that he hadn't seen inside the castle. Otherwise, he discovered one album full of photos when he rummaged. If he had looked further, maybe he would have found girly clothes and items that girls were rumored to have. Still, he liked the room, and was reluctant to leave it.

"Get up, dinner's ready," Asuka announced.

Damn, I am hungry. He thought sadly. He obeyed if only for the sake of his stomach and planned to go out the door, only to realize that he had no idea where to go. He had gone into Ryo's room by chance, and he had left Jack here. Asuka walked past him and gestured that he follow.

They arrived in the kitchen where his two brothers chattered back and forth, empty bowls in front of them. He joined them and ate the warm stew. Fubuki had left the kitchen before hand. Jim sat with the boys and listened as they conversed. Asuka watched them from afar. Eventually, they began to yawn in succession.

"Time for bed," She ordered expecting some sort of backlash. They listened and trailed behind her. The business of choosing their rooms had to be dealt with.

"Pick a room," She instructed, thinking they would be thrilled by the prospect. She didn't think they had ever had a room to themselves ever. However, the drafty hallway did not prove inviting, and the dark inside of each room had an unsettling effect on their sense of safety.

"I already picked a room," Jack insisted which caused her eye to twitch slightly. The other two stuck close by her, grabbing the fringes of her torn skirt.

"Can we stay with you?" They said in succession. She sighed and thought, one night together wouldn't hurt. Perhaps, in the morning the rooms would look more favorable.

"Sure but only tonight," she agreed conditionally. They nodded furiously, and Jack smiled smugly. She glared at him. No way, he was stealing her room. There was also the matter of the seals that would be placed on them tonight. Having them all in one place would be beneficial. She tried not to think of the little girl that she couldn't quite get a hold of yet. Her situation had to be handled delicately, handling the pain alone hopefully wouldn't scar her indefinitely.

She ushered them into her room, flicking the light switch on. She handed them tooth brushes and pointed to the bathroom. She traveled briefly to where she kept the majority of their things including the packed boxes. That would have to be dealt with later. She returned with three new pairs of pjs. Both Crow and Yusei slipped them on quickly. Jack didn't look so enthused. The bearer of the crimson wings observed the location of the packed boxes and excavated his regular pjs.

He's very set in his ways for a little kid. She observed silently. He slipped into the middle of the bed, and his brothers settled on either side. Yusei, she noticed picked a spot where she would be next to him. She changed into her nightgown in her private restroom and returned to find the brothers wide awake. She switched off the lights and ignored the wide-awake youngsters.

"Can you tell us a story?" Crow demanded cutely. Most of her books weren't exactly children's stories. She did have an assortment of true tales centering on someone she wasn't prepared to think about. If she explained it in the proper manner, she could probably avoid any follow up questions.

"Once, there was an idiot," she began, sliding under the covers. They stared curiously at the story teller. No story Martha ever told ever admitted the hero was an idiot. The story caught their attention.

" He arrived on an island where the rules ranked him the lowest of the pack, a Slifer red. Normally, that would be that, an idiot put in his rightful place. Except, he excelled and proved himself better than many at the top. This irked some and impressed others," She continued sadly as the tale resurfaced old memories. Asuka began to wish that she'd picked something from the book shelf. It was too late now. They wanted the rest, and Yusei tugged at her sleeve again when she stopped for too long.

"His successful string of duels was enough to convince the principal to make him one of the guardians. I was one too actually," she admitted which resulted in many hands being raised. Asuka let them go ahead and ask their questions.

"You were? This is a true story, then," Yusei concluded, and she nodded accordingly.

"Can we hear about the duels?" Jack suggested excitedly. She thought it over.

"We can go into details another night. How about an overview today." She compromised, even if she wanted nothing more than to never mention any of this ever again.

" It lead a team called the Seven Stars to start trying to pick us off one by one. The idiot managed to survive while we, one by one perished. He faced the final danger alone which I supposed started his solitary path," she mused and realized that she skimmed a bit too much for it to be anywhere near satisfying. Asuka supposed that the subject was too close to home for her to want to tell it right. Any mention of him caused her to remember how he had failed to help them. Crow's hand shot up.

"Yes, Crow," she complied.

"What was his name and why did you skip all the good parts?" Crow pestered.

"I'd rather not hear his name honestly. I'll tell you it starts with a J if you'd like to make up something to call him. This story isn't sad, but the last installment kind of is. I promise to do better tomorrow, okay, " Asuka promised which was enough to satisfy Crow's curiosity for now.

"Okay, we will call him JayJay," Crow decided while suppressing a yawn. Jack had nothing to say except.

"Add a Duel next time," Jack ordered and shut his eyes. Yusei, unfortunately, sensed her sadness.

"Did JayJay upset mommy?" Yusei asked sounding the tiniest bit angry at the suggestion. Asuka patted his head in an effort to calm him.

"No, he was just being an idiot like usual. Go to sleep," she demanded and saw that Yusei wasn't convinced by the answer. This worried her since she didn't want to burden them with her regrets. Still, she couldn't help but smile when Yusei held her hand to comfort her.

"Now, if any of you start to feel pain, hold on tight. It will pass," Asuka told them casually. They nodded apprehensively. Pain wasn't something they associated with sleep time, and its mention before bed was troubling, but eventually, they fell into a deep sleep. She stared up at the ceiling, waiting for the wailing that would soon commence. This was the final obstacle between them, and she braced herself for the dragon's wrath. Three out of five marks were present beside her after all.