A/N: Welcome to chapter ten!! I promise there will be more action here!! Of course, I suppose you could figure that out on your own anyway, right? LOL Now, I would like to take this moment to say, I am very sorry to those who were hoping for it, but I won't be doing a play-by-play of Yusei & Aki's duel. Of course it will happen, and I'll cover certain scenes, but I don't feel a play-by-play is necessary. I hope this isn't too disappointing. That said, please enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: You know the drill: I own nothing.

Entwined Destinies

Chapter 10: Fortune's Finale

Having won his semi-final duel, Yusei met up with Himura in his designated 'workshop' to repair his D-Wheel. The large, wall-mounted television was on, as the second semi-final duel was about to begin. It was Aki's duel.

With everything that had happened over the past couple of days, Yusei had nearly forgotten that Himura still didn't know about his relationship, or history, with Aki. So when the duel first began, as Himura watched, he asked a question that Yusei wasn't expecting.

"Do you think she really is a witch?"

Yusei paused in his work and looked over at the screen; the duel hadn't been going for long, and already the field was covered in vines and roses. With a frown, Yusei replied, "No, I don't. I think she's misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?" Himura repeated. "How can you misunderstand that power?"

"Just because she has power doesn't mean she's a witch," Yusei explained, returning his attention to his D-Wheel. "She's a good person, but she's persecuted by people who've mistreated her because they're afraid of what they don't understand. So she's reacted the only way she knew how."

Himura turned away from the screen, to look at Yusei as he worked. "You sure sound like you know what you're talking about, Yusei. But just the other day, you were the one asking all the questions about her, so where is this all coming from?"

Yusei moved to sit on the seat and check the engine as he spoke, "I didn't know anything about the Black Rose Witch," he said honestly, "but since then I've learned I actually know her better than anyone else here."

Himura raised a silent eyebrow.

Finally, Yusei looked up, past his friend to the screen, watching Aki's duel as he explained their somewhat complicated situation. As he spoke, Himura turned back to the duel also, and stared at the screen.

"Huh," Himura said.

Aki had won her duel, thankful to finally shut her opponent up. She supposed she might have lost her temper during the duel, but he'd left her no alternative, and she wasn't going to let him win.

Of course, she thought as she walked, this means I'm dueling Yusei next round. She swallowed at the thought. She knew what that would mean. I don't want to hurt him. I can't hurt him; but I know I will. I don't have any control.

She reached the corner and looked up as she heard footsteps coming her way. By the time she was looking up, her amber eyes landed on Yusei's blue ones. They were alone in the hallway, at least for the moment.

"Hey," Aki said. "I guess we're dueling each other today."

"I guess we are," Yusei agreed, inclining his head. "Are you ok with that?"

Aki sighed, subconsciously clenching her right arm. "It's just that, I have no control over my power; I'm afraid you'll get hurt."

"Don't worry about me," Yusei said easily, "I can handle it. I don't want you to feel like you need to hold back today."

Aki looked away silently, knowing she couldn't really hold back, but hating the thought of causing him pain, when he'd been nothing but good to her.

Yusei took her silence as an invitation to speak, and said, "I noticed you didn't use your mask earlier. I'm glad to see that."

"I might use it today," Aki whispered, knowing he wouldn't like the idea.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because, it's so hard to hear what they say," she paused, hesitantly meeting his gaze, and added, "and I'm not sure I can look you in the eye and knowingly cause you pain. It's selfish, I know, but it'll be easier if you can't see my reaction."

"Aki, you don't need the mask," Yusei insisted.

Before she could argue her point further, the twins called out to him as they ran up, interrupting their conversation. Yusei knew the battle was lost when Goodwin's lackey showed up almost immediately afterwards, and all too soon, she was escorted away by Divine and two other members of Arcadia.

The water was soothing to Aki's nerves, and she let her head fall back and her eyes drift shut to help her relax. This duel could well be harder on my nerves, and my heart, than my body, she thought as she tried to push the tension away.

She was finally starting to feel at ease when the small holo-screen that was installed on the clear cover of the bath clicked on, and Divine's familiar voice broke through her reverie.

"Sorry to bother you, Aki," he said. "I wanted to check in with you; how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," Aki said, "why wouldn't I be?"

"I know you're anxious about your upcoming duel," Divine reminded her. Aki was silent, looking away from the screen as she acknowledged the truth of his words. He continued after a beat. "However, that's not the only reason I'm disturbing your rest," he admitted.

Curiosity converged on Aki's face. "Oh?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Goodwin, and his group of followers, Yliaster," Divine began carefully. "I mentioned them to you before, I know; and I'm aware that you've decided to leave the Movement, but I was hoping I could ask for your help against Yliaster before you go."

Aki kept her face indifferent at his request. "What do you need?"

"We don't yet know all of the members of Yliaster," Divine explained, "and I was hoping you could help us expose them. I suspect you'll have a better chance at this than anyone else would."

She hesitated, pausing to be sure she chose her words carefully. At length, she replied, "I owe you more than I can repay, so I'll do what I can, but I don't want to stay more than a week or two."

"Of course," Divine assured her, "I would never ask you to do something you don't want to. Thank you, Aki; it'll be a great help. I'll leave you now to rest." The screen blinked out of existence almost before he'd finished speaking.

Aki lifted her right arm, then, and wrapped her left hand around the mark tightly. Could this Yliaster thing have anything to do with these marks?

Yusei sat on the couch in the lobby room where the Fortune Cup duelists had gathered during Rua and Bommer's duel, and looked up at the screen before him. Various clips of his opponent, his girlfriend, were playing out before him. They were clips gathered from her previous duels in the tournament.

She was terrified of hurting him during their duel, and while he appreciated her worries, he understood that it would happen so long as she had no control. And he was strongly starting to suspect that her friends in the Arcadia Movement weren't putting as much effort into helping her as she thought they were. They certainly seemed awfully controlling this afternoon. What are they hiding from her?

In the end, though, that wasn't his primary concern. He needed to make her see that she wasn't the monster she thought she was. And to do that, I have to win this duel. With a twinge of resignation, he pulled Stardust Dragon out from the card-holder at his hip. He had yet to put Stardust back into his deck, originally having intended on saving it for his duel with Jack.

But I might need to use Stardust in order to really get through to her, he realized as he placed the card on the top of his deck.

"I'm ready," Aki declared as she stepped into Divine's office.

"Very well," Divine stated, walking up to her with the ornament she usually wore in her hair in his hand. "This should help keep your powers in check," he reminded her as he tucked it into place.

Behind him, resting on the desk, Aki spied her mask. It'll upset him, I'm sure, she thought, but I need it. What I'll have to do…I can't face it.

"Do you want your mask?" Divine asked, noticing her stare.

Hesitantly, Aki inclined her head. "Yes," she said guiltily, "I think I do."

The final duel was on, and the crowd was both excited and wary, having learned what Aki was capable of. Yusei's friends were in the stands, and Divine was watching from the hall.

But Yusei paid no attention to any of it, as he tried to get through to her. Of course, first he had to adjust to her unique style of dueling.

Several rounds in, after a particularly brutal attack that had Yusei literally slamming into the stadium floor, Aki finally caved to the pressure and pulled out her mask.

"You don't need that!" Yusei called in frustration.

"Yes, I do," Aki argued quietly before slipping it easily into place.

The appearance of her mask renewed Yusei's desire to prove to her just how unnecessary it was, so he ground his teeth and pushed ahead.

The rest of the duel was intense, as their dragons clashed time and again, and the stadium itself took a beating that had the crowd scattering for safety.

In the end, though, Yusei managed to pull off a combo that dropped her Life Points to zero and shattered her mask on the ground in several pieces. But as much as he wanted to relish the image of it scattered beyond repair, he was transfixed by Aki's face.

Tears were pouring down her cheeks, and she had one of the saddest looks he'd ever seen on her.

"Yusei…I'm so sorry," she whispered, staring into his eyes.

"Aki," he breathed even as Divine stepped up beside her. Yusei watched in aggravated silence as Divine draped his jacket over her shoulders and helped her to her feet, as she clutched her glowing right arm to her chest. She silently met his gaze one last time before Divine escorted her away.

When she was out of sight, Yusei turned his attention up towards Goodwin's tower. It was past time for some answers. Before he could take a step, though, the glow on his arm faded away again, and he curiously slid back his jacket sleeve. What he saw, however, was not what he expected; his mark, though no longer glowing, had not gone away, as it usually did.

I need to figure out what these marks mean, Yusei decided.

"Are you alright?" Divine asked as he escorted Aki down the hall, away from the stadium.

Her voice was soft, strained with her sadness, as she replied, "No."

Divine took a deep breath and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "Don't be angry with yourself, Aki; you've done nothing wrong."

Aki said nothing, but after a moment, she shrugged out from under his arm, and his coat, and whispered, "I need to be alone for a little while." Without waiting for a reply, she fast-walked away from him, toward the nearest exit.

Aki was sitting, curled up on her bed, when Divine knocked lightly on her door. The duel between Jack and Yusei had just come to a close; she had barely had time to absorb that Yusei was suddenly the new Duel King, let alone whatever it was she'd seen during their duel. And all the while, she kept thinking that the duel would've been easier on Yusei if she hadn't thrown him around the way she had.

The knowledge that he hadn't looked angry, or even frightened, after their duel hadn't done as much as she'd hoped to alleviate her feelings of guilt.

"Come in," she called before she lost herself again to those thoughts.

The door slid open and Divine stepped into the room, quietly moving to sit on the edge of her bed, keeping a comfortable distance between them. "How are you doing?"

Aki looked away, her eyes landing on the television again as it showed a recap of the victories that Yusei had achieved. "I feel horrible," she said softly, "and I don't know what to do."

Divine looked thoughtful for a long second before he finally spoke again. "Aki, please don't be angry at me, but…if you're so worried that he'll turn on you for something so clearly beyond your control, then perhaps he isn't what you really need."

She met his gaze then, and replied, "He's never done anything to make me worry he'd be angry with me, or afraid of me; it's just me. I never wanted to hurt him; he was the first person who ever looked at me like I was worth something."

"I understand that," Divine assured her smoothly. "And I'm not trying to lessen that for you; but you need to remember, Aki, that before today he'd never really gotten a true taste for your talent. I doubt I need to remind you that personal experience can often change a man's opinion."

Aki's eyes went wide and she dropped her gaze; she visibly paled at the idea he'd proposed to her. She clearly hadn't made that conclusion herself.

Divine was silent for several beats, letting the possibility settle in. At length, he rose and moved to drop a gloved hand on her shoulder in a caring gesture. Softly, he said, "I'm sorry, Aki; it wasn't my intent to upset you. I simply wanted to make sure you were adequately prepared."

When he was done speaking, he turned to leave her alone to her thoughts. With his back to her, he allowed the faintest of smirks to curve his lips upward.

He was nearly at her door when he heard her moving on the bed, and her voice broke the silence.

"I need to see him," she said. He wasn't sure if she was speaking to him or to herself, but he half-turned anyway.

She was already on her feet and moving towards him, a familiar, determined light in her amber eyes. But Divine's next words stopped her dead in her tracks.

"I'm not sure that's possible," he said plainly, indicating the screen. A reporter was speaking, but her words didn't reach Aki's ears, because Divine spoke over her. "It looks like he's disappeared; most likely to avoid the reporters of course." Something about his tone indicated that he suspected that wasn't Yusei's only excuse for disappearing.

Aki felt her heart sink, but she tried to keep the expression from showing on her face. Turning back to the door, she said, "I have to try to find him."

"Of course; would you like us to look for him?" Divine offered.

"No," Aki insisted, "I'll find him if he's still around." And then she marched out of the room, quickly disappearing down the hall.

"We can hide out here for a while," Himura stated confidently as they entered Saiga's hideout. The twins and Yanagi headed straight for the couch to rest after the long walk, and Yusei moved to the wall of windows that overlooked the city.

I'm sorry, Aki, he thought as his mind wandered to the young woman he'd dueled earlier that afternoon. Please don't misunderstand; I'd have found you if I knew where to look, but there wasn't time. I have to wrap my head around things; but I'll find you as soon as things calm down. I swear it.

"Hey, Yusei," Himura called, interrupting his friend's thoughts.

"Hmm?" Yusei responded, not turning but focusing his attention on him regardless.

"Yanagi's gonna show us the symbol!" Rua exclaimed eagerly. "Don't you wanna see it?"

Silently, Yusei turned away from the window and joined the gathered group around Saiga's desk, just as Yanagi began drawing the symbol of the Crimson Dragon on a large piece of paper.

Yusei, where are you? Aki wondered silently as she stared out at the night sky from her room in the Arcadia Movement's headquarters. Though it was a crystal-clear night, and the stars and moon were twinkling brightly, all she could see was the face of the man she loved. The man she hadn't been able to speak to since their duel earlier that day.

She had searched the Kaiba Dome for him to no avail; he had slipped out without anyone's notice, successfully avoiding the barrage of ambitious reporters; successfully avoiding her.

Could he really be avoiding me? She couldn't stop herself from wondering the obvious, as Divine's words from earlier that evening flooded her mind again.

"You can't let your emotions rule you, Aki. Look at it objectionably; isn't it an awfully convenient excuse to simply be dodging the reporters? Surely he could have found a way to talk to you first; at least to promise to return. He certainly appears intelligent enough for that."

Aki cringed, hating the echo of truth in his words. Yusei was one of the smartest people she'd ever known; and equally as determined. If he'd really wanted to find her; to talk to her; she was sure he'd have found a way.

Which could only mean that I finally convinced him how much he doesn't need me, she thought sadly, feeling another chunk of her shattered heart fall away. Just when he had finally convinced me that I could trust him; that he would never abandon me.

She felt the warmth of her first new tear as it slid silently down her cheek. Now she knew she'd lost him completely; it was the only real explanation, wasn't it?

Less than twenty-four hours later Yusei watched the Satellite growing larger as the helicopter he rode in rapidly approached it. It had been a long, restless night, followed by an unusual afternoon. His conversation with Goodwin had left him with more questions than answers, though it had answered one thing; sort of.

He clutched his right arm subconsciously as he thought over that conversation on the bridge. He'd certainly never expected to have a destiny like the one Goodwin described.

The pilot was suddenly signaling him to get ready; he was going to be dropped into the Satellite, though the small aircraft would not be stopping. Yusei nodded and slipped on his helmet, before firing up his D-Wheel and waiting for the descent. He wasn't waiting long.

As the large door opened, and Yusei felt himself roll off of the platform, his mind wandered back to his conversation with Aki. I promised her I'd stay. He gritted his teeth, as much to brace for the impact as to fight down the sudden surge of emotions. I couldn't stay; but I will return. As soon as this is taken care of; Aki, I'll come for you. Just please, stay safe until then.

He'd barely registered that he'd stopped falling; stopped moving entirely, as a matter of fact, when an unexpected voice broke through to him. He looked up in shock, not having expected an audience at all, let alone the one he received.

"Crow?"

"If there's nothing else for me to do, I'd like to go out for a bit; to get some fresh air," Aki requested evenly, as she stood in front of Divine's large mahogany desk.

Divine himself was sitting in his leather chair, casually flipping through the report she'd just placed on his desk. He looked up at her words, and concern settled in his dark eyes.

"Are you sure there's nothing you'd like to talk about?"

"I'm sure," she said.

With a slight nod, he replied, "Alright, then. I have no assignments for you, Aki; feel free to get out for a bit."

Aki inclined her head and turned, walking away. She paused as she reached the closed office door and said, "Oh, and, in case you were curious, I won't be leaving the Movement. As it turns out, I have nowhere else to go." Her voice was impassive and cold as she spoke, as if she were simply relating an unimportant event that wasn't worth her time.

"Very well," Divine replied as she stepped out of the office. As soon as the door was shut behind her, he dropped his eyes back to the report and smiled. Things were working out far better than he'd hoped.

"So you came back here to find your friends, then?" Crow asked when Yusei had finished his tale. They were sitting together on an outcropping of an old road which overlooked a section of downtown.

Yusei nodded faintly. "Yeah, and to find those Dark Signers I mentioned."

Crow whistled and shook his head. "This is what happens when I leave you alone for a couple o' years, huh?"

A faint smirk quirked the corner of Yusei's mouth and he replied, "Yeah, 'cause you could've stopped it."

Crow scoffed. "Of course I could have; I'm a persuasive guy." Pausing, he asked nonchalantly, "So, out of curiosity, who was the chump you had to beat to get to Jack?"

Yusei sighed inwardly; he hadn't wanted to talk about Aki just yet. But he couldn't very well let Crow go on calling her a chump, either.

"She wasn't a chump," he started seriously.

This got his friend's attention, as Crow looked over at him with raised eyebrows. "She, huh? Was she hot?"

Yusei choked out a half-laugh and grinned slightly again. "Very; and I'd have to hurt you if you touched her."

"Wait," Crow said, sounding slightly perplexed, "what happened to Aki? I thought you were waiting for her or something?"

"I was," Yusei replied, "and now I have to hope she'll wait for me to find her again, so that I can explain why I didn't get to talk to her before I left."

Crow was silent as Yusei's meaning sunk in. Finally, he said, "Let me get this straight; you had to duel Aki, and beat her, to get to Jack?" Yusei nodded silently and Crow heaved a dramatic sigh. "Ok. Goodwin's an asshole."

"Tell me about it," Yusei agreed.

Pushing himself to his feet, Crow said, "Well, c'mon, let's go find the guys, bulldoze those Dark Signers, and get you back to the city so you can finally get your girl back."

"Sounds good to me," Yusei declared as he stood as well. Together the former members of Team Satisfaction turned towards their D-Wheels, headed out to find Yusei's friends.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Wow, I feel like I did a lot in this chapter; but really I think that's 'cause I skipped a lot again. And yes, I know, I really only barely touched Yusei and Aki's duel; I'm not comfortable writing detailed duel-scenes, and a lot of the dialogue would've been altered and such for the purposes of my story, so instead of getting all 'hands-on' with it, I just hit the good points. Hopefully that makes sense. Anyway, please review and tell me what you're thinking so far! And stick around for chapter 11, it'll be up soon!!