Road to Top Duelist – Duel 9: Triple Dragons, Old Tale of Fate

Kio was walking around in the parking lot area; on his way upstairs and... He saw a Duel Monsters Card on the ground below him. Kio got down and reached for the card and said to himself, "What the hell...? Flanked Dragon's Wind...? What kind of hell of card is this?"

His Birthmark lit up and Kio took off his left glove. He stared at it, the bright red shining in his eyes. The Claw Birthmark was glowing very brightly...

"Is this Dragon-?" Kio stared at the card. He then quickly put his glove back on and dashed for the elevator. "I have go to show the others!"

On the top floor, Reiki was staring at the streets below. The bright and glowing sun of the day's noon shown bright and clear... Then she said, "Sigh... I am so bored..."

She actually thought, I actually... Really... Wanna see Roman-kun... I wonder.... What Rex-kun thinks about this.... About Roman being alive... My Rex-kun...

Rex was in deep... Deep thought. He was turned away from the window for once. He didn't want to see the shining light, it disturbed his thinking. Roman... Brother... What is going on...? What are you trying? Why are you alive...? Didn't the Zero Reverse Incident kill you? Only me and Reiki lived it... There weren't any other traces of others living. I thought you, my only living family, was dead... Why I tired building Daedalus Bridge... More than just reconnecting the two lands... Reiki had the same goal and mind as me. I wanted to reach you... I thought you were gone... If you really... Really are back... I want to, no, I will.... I promise... I will save you from what has tricked you into the darkness! I want to save you from what is controlling you!

Reiki glanced back at Rex a little.

Just then, Kio slammed the door open wide.

Kyoya and Hikari, who were just playing cards in the room, looked at Kio; confused.

"What's up?" Reiki asked as she got up off the floor and stretched.

"Look at this card!" Kio held up Flanked Dragon's Wind. Kio's Birthmark was still glowing as he held it up to the others.

The others in the room looked up at him. Reiki and Rex's Birthmarks lit up as well. The right wing of Rex and the tail of Reiki.

"It's a....!" Hikari had started to say as he looked back at Reiki and Rex. He noticed their Birthmarks glowing through their clothes.

"Is it a Signer Dragon?" Kyoya yelled.

"It has to be... Otherwise our Birthmarks would not be lighting up..." Rex explained. He had his eyes closed, thinking.

"Summon it...!" Reiki sort of commanded.

"Y-Yea..." Kio closed his eyes and opened his Duel Disk up. He placed the card on a Monster Slot and light shot through the air.

"From the Skies of Brilliant Eternia... Take down those in my way. I Synchro Summon!" Kio opened his eyes up. His bright teal eyes shining, "Now Fly, Flanked Dragon's Wind!"

The Dragon scattered around the room as it was summoned. Kyoya and Hikari's cards flew around the room; around and around in circles. The Dragon flew and landed right in front of Kio, who quickly closed the Office Door.

"I'll summon Flight Sky Dragon then! Since you really do know that Dragon's Chant..." Reiki took out the card and put it on her Duel Disk after she folded it out. The card's light shine around the room, too.

"I will play Darkenesse Dragon then...." Rex placed his card onto his Duel Disk after Reiki did.

Both Dragons, Darkenesse Dragon and Flight Sky Dragon, let out a screech as they were summoned. Flight Sky Dragon flew behind Reiki like it did last time. Reiki turned around to face the dragon and asked it, "Flight Sky Dragon... What is wrong...?"

Flight Sky Dragon let out another screech and Reiki smiled and said, "It will be okay... They are all safe people. You can trust them. Just like we all trust you... Right?:

"She can speak with Duel Monsters...?" Kyoya asked Hikari.

"She can speak with Duel Monster Spirits... A very, very rare thing..." Hikari said, and folded his arms together.

Flight Sky Dragon stepped out forward and now stood in front of Reiki. It was standing next to Rex's Darkenesse Dragon. Rex turned to Reiki and said, "I did not know that you could speak with Duel Monsters."

"I never really acknowledged the ability until now..." Reiki looked at her hand; It was shaking...

"Ngh..." Kyoya fell down to his knees.

"Kyoya! What's wrong?" Kio sat down on the floor next to him.

"My arm hurts...." Kyoya struggled.

Hikari got down and said, "Which arm is it...?"

"L-Left..." Kyoya closed his eyes.

Reiki and Rex ran over to the other three. Reiki sat down on the floor in front of Kyoya and said, "It can't be... The exposure to the other three Dragons has caused....!"

"A Birthmark Engravement...?" Rex sat down next to Reiki.

"A-AAAAHHHH!" Kyoya let out a yell in pain.

"I have never known any Engravement onto the arm to cause any kind of pain..." Reiki said.

"It does... It hurts really bad..." Kio said, pitying himself, as he has felt it.

"Well, we wouldn't know.... I got mine after an accident when we were younger... Maybe because the accident, itself, caused pain to me already..." Rex memorized on the event.

Reiki felt something and just thought about the moment, and only that moment...

-Past years ago... Over Thirty Years Ago...-

There was a flaming building in view... Reiki was inside; the building had been set a flame by someone who was trying to kill Reiki. The man was deranged.... Rex ran into the building yelling, "Reiki! Where are you?"

Rex ran up the stairs to the second story and heard a voice, "R... Rex..." Reiki was huddled in a corner; almost passed out from the lack of oxygen because of the smoke.

"Reiki!" Rex ran directly to Reiki. He was ignoring everything else around him. He even ignored the flames themselves... Rex was not paying attention when there was a crack in the ceiling above him. The wood broke off and came towards Rex.

Reiki looked up, but she couldn't yell...

"Gaahhh!" The wood hit Rex on his right arm. Part of the wood... Where there was a nail, had hit Rex! There were suddenly red marks along Rex's right arm, but there was too much blood in the way to make out if they were there or blood. But... Now... There was blood dripping to the floor.

"R-Rex...!" Reiki tried yelling out. She saw the blood dripping... She was getting even more scared.

Rex ran to her and said, "It's nothing... Now... Come here...!"

Reiki tried to get up as fast as possible and Rex picked her up. He dashed for the stairs to the first floor, now.

Outside of the building... Roman Goodwin was gazing at the building engulfed in flames. Sparks were flying as he turned to the fireman standing next to him and asked, "Wh-Where are they?"

"I do not know... But... I pray that they are safe and okay..." The fireman replied to Roman.

"How come you guys can't do anything?" Roman yelled to the fireman.

"Something is wrong with the water systems. That guy that burned the building knew what he was doing..." The fireman explained.

"D-Dammit.... I'm... I'm just useless..." Roman said to himself. He was about to start crying. Thinking about what would happen if he loss his younger brother and very close friend...

"Let's get out of here!" Rex yelled as he charged down the stars. He now had Reiki on his back.

But, at the entrance, or their exit, the second story was coming down on them.

Both Reiki and Rex freaked out, they were going to die... There was no way in hell that they were going to escape... Part of the building came to where Reiki was. Rex turned around and the piece of wood hit him again. He had been hit by the nail again...

"REX!" Reiki screamed as loud as she could.

"Gaaaaahhh!" Rex let out a yell.

A bunch of blood came from Rex's right arm. It was all dripping to the floor he was standing on. Almost his entire right arm had blood on it.

The rest of the second story was about to come down and there was a Duel Monster Card on the floor near Rex suddenly. The Card lit up and light shot to the floor coming down. Rex was holding Reiki again and the wood stopped from coming down. A Dragon was protecting Rex and Reiki... It was holding the wood up. The Dragon was... Flight... Sky... Dragon.... It moved the wood away and vanished away after one last roar.

"It says... I-It promises... To Protect us....?" Reiki said quietly. Her consciousness was slipping away as she spoke. This was the very first time that Reiki could speak with a Duel Monster Spirit.

"What...?" Rex asked, very confused.

"...Let's... Just... G-Get out... of here..." Reiki passed out as Rex held her on his back.

Rex nodded to himself and ran out of the building... He was charging as fast as he could. He was using up all of his energy. Rex could hardly hold Reiki with only his left arm. His right arm was hurting too much to use.

Roman saw them coming out of the building. He freaked out that they were okay but even more when he saw Rex's right arm. Rex didn't realize that his Birthmark appeared... He was already in too much pain from the nail cutting his arm.

Rex got outside in the middle of the road and fell to the ground. He passed out from all of the pain in his arm and the low amount of oxygen in the building. Reiki was sleeping, passed out, on top of him.

"Rex! Reiki-chan!" Roman ran up to the two of them with the same fireman behind him.

He sat down next to them and shouted to the fireman, "Get an ambulance!"

"Got it!" The fireman called for one and it flew down the street to the spot.

The paramedics loaded Rex into the ambulance. Reiki was injured, she was just sleeping now. She had regained oxygen and wasn't in need of an oxygen mask. Roman now had her in his arms.

A tall man was in the area. He saw Roman and Reiki and walked up ti them and asked slowly, "Where are your parents, young man?"

"Dead..." Roman turned away from the man.

"What...?"

"They're dead!" Roman burst out crying.

"Who here is related, then?" The man got down to Roman's height.

"That boy is my brother...." Roman pointed to Rex, as they were still preparing the ambulance.

"Is that so... Who is this girl?"

"A very close friend...." Roman cried on Reiki, she just rested there, sleeping quietly.

"Parents?"

"No..."

"I see... What is that boy's name?" The man pointed to Rex.

"Rex Goodwin," Roman answered.

"And you?"

"Roman Goodwin."

"And her?"

"Reiki Shutuagi."

"And how old are you all?"

"I'm nine years old. Rex and Reiki are five years old."

"Amazing strength for being so young..."

"Will my brother be okay?" Roman had to ask...

"I'm sure he will," The man smiled to Roman.

"R...Roman..." Reiki said slowly as she slowly regained consciousness.

"Reiki...!" Roman yelled.

"....Rex....Wh...What about.... Rex...kun....?"

"I don't know..."

"R-Rex.... Is hurt..."

"....I know..."

"Can we... g-go see.... him....?" Reiki asked.

"Yea...." Roman turned to the man and asked, kind of scared, "Can you drive us to the hospital?"

"Yes. Get in my car."

"Thank you..."

At the Hospital, Roman ran to Rex's Room with Reiki in his arms. She was awake and wanted to see her Rex... They got to the Room and Roman opened the door quickly.

Reiki got down from Roman's arms and worked her way to sit down in a chair next to Rex's bed. Roman looked at Rex's right arm, the entire arm was bandaged up. Both Reiki and Roman's Birthmarks lit up through their clothes! Those two had their birthmarks since they were born...

"The birthmarks!" Roman exclaimed.

"What's... going on....?" Reiki said. She was still too weak to yell very much.

Rex slowly woke up as another Birthmark appeared... It was in the shape of a left wing, and was showing through the bandages on Rex's right arm.

"R-Rex-kun! ...Y-You're okay...!" Reiki screamed as loud as she could. It was still quite faint from her being weak.

"I... t-told you.... That I'd.... Protect you.... A.... Promise... I always... l-live up.... to my.... Promises...!" Rex smiled a little.

Roman smiled as the two of them were together.

-Present Day...-

"The first day... I almost my life... And there were two more after that day...." Rex stared at the floor, thinking about the three days.

"I wonder how many more Dragons and Birthmarks there are..." Hikari stared at the three: Reiki, Rex, and Kio.

"Who knows," Kio smiled to himself.

"There's always more things to discover!" Kyoya tried cheering everyone up.

"That's right!" Reiki cheered.

"Yea..." Rex lifted his head and nodded.

He turned to the window then and thought to himself...

Roman... Brother.... I promise I will save you.... Save you from your Destiny. Your Fate. I promise that...! And I always make sure to live up to my promises! You hear me, Roman? I will save you!

*author's note: I feel like, sorta, spinning off the 5D's story line... XD