AnimeKiwi369: Once again, I apologize for the lack of updates. But honestly, I'm so incredibly stuck. I thought I would get out of it with my last one-shot, but it hasn't worked out that way. That's no excuse though. However, I have been doing well on one of my original works.

I really do apologize. And after this chapter, I think I'm going to go on hiatus for awhile with this story until I can get going again. That way I can begin giving out chapters without worrying about running out.

Thank you to: Sunheart13, jesselover33, Rapis-Razuri, gothicsasuhina2012, and out anonymous reviewers: PDS, DragonSlayer808, Guest, and Emmanuel for reviewing the last chapter.

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's or its characters. I just own my OCs, the plot, and Yusei's mother's name.

Please enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 9

Fears of Love and War

Yusei glanced at his wife as he looked at Stardust Dragon. All that was going through his head was that there was going to be another war. And that everyone in both generations was going to be involved or affected in some way. It was going to be worse than the first. He was especially worried about his daughter after how she reacted at the stadium. He wasn't sure if she could handle a war. At least not right now. She was under a lot of stress since she had told her parents that she was having visions again.

Akiza was staring out the window as the baby crawled across the couch onto her lap. The Dragon Head Signer didn't even have to guess what she was thinking about. She was thinking about the same thing he was. The redhead was just a little more worried about their psychic daughter though. The brown-eyed woman couldn't help but worry more since finding out that Copper was, indeed, in love with Lane. She could see it in her daughter's eyes as she cried. The young girl couldn't stand to see him as a Dark Signer. He wouldn't be the same boy she loved anymore. The older psychic looked over at her dark-haired husband as she felt his gaze.

"Think she'll be able to handle this?" She asked, unsure if she wanted to know if they were on the same page.

"It's hard to say," he replied. "The way she acted today makes me uneasy about going into another war. But it really all depends on how she and Lane are involved."

"She keeps having visions or flashes of him being a Dark Signer," she commented.

"I know and I'm afraid of that happening since both Kalin and Misty were Dark Signers," he responded. "Plus, if the war occurs, those two are going to be Dark Signers again."

"If Lane does become one, he'll have to go against Copper," she replied. "But there is the chance he won't become one, right?"

"As long as Copper stays beside Lane, and he doesn't let his anger get the better of him, he won't become one," The dark-haired Signer said.

"Both of you should quit talking like that," a voice said from the front doorway. The two Signers looked over at Nan, who they hadn't heard come into the room, "Copper's going through a difficult time and talking like things are getting worse won't help. If they do, you can't do anything about it. For now, you shouldn't talk about the war around her unless it actually comes up. You just have to support her."

"You're right, mom," Yusei replied, "but it's just hard for us to think how this will affect her. She went through so much last summer."

"We don't want her to go through that again," his wife added.

"I know that," the brunette responded. "But I feel just bringing up the impending war will just get her more worried. Especially after what happened between her and Lane today."

"Yes," the dark-haired Signer agreed as he stood up, "I'll go check on her."

He received nods from the other women. The lead Signer went up the stairs to his daughter's room. He opened the door, careful to not disturb her if she was still asleep. The cobalt-eyed man went into the room, closing the door. He went over and sat on the bed. Copper was on her side, curled up. She gave a small sniffle, letting him know she was awake. He gently held out his hand and rubbed her head in a gentle, fatherly manner. She looked up at him briefly and then looked away.

"I take it you're still upset?" He guessed, receiving a small nod from her. Yusei rubbed his daughter's head again, "Everything will be all right."

"I hurt him though," she told him.

"Lane will forgive you, baby," he tried reassuring. "Your mother and I are here for you."

"But I can't stop seeing him as a Dark Signer…" the psychic mumbled, "I don't want him to become one. I couldn't stand it if he became one. I…I wouldn't know what to do."

"I know how you feel, Cyli," the father said. "I felt the same way with your mother when Sayer tried getting your mother back. And it was the same in the first Signer-Dark Signer war. I didn't want anyone I knew to be absorbed or become a Dark Signer."

She curled up a little more in her bed and looked at her father, "What should I do, dad?"

He sighed, "To be honest, baby, I can't say much." He started, rubbing her shoulder this time, "All I can suggest to you is that you need to trust Lane will keep his promise. As long as you stay by him, he'll stay on the good side. Once you feel calmer, you can go over to Lane's and tell him you're sorry about what happened today. And it might be best if you told him how you feel."

"Will that really work?" She asked, turning her head into her pillow more.

"It normally does," he responded, "but you never know until you try. And it's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah," she said a little uneasily, sitting up a little.

The dark-haired man put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her up a little more, "Come on, why don't you get up and come downstairs?"

She nodded slowly and got out of bed as her father stood as well. The psychic followed her father down the stairs into an empty living room. The older Signer led his daughter into the kitchen, where both his wife and mother were starting dinner, and the infant in a highchair. Her ferret was on the table, curled up like a centerpiece. Both the women turned around as they went into the kitchen. The brunette and redhead gave the young girl reassuring smiles. She tried to smile back, but couldn't find it. The double-Marked Signer sighed and sat down at the table.

Copper heard cooing and looked up at her brother, who was reaching out to her as her pet scurried up her shoulder. She reached out to him, but not even Nickie made her feel better.

At the Kessler Apartment

Misty sighed as she washed the dishes. Lane had locked himself up in his room since he had gotten back from the Fudo's. When she tried to get him to come to dinner, he said he wasn't hungry. It had been his favorite meal, too. Although after what had happened that afternoon, she couldn't really blame him. Plus, he seemed perplexed and unsure of himself after he got home. When she had asked Kalin, all he'd said was he became silent on the ride home. Everyone had become silent though. After Goodwin showed up.

Her cell phone rang as she dried one of the pans. She set the pan down to answer her phone, seeing the caller ID. It was Akiza.

"What's going on, Akiza?" She asked, going back to washing the dishes.

"I wanted to know how Lane was doing," the other woman responded.

"He's gone silent," she told her. "I'm honestly not sure what's going on in his head right now."

"Copper still feels really bad about what she did," the psychic commented.

"I'm sure she does, Akiza," the model replied. "Do you really think another war is going to happen?"

"I can't say for sure, Misty," the psychic said, "but I sure hope not."

"If it does, happen, Akiza," the dark-haired woman started, "I want you and Yusei to take Lane, Miky, and Gabe."

"Misty, what are you saying?"

"If Kalin and I disappear and become Dark Signers again, I want you to take our kids so they're safe," Misty elaborated. "Can you do that, Akiza?"

The Signer on the other end paused for a few moments, "Yes, Misty," she told her, "I'll do that."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied. "I'll let you go. Copper's probably going to try and see Lane tomorrow at your guys' apartment."

"All right," the blue-eyed woman said. "Bye, Akiza."

She hung up her cell phone and put the last dish away. The model moved towards the liquor cabinet and grabbed an open bottle of red wine. She grabbed a wineglass, pouring the dark liquid into it. She took a sip as footsteps came into the kitchen. The blue-eyed woman turned around to see her husband, who had also been mostly silent after getting home. He reached around the cabinet and grabbed his bottle of scotch.

"I went to see how Lane was holding up," he commented as he poured the liquor into a small glass filled with a couple ice cubes.

"And how's he doing?" She inquired, taking another sip of red wine.

"When I asked," he started, pausing to sip the alcohol, "he responded by asking me what I thought love was."

"Why?" She asked, "Do you think he loves Copper?"

"I asked him that," he replied, "and all he said was he didn't know if he did or not. He said he was afraid of love."

"Why?" She repeated.

"He didn't say," Kalin told her, putting his glass down, "but I think it has to do with his own fears of having to go against Copper if another war arises."

"I told Akiza I want her and Yusei to look over the kids if anything happens to us, Kalin."

He shook his head and grabbed her by the waist, "Let's not think about that right now."

She nodded.

Midnight—Hogan Household

Raven was violently shaken awake from her sleep. She shot her eyes open to find the entire room shaking. An earthquake! She bolted out of her bed and ran for the doorway. She could hear the cries of her siblings as they ran for their doorways. The animals in both inside and out were crying out. The shaking was very violent. Photos in the hallways were shaking and falling to the floor. The items on her desk and dresser were falling. Her duel disk, which lay on her bedside table, fell off and scattered some of her cards over her floor and under her bed. The ginger didn't know how long the shaking went on. Just as she was awoken to the sudden shaking, the movement stopped.

"Are all of you all right?!" Dove called out from the other end of hallway.

"Is everyone safe?!" Crow called out.

Both her brothers cried, signaling they were all right, but shook up. She and Robyn both called out they were all right. Her parents carefully went from their room down the hall with each carrying one of the twins, who were wailing. The Signer and his wife went downstairs, signaling their children to follow. Nothing looked too badly damaged in the living room. All of the kids sat around the large couch, all shaken up.

"That was scary!" Eagle cried, visibly shaking as he clung to his father's leg.

"That was pretty startling," the former Satellite agreed. "I can't remember the last time I felt an earthquake that powerful."

"I don't think there's been an earthquake that powerful since the Signer-Dark Signer war. Or Zero Reverse." The emerald-eyed women commented.

The ginger-haired Signer looked a bit worriedly at his daughter and then to his wife, "Let's hope this isn't a precursor to another war."

Both Crow's and Raven's Marks flashed once and everyone's eyes widened.

"I think this was a foreshadow to a new war," the younger Signer commented, "but let's hope that was just a coincidence."

The Next Day—With Copper

The psychic nervously held her fist in mid-knock. She was unsure of herself. She was scared to face him. She was afraid of what he'd say. She had to do it though. She had to face him; she needed to apologize to him in person. The dark-haired girl took a deep breath to calm down. Her hand was still hovering as she stood there, like she had never knocked on a door before. She'd been there so many times since she was little. She knew the apartment almost as well as her own home. She closed her eyes and gave single, quick knock.

The cobalt-eyed teen wasn't just nervous about facing her boyfriend. She was still a little shaken up from the previous night. The earthquake had startled her last night, but when her and her parents' Marks flashed, her fears of an impending war were averred again. She had been a little nervous going back to sleep after the earthquake, afraid of an aftershock. There weren't many earthquakes in New Domino, so she wasn't used to them. If she lived in an earthquake-prone area, she might be. Her brother had been even more shaken up though. He hadn't stopped crying for a couple hours. He had still been afraid that morning as well. The little baby had been silent for most of that morning.

The dark-haired girl had felt bad for her brother. He was always cheering her up, so she wanted to make him feel better. She had taken him after she ate breakfast and carried him to the couch, where she tickled him and played with him until he laughed. By doing that, it had made her feel a little better. Even though she hadn't been shaken up, by doing that she felt it had been her job to help out her brother. She was glad since it made both of them feel better.

Taking another deep breath, Copper finally knocked on the door of the apartment. She clenched her fist at her side as she waited for someone to open the door. It felt as if she was waiting for an hour as she stood there. Maybe they weren't home? Kalin could very well be at work, helping clean up if anything broke in the shop. Misty could be out shopping with Gabe and maybe Miky. And Lane could…just be out…

As she began to turn on her heels to leave, the door started to open. The dark-haired girl spun around to face who was opening the door. It was the former female Dark Signer, her boyfriend's mother. She was in a simple, blue summer dress and had her hair up in a ponytail. Her eyes had a hint of worry, but it was almost unnoticeable because of the slight surprise in her eyes. That soon faded as well though.

"Copper?" The model asked, obviously not expecting the girl.

"Hi, Misty," she said with a depressed tone. "Is…Is Lane home?"

The tall woman briefly looked back into the apartment as if looking for her son. Or at her son. She looked back at the psychic after a few seconds and smiled apologetically, "No, he's not available right now."

The cobalt-eyed girl looked down. He was home; he didn't want to talk to her, "Oh, all right." She commented, "Will you tell him that I came by to talk? And to apologize?"

"Of course. But first," the mother replied, stepping into the hallway and shutting the door. "Just as you want to talk to my son, I'd like to speak with you as well."

"About what?" The psychic inquired, becoming nervous yet again.

"You and Lane," she replied shortly, beginning to walk down the hall, making the motion for the young girl to follow.

"What about me and Lane?" The double-Marked Signer asked, tugging at her braid, "If it's about yesterday, Misty, I feel absolutely horrible. I didn't mean to hurt him. I feel so bad about what happened. Please, I'm so, so sorry." She hadn't noticed her eyes starting to mist over.

"I know you feel horrible about what happened yesterday. Your mother told me about that," Misty started. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about though. I want to know, after earthquake last night, did your Marks glow at all?"

The psychic stopped walking and clutched her right arm, "Yeah."

"After the earthquake, both my and Kalin's previous Dark Marks flashed. They didn't stay on our arms, but I'm afraid this means there will be a war," she told the girl, "just like Goodwin said."

The dark-haired teen bit her lip, "And?"

The model turned to face her and looked her straight in the eyes, "And if Lane becomes a Dark Signer, I don't want you to give up on him. I want you to defeat him. To make him himself again. Promise me that, Copper."

"I promise, Misty!" She responded fervently without hesitation, "I'll do everything to bring him back if he becomes one! And I want to do everything I can to keep him from becoming one!" She thought for a moment. If I can bring myself to do that, She thought.

"Thank you," the former Dark Signer told her with a soft smile. "You still want to see Lane?"

The cobalt-eyed girl nodded and followed the model back to the apartment. The taller woman led her into the apartment. Her boyfriend was not in the apartment's living room. She made her way to the blue-eyed boy's bedroom, figuring he might be in there. The double-Marked Signer lightly rapped on the door before opening the door. The ice-blue-haired teen was lying on his stomach on his bed. He was in a loose, green shirt and jeans. A towel was over his head. He must have just taken a shower.

She tiptoed into the room and over to his bed. He didn't look at her; he almost looked asleep. Copper sat down on his bed and touched his arm, letting him know it was her. She lifted the towel slightly to see his eyes closed.

"Lane, can you hear me?" She asked. He turned his head the other way. He was awake. She slipped her arm across his back and shoulders and lightly gripped his left arm with her other hand. The psychic leaned over her boyfriend's shoulder and nuzzled his neck slightly, "Lane, I'm so sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to hurt you. You know that, right? I feel horrible about it. It's like with what happened last year. I didn't mean it. I was scared. I saw you as a Dark Signer, and I was scared. Please, Lane, I'm sorry."

The blue-eyed teen turned his head towards her. He opened his eyes and gave a small, sad smile and pushed himself up on his arms, causing her to let go of him. He sat up and looked at her with apologetic eyes again. The ice-blue-haired teen then grabbed the psychic's wrists and pulled her to him again. He rested his head over her shoulder, slowly tightening his grip on her. The son of two former Dark Signers shook slightly as he embraced her. The psychic slowly wrapped her arms around him again.

"Copper, please, don't be scared," he said shakily. "I don't want you to be afraid of me. I don't want to even be a Dark Signer if it will cause you so much pain. I'm sorry for whatever I did. Please, just don't be afraid anymore."

She could feel her shoulder get wet slightly; he was crying. She felt even worse now. She tightened her grip on him and took a deep breath, "I won't be afraid of you anymore. I won't. Even if I imagine you as a Dark Signer, I won't be afraid. I'm going to make sure you don't become one." The psychic pulled her boyfriend away from her and looked him in the eyes. She lightly brushed his eyes with her fingers, and then cupped his cheeks, "Let's forget that ever happened. Let's just focus on what we're going to do from here now on. Okay?"

"All right," he nodded, his voice low as he wiped his eyes to dry them more.

Copper smiled, "Okay, then. Smile." She ordered.

"Only if you do," he replied, tickling her stomach, getting a surprised laugh from his girlfriend, resulting in his laughing.

"Are we all right, Lane?" She inquired when he stopped tickling her.

"Yes," he nodded, a bit breathless from laughing.

"Good!" She exclaimed, tackling him tightly in a hug before resting her head on his chest, "I missed you after what I did."

He wrapped his arms around her, "I wish you had woken up before I left yesterday."

"You were with me yesterday?" She asked, looking up and blushing. The shade of her blush increased as he nodded.

"You wanna go do something?" He inquired, "Like go to a movie or something?"

The psychic glanced at the clock and detached herself from her boyfriend, shaking her head. "Unfortunately I can't," she told him, "I need to watch Nickie while my mom cleans up the shop, and I agreed to go with her there. I have to help her with cleanup, too. Then my grandparents' house took some damage from the earthquake last night. So after we finish the shop, we have to go there. Plus my mom's actually in the garage waiting for me."

He furrowed his brow and sighed in defeat, "All right. I understand, but you owe me one, 'kay?"

"Okay," she replied, getting off the bed.

"Let me walk you to the door," he told her, receiving a nod.

Lane held her hand as he took her to the apartment's front door. The taller of the two opened the door for his girlfriend and leaned forward, pecking her cheek. She smiled and kissed his cheek in return before waving to as she took off down the hall.

Coming Up in "Second War":

"Copper, get me the phone. I have to call your father."

"I'll meet you at home in a few minutes."

"I think everyone should come over. We need to discuss things now before the worst happens."

"Agreed. Call the others to meet up with us at home. And tell Carly, Dove, and Luna to bring John, Raven, and Zoey. They're Signers, too. They should be involved. Same with Mina and Trudge."

"You have point. I'll see you guys at home in a little bit."

"Everyone, listen up and sit down! We have to discuss the situation and what we're gonna do about it."

"What situation is there to discuss, Yusei? It's clear what's gonna happen. There's going to be another war."

Next Time—Chapter 10: Preparations

AnimeKiwi369: I hope that this chapter can satisfy everyone for a little while until I can get back to giving regular updates. It might be a little while. But I hope not. If I start to watch 5D's again, I will probably get the spark going again.

I'm almost on winter break, so I'll try to get some writing done then.

I don't know when I'll update next, but hopefully it won't be as long as this last time and hopefully I can get on a roll soon.

But for now, though I don't deserve it, please be patient. And please be kind and please review! ^.~