Author's Notes: Hey everyone! Here is the next update. I hope you all enjoy this one. Now, onto the story!

Chapter Ten

Silver Demons

For the remainder of their time out, Jack did not speak two words to Yusei. The two had gotten to the parts shop and picked up their delivery without a single hitch or flaw. The shop owner questioned why he hadn't seen them in over a week, but the blond left it to his friend to explain. For whatever reason, he couldn't control how angry he felt at Yusei. As he listened to him tell the shop owner that he had been very sick for a few days, he could see yet another lie pile up in his corner. It was only a matter of time before they would bury him. The shop owner's wife even piped in, saying that if he needed anything at all, just to give them a call. Yusei thanked them both with a smile and hurried off after Jack, who was now even more anxious to get home.

When the two returned from their errand, the twins and Aki were thrilled to see Yusei up and about. Though, Ruka stared down Jack with a disappointing look in her eye. Dragging out his friend right after being in bed sick for a week? Martha would never let him hear the end of it. However, the former king just brushed the girl's comment off as if it was nothing. Seeing annoyance all over his face, she could tell that whatever he was trying to do had failed. And he was flat out angry that it had.

The team quickly took seats in the living room while Crow stood in front of the TV, making sure that it had been turned off before their meeting. Yusei and Aki took up the sofa, sitting at opposite ends while the twins moved to sit between them. Jack took his spot in a large armchair that he frequented, keeping his arms firmly crossed over his chest.

"Alright. We need a game plan." Crow spoke up with enthusiasm, standing by the edge of the coffee table. In his hand he clutched an envelop with a very official-looking letter folded up between his fingers. A big grin crossed his tattooed face as he looked around at everyone. "For the exhibition rounds, we have some people definitely interested in dueling us."

Aki raised an eyebrow, "But I thought we were told to just hold off until the actual competition began." she said, crossing her legs to make herself more comfortable. "Mikage told us that because of Yusei's status as king, we should just decline. She didn't want Yusei and the rest of us to get overwhelmed by challengers."

Jack glared a little at the woman with the mention of the 'King' title again. "Doesn't mean we can't duel." he added coolly, reverting his gaze down to the table before she could see his harsh gaze.

But the red head shook his head. "Listen, we have four people who wanna duel. That means we can divide them up between us." Opening up the letter, Crow withdrew a second piece of paper that had been folded up tightly within the invitation. He placed it down on the table so the others could lean in for a better look. It was a large tournament bracket, listing every team that planned on competing within the next few weeks. Any team that was international had their flag beside their team name, making sure it was easy for others to read.

"Wow! Look at all of them!" Rua exclaimed, kneeling on the floor to get a better look. "There has to be at least fifty teams here!"

Ruka nodded as well, "And look at all the international teams here to compete. Its really amazing." Looking over it quickly, she smiled up at Crow. "Which teams want to duel?"

Glancing over the letter, he let his eyes quickly scan the words to find where the requests were. "Here it is." Clearing his throat, Crow slowly began to read over the letter. "For Team 5D's, the following duelists have requested a standard one-on-one duel with these members of your team: Crow Hogan has been challenged by Team Italy leader Dante."

The group leaned over the large bracket once more, looking for the man that had issued the challenge. After a moment of silence, the young boy was the first to find him. Pointing at the image of the Italian flag, he began reading off some of the opponent's stats. "According to this, they are a third tier team," Rua explained, looking over the bracket. "More draws than anything. Looks like they don't really care."

Crow nodded a bit, looking slightly disappointed. "Well, that's a good warm-up round. Get back in the swing of things I suppose." He crossed his arms tightly, curling his lip. "I was kinda hoping for-"

"What about the rest?" Jack interrupted, making his friend glare.

Looking back over the sheet of paper, he continued on. "Jack Atlas has been requested by Dominic from Team Esky from Australia. Aki Izayoi has been requested by Tayce of Team Fois from France. And last, Yusei Fudo has been requested by Team Xolotl from Peru."

"No. Absolutely not." Jack spoke firmly, rising from his chair quickly.

"What is it now?" Crow interjected, slamming his hands to the table. "What is with the attitude?"

Moving into the kitchen, Jack took up the tea pot roughly. Placing it to the sink, he flipped on the water. "Mikage said Yusei shouldn't duel. To have him there is like an open invitation to every duelist to challenge him then."

Rua leaned back against the couch, propping his feet up on the table. He raised a questioning eyebrow at the blond as he kept his back to them. "Why do you care Jack? Isn't it up to Yusei?" he asked, letting his sister swat at his feet to get them off the table.

Sitting in silence was killing him. Yusei watched his best friend carefully, unsure of what to make of the situation in front of him. Jack had become snippy since he had tried to bring up the nightmare and was cut off by the phone call. It was the first time in his life that he had seen him not excited or geared up for a tournament. Instead, he was angry for a reason he would not bring up. And it was worrying him.

Rising from his chair, Yusei started towards the kitchen as well. "Jack, its fine. It's just one duel. I'm feeling much better. It's not that big of a thing."

Slamming down the pot to the stove, everyone jumped at the sound. "If it isn't such a big deal, then stop lying to us and tell us the truth!" he roared, spinning on his heels to look the black haired man in the eye.

Yusei took a step back, shock etched on his face. Looking back to the room, he could see the rest of the members of his team avert their gazes from his. They became very serious and quiet, as if the someone had just addressed the three ton elephant in the room. Aki folded her hands in her lap, ringing her hands nervously while Crow folded up the note as if it was the most important thing to do at that point. Rua and Ruka exchanged nervous glances, as if someone had just yelled at them for not doing their chores.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, trying desperately to hide his flustered feeling face. He knew that the others were starting to figure out he had not been truthful. Especially with the way Jack had approached him earlier and just now by screaming at him.

"Yusei," Crow grumbled, placing the letter down onto the table, "You haven't been telling us everything. You are the worst liar in the world and we've been playing along with this because we were convinced that it didn't seem like a big deal. Until you had that nightmare."

But the young man shook his head. "It was just a dream. A really bad dream." he muttered. "If it was something that would have to do with the signers, I would have told you about it."

Ruka finally looked over to Yusei, her eyes saddened, "Our marks reacted when you started having a nightmare. It had to do with something involving us." she quickly glanced away, not wanting to look at him. "I thought we were your friends."

The words were like a knife in his chest. He always thought that Ruka of all people would believe him. Then again, she was one of the sharpest children he had ever met. Looking back into the living room, Yusei could tell that everyone was upset just by the fact none of them wanted to make eye contact with him.

"I..."

'The fighting will grow...and your world will shatter...'

"Spit it out!" Jack yelled, his temper ready to explode.

'Please...not now,' he thought desperately, trying to keep his thoughts straight.

Looking back towards the table, the image that Yusei saw was slowly turning and blurring. It swirled, as the lights around the room became the center point of his vision's whirlpool. Closing his eyes, the raven haired duelist fought back the feeling of nausea that held true to his stomach. He felt his legs moving under him, like a ship is a violent storm. All of his thoughts were still somewhat clear. Yet, he had no control over himself.

Yusei staggered slowly back to the doorway. Jack watched curiously as his best friend started to sway in a daze, not being able to walk in a straight line. It almost looked like he had been drinking, woozy and unstable on his on feet. "Yusei? What is it?" He asked, as he moved from the stove, his anger forgotten in an instant.

Looking up at him, Yusei spoke not a word. His blue eyes filled with a mysterious distance, as if he were staring right through him and onward. There was so much emptiness within his gaze as he made his way towards the rest of the group again. Yusei's skin paled as he grabbed the door frame for some kind of support. It was then Jack could see it; a faint red glowing coming from under the sleeve of his jacket.

'My arm is throbbing. Why is this happening?' Yusei thought, glancing about the room at his friends. Aki stood from the sofa, the twins quickly following her example. He could see Ruka ask him something, but her words were lost on him. Crow uncrossed his arms, hurrying over to his friend's side in an instant.

"Yus, what's the matter?" he questioned, lightly placing his hand to him. "You look really pale."

His knees became weak…

"Yusei?"

He felt the floor coming closer…

"Yusei?"

There was a cold mist swirling in his mind…

"YUSEI!"

And he couldn't fight it….

He hit the ground hard, a small cloud of dust rushing up around him. There was no cool tile floor of the kitchen, but instead rough and stone littered earth. The smells of sweat and blood lingered in the air above him as he panted heavily, feeling as if he had just sprinted a mile. Forcing his eyes opened, he couldn't help but flinch, the sun shining down harshly into his eyes.

Turning quickly off to his side, Yusei brought his hand down to prop himself up. Letting his eyes adjust quickly, he felt his blood run cold. Around him, a a fierce battle raged. The warriors he had seen from the village stood their ground, though they seemed to be horribly outnumbered. Each held either spears, daggers or even bows and arrows. Their face paint had now mixed with blood that flowed freely from various opened wounds. And yet, they did not show the pain that they must had been in. They continued to charge forward towards their enemies, not allowing for anything to keep them back.

Yusei shifted himself on the ground, trying to get a clear view. The row of men seemed to stretch on forever, each of them towering above the natives. Their clothing was like nothing he had seen before. Instead of animal skins, leathers, and feathers, they stood firm in metal helmets and breastplates. Swords hung from their belts while in their hands they held smoking and freshly fired muskets. Their eyes were all hidden in shadow by the brims of their helms, no emotion on their faces.

"Prince Yatol!" he heard a voice call to him, but from where it came from, he did not know. He could feel his head spinning, most likely from the knock that made him land on the ground. Glancing down to his hand, he saw a curved three-foot blade clenched within his grasp. The steel shown brightly in the sun, though splatters of blood were strewn over the edges. All of his jewelry was gone from his hands and from where he sat, he could see that he was shirtless, painted over in fierce war paint similar to the others. His long feathers from his hair were messed and sweat covered him.

"Prince Yatol!" he heard once more. It took him a moment to realize that it meant him. In this world, he was the prince. His father was a chief and he had sacrificed his mother to the gods. And he had no control over what would happen. Turning his head, he could see the battle raging over in the distance. Men from both sides were falling by the hands of the other, blood and screamed filling the air with every passing second. "Above you!"

His body reacted on its own. Flipping onto his back, he drew up his sword to block his face. Sure enough, the sound of metal hitting metal echoed loudly. An extreme amount of pressure pushed down onto him, making his arms tremble slightly. He gritted his teeth, trying desperately to push the blade up towards his attacker.

The man was so large, he seemed to block out the sun as he moved in to stand above him. Short black hair clung to his skin from sweat as he stared down at him. A beard covered his face, stopping along his strong jawline. Unlike the rest of his soldiers, his helm was missing, most likely lost in the heat of battle. Piercing eyes glared down as his sword was held with one hand, pressing closer and closer to Yusei's throat.

"Prince?" were the first words out of the man's mouth, making Yusei tense ever so slightly. He let a glare escape at the words, knowing that it was meant to stay quiet that he was indeed royalty. The warrior must have taken note of how he had reacted, for a small twisted smile crossed his lips. "Ah. So it is you who I have had the honor to claim as my trophy." Leaning down so as to get a closer look at him, he studied his face carefully as if there was no one else there. A firm grasp came to Yusei's face as he felt the cool chain mail of the man's gloves clench tightly to his jaw. "For this part of the world, you are a rare sight. I have never seen such blue eyes on a savage before."

'Wait a second,' Yusei thought, looking over the man carefully. He had seen the face somewhere else before. A long time go while he had been in home school with Martha and the others. As he continued to push back the incoming force, it suddenly hit him. 'No way. It can't be.' Bringing his leg about, he swept out the feet of the soldier, sending the man tumbling from above him. The man's blade slipped upwards, slicing up the side of Yusei's face. He let out a cry of pain as he rolled to his knees, trying desperately to escape from his challenger.

The blood fell into the dirt as he scrambled to find his footing once more. He stumbled into an upright position, bringing himself into a wide stance. Holding his sword out in front of him, Yusei did not bother to wipe the blood away. All he could do was wait for the man to rise up to his feet once more. "I am no one's trophy," he growled, slowly starting to circle around the downed general. "You invaded my people's land. Destroyed the gods' earth. And now you insist on spilling the blood of my brothers on this sacred ground. You will find judgment in the eyes of the great dragons, Cortez."

Yusei's thoughts erupted into a frenzy of questions. He could not believe what he had just said. There had been nothing in the history books about him attacking and attempting to destroy the world of South American cultures. According to what he had studied, the people revered him as a god. Though he did vaguely remember a massacre in his studies, though it was only briefly. And yet here he was, staggering to his feet as his trained Spanish troops continued to move their ranks forward towards the desperately outnumbered people of his city.

Looking around, he could finally see the lay of the land. There were nothing but people stretched out for a least a mile in every direction of him, fighting for their lives against the enemy. With every blink of the eye, another man would fall. He could see his father in the distance, dressed still in his fierce looking war armor, impaling a Spanish soldier as if his armor was nothing. Ripping his sword from the man, the blood splattered onto his face. And yet he was unfazed by it as he turned to another soldier, running him through the throat with a loud and deadly scream.

"Scared and distant little prince," Cortez's voice echoed, forcing him to return to the fight before him. The man pushed himself up onto his feet, using his sword as a support. He kept his face stern as he straightened up once more, slowly presenting his weapon before him as an invitation to attack. "I will put you in the brig of my ship and sail you back to Spain for your disloyalty to the crown." He spoke threateningly, slowly beginning to circle him.

Spatting away some of the blood that fell into his mouth, Yusei because to move as well. "My people shall never serve your crown. We will not fall to demons." the words were etched in a deep poison as he watched the man shift his sword in his hand, preparing his strike. Though his body continued to prep for the offensive, his metal state did not miss something that was most definitely never mentioned in the history books. There, sitting on his arm, was a strange mark. It was in the shape of a spider almost looking tattooed and burned into his skin. A soft purple glow emitted briefly from is as he began to raise his sword, charging forward at him.

'That's the mark of the dark signers!' he thought wildly, charging forward as well. The two let their blades clash, sparks flying as the steel slid along each other. While the Spanish military man was strong in brute force, Yusei made up for it in speed and quick attacks. He managed to flip and dodge out of the way of the man's jabs and thrusts of the blade. With every action he made, the young man would lash out to attack against him. He landed a few blows, only to have it deflected by the large metal chest plate guarding all of the man's vitals.

Yusei pulled back his blade, his momentum allowing for him to flip over in the air. He brought his hand out quickly to catch himself to allow for him to continue to land on his feet. Pushing himself off from one hand, he could see from the corner of his eye Cortez bringing his sword around swiftly, attempting to land a blow directly to his chest. From the angle he was moving, he knew that no matter what move he made, the attack would land, most likely being fatal.

"Yatol!" It was the same voice as before. A strong force blinded him from the side, pushing him off balance and sending him flying onto his side on the harsh earth. He skidded to a stop along the ground, his sword flung away from his grasp. For a moment, he remained still, trying desperately to catch his breath. Nothing made sense. The mark of the dark signer on Cortez while he desperately seemed willing to kill off the entire city that Yusei had been claimed to be the future ruler of. It filled him with hate, but confusion as well.

Looking back to where he had been thrown from, Yusei felt his eyes widen. There, poised with a stern hold on a ground and two fierce swords was Rowta. Beside Cortez, the man seemed to be his equal in strength and size. He panted heavily, covered in blood. Though from what Yusei could see, it was most definitely not his. There was not even a scratch on him as he heaved in and out. He pushed back the Spaniard, slowing digging his feet into the ground. Glancing over his shoulder to him, the man glared. "Do it now! Summon it!"

"But Rowta," Yusei called back, crawling himself up to his hands and knees.

"DO IT!" he bellowed, pushing back against the enemy's blade. The two began to circle each other slowly, studying and sizing up the new opponent.

Bringing his legs under him so that he could rest atop of them, Yusei brought his hands together, allowing himself to slowly steady his breath. With each second that passed, he forced his head to clear of all thoughts, trying desperately to tune out the battle around him. He rested his head to his clenched hands, slowly starting to mutter softly.

"Power of the dragons. I am your earthbound servant." A warm feeling slowly began to spread through the mark on his back, making him let out a small gasp in surprise. He knew the dragon tattoo was starting to glow its red, though what it meant in this world, he had no idea. Yusei could see Rowta continuing to keep Cortez at bay, though would steal a glance back to see if he was alright with every dodge. "Lend us your strength and might to protect your people and save your land from the demons that threaten its balance."

Rising up to his feet slowly, he pulled his hands apart and let them fall to his sides. Looking up to the sky above him, he could see thick dark clouds begin to roll across, lighting streaking through the gray. The wind began to pick up in speed, whipping his hair wildly around his face. Warriors from both side slowly began to halt their attacks. The Spanish soldiers held tight to their weapons, looking to the skies with confusion on their sweat-drenched faces. As question began to spread through the troops, the men of the city discarded their weapons to the ground, falling to their knees in prayer.

Yusei took in one final deep breath. Bending down he reached to his boot, withdrawing a small knife. It was his emergency weapon in case his sword was lost in a fight. He could see that his legs were stained in dirt and blood, though he knew that it was not his own. Drawing out the small blade before him, he looked to Rowta, who gave him a small nod of reassurance. Holding out his arm in front of him, he stared down Cortez, who joined his men in their confused state. "With my blood, draw power and cleanse the wounded earth!" Bringing down the knife in one swift movement, he allowed for the steel to rip through his flesh, a large gash forming on his forearm.

It happened in an instant. Red light engulfed his body as a column of air rushed over his senses. He felt no pain in his arm as raw energy coursed through his body. Closing his eyes, he let his head fall back, allowing for the power to flow. He could hear the roar of the Crimson Dragon cry out through the air as the rush of its wings brushed past his body. There was no denying that he had done it; the dragon was finally born.

"Fall back!" Cortez's men called over the wind and the cries of the creature. "Fall back to the ships!" Cheers of his men echoed out cries of victory at the sounds of the Spanish troops retreated back into the jungles. "That young man has summoned the devil himself!" They desperately tried to escape from what Yusei could only imagine as one of the most frightening things in the world. He remembered the day he had seen the dragon for the first time. Terror and shock were two words that could almost describe his reaction. But hearing the soldiers fleeing from the field of battle made the young man smile.

'Young prince,' a voice echoed within his mind, making him tense up. The feeling of pride knowing that he had pushed off the enemy was gone; a strange overwhelming sense of fear coming over him. Opening his eyes slowly, Yusei felt his face grow white.

There, hovering not even six feet before him was the black and red spirit of the Crimson Dragon. The creature's fiery eyes pierced through him, staring him down.'You are strong, but your body will not handle this power.' He could feel his knees begin to lock as if a ten ton weight was thrown down on his shoulders. The dragon did not move towards him, but remained locked in a stare down. He could see Rowta and his father calling to him, trying desperately to get his attention. But he paid them no mind. 'Born by blood, but thy strength shall not survive.' The world began to spin as the last of the Spaniards disappeared from the field. He could feel the ground rush up to him as the the image of the dragon moved closer. 'What was one will now be five!'

The tattoo of the dragon surged on his back, the pain becoming almost impossible to bear. If there were anymore pressure on his shoulders, he felt as if he would fall through the ground itself, burying him alive. Despite wanting to hold it back, Yusei let out a blood-curdling scream that echoed across the battle field. For a moment it seemed like the tattoo itself was being pulled from his back at a slow and agonizing speed.

'No...stop please!' he cried out in his thoughts, feeling tears roll down the sides of his face.

Yusei's forearm began to ache, the faint familiar glow of red slowly appearing in the mark of the head. Digging his fingers into the dirt, he forced his eyes upward to the image of the dragon. The beast loomed above him, though Yusei felt no fear.

'Young Prince,' he could hear the voice speak once again. 'My power is yours and yours alone. While five bear my mark, it is you who may summon my power forth.' The figure of the creature began to vanish into the looming fog that seemed to cover the area. All sounds were becoming more distant, the images of his father and Rowta almost lost in the haze around him. 'Protect my power with your fellow signers.'

And with those words, the dragon was gone. The world seemed to lighten slightly with the disappearance of the beast, warm sunlight appearing from the heavens. The carnage of the battle could be seen all around him as he knelt upon the ground, trembling wildly. Bodies of both his brothers and enemy littered the open field as the surviving men wandered about, looking for the wounded and excess weapons to take back to the village. While few men showed any weakness, there were still a few who let shock consume them at finding a fallen brother or father.

"What is this!" a voice called out, causing Yusei to quickly snap his head about. A familiar young man knelt not even ten feet away from him, clutching his arm tightly. His sword and bow had been thrown to the ground, completely forgotten in his shock. The man was the same one from before who could have passed for Jack's twin brother. Yusei watched as he pulled his hand away slowly, revealing a glowing red mark upon his forearm. Fear and shock spread across the man's face as he stared at it, the v-shaped wing mark blazing upon his arm. "What mark is this?"

With every shaken breath he took in, Yusei felt weaker and weaker. Though mentally he was alert, his body was wanting nothing more to give out from the strain. He could feel his arms beginning to lock beneath him, threatening to give out at any moment. His eyes wanted nothing more to roll back into his head and let the threatening darkness take him.

The quick scrambling of feet could be heard approaching him, though he made no move to see who it was. "Yatol!" A pair of hands grabbed him roughly before his arms could give, forcing him to finally collapse into someone's hold. Letting his vision straighten out once more, the blurred image of his father and Rowta appeared above him, their faces full of concern. "Yatol. Say something."

"His body is too weak," Rowta muttered to the older man, keeping his face stern. "He needs a healer immediately."

With every word the two spoke, the less Yusei was understanding. Everything began to fade away from him, the world around slowly melded together in a swirl of black and the colors around him. He felt ill as his body was hoisted up into a strong hold, the smell of sweat and blood rushing his senses. His arm and back burned while he could feel whoever held him begin to run quickly, making him feel all the more weaker. With every step that hit the ground, Yusei began to close his eyes.

"It will be alright Yatol," he could hear Rowta's voice mutter as he finally gave in. "The dragon let you live. You must be here for a reason."

Author's Notes: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to read and review.