Author's Note Part 1: Thanks to mcdinh, Ulrich362, and iloveyugiohGX93 for reviewing the previous chapter!
Ah man, another month-long wait. Well, at least I'm on Spring Break now, so I should be able to get out a few updates for everything…
I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, but I do own my OCs. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 19
"And yet, you're a Signer at the same time," Rex adds.
"There's a difference?" Yusei asks.
"Yes," my father replies, "and it shouldn't be possible for you to have both abilities." He retains a serious look and adds, "Then again, you should have never been a Signer in the first place."
A mixture of shock, surprise, and disbelief spreads around the room, visible on all of our faces and by the collective, "What?"
Jack slams his hands on the table and glares at the Director of Neo Domino. "Explain yourself, Goodwin!"
"It isn't that complicated. The Marks—Envoy included—are all linked by blood. Last time the Earthbound Immortals caused issues, your ancestors fought them. Even further back, those Signers' ancestors fought, and so on. Somewhere along the lines, the Heart and the Front Claw mixed, as seen by Leo and Luna both possessing marks… and the lines of the Head and the Tail crossed as well. But not the Envoy—the Envoy has remained separated from the other Signer Marks from the beginning."
"That doesn't explain why Yusei has two marks, though," I say, annoyed. Then I gasp, because one of his earlier statements clicks in my mind. "Wait, the Head and the Tail? But…"
Crow and I only have marks of the Tail. Goodwin is definitely not a Signer… So, who could it be…? My vision cuts to black for a moment, and when it returns to normal, I realize I'm having a flashback.
Uncle Roman is smiling at me, his labcoat's sleeves rolled up as he helps me make… cookie dough, I think. On his left arm rests a mark that I recognize as the Head…
"No!" I shout. Everyone stares at me, but I continue, "No, Roman can't… he just can't be, because he, he's a Dark Signer!"
"Roman… was the original owner of the Head of the Dragon," Rex says. "Right before the event most know as The Split, he cut off the arm that had the mark and gave it to me for safekeeping."
"That's sick!" Leo comments. "Why would he do that?"
"Like Angel pointed out, Roman is a Dark Signer. It's impossible to possess both a Signer Mark and a Shadow Mark at the same time," my father replies. "Cutting off his own arm was the only way to get rid of one of the Marks—and he wanted to side with the Immortals, therefore, he did away with the Crimson Dragon's power."
"Okay, this is great information and all, but I have three questions that still need answering," Yusei says. "The first is still how did I end up with two marks?"
"Your sister," Goodwin starts, "unconsciously manipulated the power of the Crimson Dragon the moment Zero Reverse occurred. This removed the mark from the… severed arm, and gave it to you instead."
"…Okay, what about the second mark?"
"Sky passed the abilities to you when she died," my father says. "I do not know why they weren't instantly activated, although that should answer your question."
"One of them," Yusei corrects. He crosses his arms. "The second is… what makes the Envoy different from the other Signers?"
"…I honestly do not know," Goodwin admits. "Many of the stories of the Crimson Dragon have been lost to time. I have been able to figure out that there was not an Envoy in the battles ten and five thousand years ago."
I narrow my eyes at Rex. He's lying, I can tell. He knows something else. Unfortunately, I can't prove that he's lying, and knowing him, he isn't going to tell the truth if I don't have evidence of his lie.
"You shouldn't go making claims that you don't know," I say, deciding to go along with the lie.
"I apologize for any confusion I might have caused, then," he says, looking at me as he says it. Then he turns to Yusei. "I've answered two of your questions, but what is the third?"
"You said that the marks are linked to our bloodline, and that your brother had the Head first… and you said that the Head and Tail lines have been crossed. That means you and Roman are related to them, I just… want to know how, is all."
Every single muscle in my body tightens up, or at least that's what it feels like. Of all the questions he could have asked… and he had to ask that one? The one I had difficulty in telling to the only person it really affects?
Still, I knew that it had to come out eventually. I open my mouth to speak, but I'm interrupted.
"He's our dad." My eyes widen and shoot to Crow, who is sending me a 'talk later' look combined with an 'I'm sorry' one.
I bite the inside of my lip, look to the floor, and only nod when my friends ask if it's true.
XXX
Ten minutes later, after an awkward silence and a sudden bombardment of questions, mostly from Leo, I can't stay in the room any more. I excuse myself and leave, finding my way to the staircase that leads to the roof.
One of the many things I picked up thanks to Sky is that high places (and the outdoors) make the best place to sort out my thoughts. "There's no one to bother you here," she had told me one day while resting on the roof of the Movement. "People can search for hours, and yet they never seem to think to look up."
I pull down my glove to look at my Signer Mark. 'I wonder how the upcoming battle would have gone if I hadn't stopped you, Sky,' I think. 'Everything would be different… and we'd be able to easily figure out how to win.' She was definitely the best Duelist I've ever known… and the 'Crimson' Synchro Monsters she would use had the added effect of destroying any DARK monsters when they were Summoned. That would have made things much, much easier for us.
My eyes drift shut, and I shake my head. 'There's no reason to think of how things would have gone differently,' I tell myself. 'The past is in the past, and I can't change it. It's best if I look towards the future… the bleak… possibly end-of-the-world future…'
"Ah, there you are!" Crow's voice announces from behind me. "Been looking all over for you."
"I assume you've come to apologize?"
"Yeah." He rubs the back of his head. "For being an absolute dick when I should have been your brother."
"Well, I forgive you," I reply, smiling. "I can't hold a grudge against my own brother. And… I'm sorry for acting all snappy at you."
"Nah, you don't need to apologize, it was my fault," Crow says, returning the grin.
"Okay," I say. I shrug, "So, when did you decide that I wasn't lying when I said he was our father?"
"When Goodwin revealed that Roman was a Signer," my brother replies. "I might not be the smartest person, but I can put two and two together."
"That's what I thought…"
Neither of us say anything for a few moments, and then Crow clears his throat. "Well, we'd better get our things together."
"For…?"
"Travelling around the world," he jokes. "Uh, weren't you paying attention before Yusei came out of his room? We've gotta crush the Dark Signers before midnight tomorrow."
"Oh. That. Obviously." I feel heat rush to my face, embarrassment from forgetting about the upcoming battle. I mean, I was just thinking about it. How could I not realize that Crow was talking about preparations?
XXX
Since it was so close to dinnertime, Martha made all of us wait until after we ate to set out. My father had already returned to the City—something about keeping his public appearance along with the fight not being his—leaving the seven of us with a map of the Reactor and the surrounding towers.
With Yusei back in the game, he was going to face Kalin, and instead Crow was going to come with me. I'm not entirely comfortable with this, because one, splitting up is never a good idea and two… I really want to set things straight with Kalin. But I know Yusei can do it, and I'm sure he'll make Kalin see the truth as well.
When we're all ready to leave—Akiza in one Sector Security cruiser, Leo and Luna in another, me on Crow's Duel Runner, and Jack and Yusei on their own—I look over to Jack. Over dinner, he had told us where he'd been.
Sector Security arrested him, but quickly had to let him go because of lack of evidence that he had anything to do with the destruction.
But, upon getting out, he discovered that Carly was on the side of the Dark Signers. Fell from the roof of the tower and died.
It was clear that he blamed himself.
Knowing how hard that is, I can only hope he quits thinking like that. Unless he wants to end up like me; half-broken from regret and loss.
XXX
"Looks like we're here," Crow announces.
In front of us looms a metal tower, not that tall, with a spike at the top. The entrance is open… but it can't be that simple.
"Nya~! Looks like I've got an opponent~!" someone announces in a sing-songy voice.
Purple flames suddenly erupt from the ground, separating me from Crow—and the control tower, which Crow is closer to.
I jerk my head to look farther down the path made from flames, to where I hear a slightly familiar laugh. It's that one Dark Signer that was with Misty… Mia, if I remember correctly.
"You want to Duel me, then?" I ask.
"Yep! But… not here, silly! We're too close to the tower~!" She turns away and starts to run down the newly-made path.
I look at Crow through the flames. I don't want to go farther from him… but I don't have a choice. I'm trapped until Mia either loses… or wins. I'll have to make it her loss. There's no way I'm going to let her win.
"Go ahead, you'll be fine!" Crow shouts to me.
I nod in acknowledgement. "You stay safe too!" I shout back. Then I start chasing after the fleeing Dark Signer in pink-lined robes.
The chase runs at least ten minutes, until I can barely make out the shape of the control tower. That's when Mia stops, taps her foot a few times, and announces, "This seems like a good place, doesn't it? …Yes, good indeed." Then she whips around, her icy-blue irises contrasting the black surrounding them. The thing that unnerves me the most about them is that they give off insanity…
"Alright Mia, or whatever your name is, I'm going to put a stop to your plans, right now!" I shout.
"Nya ha! Nice threat, but you're going to have to be purrfect if you want to beat me!" She activates her Duel Disk, and draws her hand. "I'll be going first~!" She draws her card before I even have my own Duel Disk on.
Mia's Life Points: 4000, Angel's Life Points: 4000
Mia makes a noise in her throat, almost like a cat purring. Which, considering her headband, the fact that her Shadow Mark is a panther, and she said 'purrfect' not 'perfect' earlier, her purring doesn't surprise me. She licks her lips, grinning. "I Summon Pantera Tribe in Attack Mode! Then I'll activate the Continuous Spell Spiritual Forest, and set a card face-down. Your move~!"
Pantera Tribe ATK: 200, DEF: 0, Level 2
Three chibi versions of people in panther costumes appear in front of Mia.
'Dang, her attitude is really annoying,' I think. 'I don't know if this or a deadly serious Dark Signer is more threatening.' I look at my Deck. "Fine then, it's my turn! I draw!"
A quick scan of my hand tells me I'm in for an even steeper uphill battle. "I Summon Gusto Egul in Attack Mode!" I declare.
Gusto Egul ATK: 200, DEF: 400, Level 1
A small, green-feathered bird appears on my field. His talons are yellow, eyes red, and has a mohawk of sorts sticking out from his head.
'Summoning a monster with that amount of power in Attack Mode means she must have a trick up her sleeves. While Egul has the same strength, I bet he'll still spring it… whatever it is,' I think. "Gusto Egul, attack Pantera Tribe!"
"Nya~! Spiritual Forest protects one of my Beast-Type monsters once per turn," Mia counters, giggling.
My green bird flies right at the three miniature panther-people… but a tree appears, and he crashes into it instead.
"When Gusto Egul is destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower non-Tuner 'Gusto' monster from my Deck," I continue. "So… I Summon Winda, Priestess of Gusto!"
Winda, Priestess of Gusto ATK: 1000, DEF: 400, Level 2
A girl in a white dress, with a light-brown overcoat on top of it, appears on my field. She holds a skinny white staff in her right hand, and a small, green-feathered bird rests on her shoulder. The girl's hair matches the color of the bird's feathers. Suddenly, one of the three panthers lunges forward, knocking the staff out of Winda's hand and running away with it.
Winda, Priestess of Gusto ATK: 1000 to 200
"Wait, why did my monster lose power?" I ask, surprised.
"Why, it's Pantera Tribe's special ability, silly!" Mia replies, still giggling. "See, during your Battle Phase, your monsters can't have a higher ATK than my strongest monster does. And since Pantera Tribe is my only monster right now…"
'Dang it… and Winda's ability only works during my opponent's turn,' I think. "Grr… Well, all I have left now is to set two cards face-down. Your move."
To be continued…
Author's Note Part 2: So… Goodwin's hiding something (what a shocker!), but the fact that he's Crow and Angel's dad is now out there. And the battle with the Dark Signers has begun…
Uhm, I need some help. Since Crow isn't Kurai Fenikkusu's Dark Signer in this story, I can't have the Dark Signer use the Fenix archetype I came up with. Here's where the helping bit comes in. I need the name for an archetype that supports the Earthbound Immortal, and plays like a Deck that Jack would use if he was a Dark Signer (it's not him, by the way, just someone who acts like him at times). I just need the name, not any of the cards (unless you have some in mind, in which case I would gladly accept). Whoever comes up with the one I like the most gets a cookie! …Actually, they get a cookie and a preview to a future event (not sure if it'll be in the next chapter or chapter 21 just yet). :)
Thanks again to anyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed this story! Your appreciation makes me really happy! I'd like to continue hearing what you have to say, along with anything people who haven't reviewed yet do!