Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's - The Neo-Domino Purge

Originally an RPG after the airing of Episode 6. Following the events of Episode 8; Rex Godwin uses the information regarding Akutsu's 'momentum' to plan an attack and elimination of the Satellite residents. When a leak reaches Satellite, the residents band together. All but Yusei Fudo, who is forced to watch from the outside.
Contains violence, language, character death.

SEASON 2

ARC 4 – Lingering Darkness

-Satellite: Daedalus Bridge-

Yusei stood on the edge of Satellite, a bitter breeze brushing past, ruffling his hair and jacket; his eyes were firmly set on the miniature Neo-Domino in the distance, ignoring the chill around him. Over him, the skeleton of Daedalus, the place Crow had been inspired by for years, so much so, he had moved his kids to the site just to show them and pass on the legend surrounding it about a flying D–Wheeler who soared from desolation and achieved greatness, fading from the world without a trace. But in his wake, he left hope for the people who had watched and the orphans who were told the story so they wouldn't give up. Yusei turned his head to it, his body still while averting his eyes to the monument, reminding himself just how much it meant to the people of Satellite, people like Crow. The bridge that was meant to unite Satellite and the City, prevent incidents like the attack from happening.

Yet it failed, and the City duellists were still hunting for renewed prey. They still occupied Satellite, claiming it for themselves despite the chaos with Jack's arrest and escape; all the people cared about was the feud over the abandoned island, having finally paid attention to the matter that it existed.

Behind him, Crow crawled out of the shack he called home, throwing the sheet hanging in place of a door over his head to fall back into place one he moved out of the way, voices of the children passed through the gap; excited chatter and the excited exclamations of the cards they had played against one another. Crow made his way towards Yusei, laying his hand onto his friend's shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts and turning his face away from the unfinished bridge.

"You alright?" the redhead asked.

Yusei nodded in response, nothing to say that Crow wouldn't find fault with, claiming there was doubt in his voice. Since the helicopter that had arrived at Security had dropped the others off in the City; Yusei, Rally and Crow were brought back to Satellite, jumping back onto home soil with their D–Wheels and heading for Daedalus, the place Crow claimed would be safest. On the way, they stopped by the subway that Yusei and Rally had used as a home before the race to Neo-Domino and the invasion from the other side. There they found Blitz, Taka, Nerve, Yanagi and Himuro, all still hiding without any true plan as to what they were going to do. Everyone was transferred to Crow's base, with plenty of shelter for everyone, reunited at last.

As soon as the three arrived, Yanagi was diving for Yusei, wrapping his arms around the discovered Signer and chattering with fervour over the past days and how what they had dealt with. Himuro was more concerned with Yusei's D–Wheel, which he had been able to learn had been recovered, smiling at the thought that Bommer, a man on the City's side, had kept his word. The trio were pleased to learn Yusei was safe, albeit concerned when they realised a Marker painted his left cheek, they quickly accepted that everything was going to be alright with Satellite's finest back home. They all waited inside, resting in the shadows and looking after the kids. Crow, however, was focused more on Yusei, knowing he was the type to fix his mind on the vision that the four Signers had seen during the final battle in Security; it had been a week since that night and no sign of impending doom. Yusei wasn't going to let it go, however. Crow sighed, folding his hands behind his head and lifting his elbows, watching the still water ahead

"So what do you plan for us to do?" he asked casually.

Yusei hesitated, unable to look at his friend in the eye; something Crow picked up on quickly.

"To be honest… I have no idea" Yusei guiltily confessed. "I'm worried about that vision".

"Knew it" Crow chuckled. "Lighten up, there's no proof that'll happen".

"But why would the Crimson Dragon show us if it wasn't going to happen?" Yusei questioned, clenching his fists by his sides. "Why would Godwin be so desperate to gather the Signers? People were sent into Satellite to push me, they succeeded, but they're still here. Jack, Ruka, Izayoi and I are Signers, but what does that mean when you have no idea what a Signer is? Godwin's explained things over and over, but I still don't understand why the Crimson Dragon exists and why it's chosen people to bear marks of its body, specifically people like us".

Crow frowned, dropping his arms; he could see clear as day that his friend was still struggling to come to terms with everything. According to this legend, there was a greater destiny lying ahead of him, but that destiny predicted terrible things for Satellite. It only served to complicate the situation if Godwin was aware that there was some kind of threat to the Signers and then load Satellite with City duellists, even after waking Yusei's power.

"I think you're over thinking it" he mumbled.

Yusei squinted at the thought, disappointed that he had let the matter get to him so much. From the side, Crow could make out the frustration, he was still blaming himself; he felt responsible. The redhead smiled, laying a hand onto his friend's shoulder once more, gripping it tighter.

"Listen, you should be relaxing right now" he said. "Jack is safe in Neo-Domino with his friend. You have Stardust back too, that's a bonus. You achieved what you set out to do and you made it home in one piece; you haven't had that card in two years".

Yusei looked to Crow, somewhat taken back by the optimistic view: Crow did have a point; Jack was safe, he had Stardust, no–one close had lost their lives and there hadn't been any disaster that signalled the end of the world, at least, the world he knew. Crow's fingers dug deeper, determined not to lose his friend to guilt and a one–tracked mind set just on the unfulfilled vision.

"Right now, we have others to think of" he added. "We have to protect this place, for the kids and your friends. Daedalus won't fall easy, but the people just might. We can't allow that to happen".

Yusei smiled, silently thanking his friend for the words of enlightenment and nodded in response to his suggestion. He was right, they had people relying on them, maybe not with stakes as high as the fight through Security, but their lives had immeasurable value. For now, at least, he could relax and focus more on the people that mattered to him.

Chapter 25 – A New Enemy! The Man with the Dark Birthmark

[Aratana Teki! Ankoku no Aza Motsu no Otoko]

KEY CARD – Junk Warrior

-Neo-Domino: Carly's Apartment-

On the streets outside the high apartment Carly rented while her journalistic career was struggling to get itself off the ground, news crews were still gathering, asking the same questions as the next; where was Jack Atlus? What had happened the night of the Security invasion? How had Security failed to stop the break–out? Carly was standing by the window, seeing another female reporter with a male cameraman as they shot the street for another report, probably to compare the apparent murderous power–mad Duel King to ordinary people living in the area. If only they knew.

She sighed, drawing the curtains; even without helicopters charging through the air, checking every apartment, it was risky to leave the place exposed with Jack staying. The girl hunched over, sighing heavily; it was tiring having to hide all day.

"All they need now is telescreens over the place" she mumbled to herself.

Heavily, she pushed herself from the white window frame and towards the plush sofas set out in the centre of the room, a coffee table set neatly between them. Once she dragged herself across the distance, she let gravity have its way and drag her down onto the wider sofa, letting loose a heavy breath and gazed absentmindedly at the ceiling above. It was a mere wish that she could report on the incident at Security, but Jack was right, that would only lead to trouble; she'd be arrested, he'd be caught and dealt justice against him. There would probably be interrogations to learn where the others were.

She turned her head against the straight top of the cushion, looking to Jack standing over a steaming cup of tea, wearing only a sleeveless black shirt rather than the large white and grey trench coat. He looked more genuine without it, like he belonged in the home with her. She could see it; home life with Jack, waking up every day to know he was there, being around him all the time, sharing meals, rooms, nights. They would be celebrities, the envy of every other girl in Neo-Domino, sought after for words and pictures, just for a glimpse into the ideal lifestyle; that which rivalled those who resided in the Tops.

Outside her head, the girl was blushing and her mouth open abstractedly. It was Jack's voice that brought her back from the dream, words coming when his porcelain face didn't move.

"Eh?" Carly sounded dumbly, looking from left to right to remind herself where the origin of the voice came from.

Jack stared at her, puzzled by her belated response, but thinking nothing of it. In his hand, he held a stainless steel spoon, a drained tea bag hanging from it limply.

"If you were hoping to have a tea later, you may need to find a shop or something" the blonde stated. "You're out of teabags".

Carly grinned sheepishly, dipping her head and closing her jaws, sighing. Home life with Jack Atlus was something to be dreamt of; a test run was proving less than perfect.

-Neo-Domino: Tops-

Ripples surged across the rooftop pool, Ruka sat on the edge, her bare legs dipped in the crystalline water, socks tucked into her trainers placed next to her. She clutched her right arm, where the sleeve had been pulled up and tucked around her elbow, staring at the maroon pattern emblazoned on her arm. In the middle of pool, Rua swam casually, moving his arm in wide circles to guide him through the water quicker, a grin on his face. Unlike his sister, he was dressed for the setting, wearing only blue trunks that matched his sleeveless top. When he noticed his sister staring blandly at the Birthmark, he altered his course, heading for the land where she waited. He slowed towards the edge and folded his arms onto the edges, melting onto the solid ground.

"What's wrong, Ruka?" he asked. "Why don't you come in? It's a good time, after all".

Ruka didn't reply, lost in a world of thoughts much further than the boy had predicted. His smile faltered and shrunk, puzzled by his sister's fixation on the mark; it had been an entire week since it had appeared and marked itself permanently onto her arm, but it was now, when it was exposed, that she focused on it and drifted further from the world she knew. Rua looked at the design, tracing the lines with his eyes so he could remind himself just what it was meant to be.

"So, what exactly is that thing?" he asked curiously.

Ruka sighed, shaking her head and dropping the arm onto her thighs, she looked to Rua with disappointment; the truth was she didn't know the answer to his question herself.

"You know most of what I know" she mumbled. "Godwin said it was a sign that I'm a Signer, but I have no idea what exactly one is. There was something about a Crimson Dragon and that each Signer has a dragon that serves as a servant to it".

She hesitated before going on, heightening Rua's curiosity, he tilted his head. He knew nothing of a dragon she held, nor had seen any sign of it. That fact begged him to ask her exactly what was on his mind.

"So what about yours?" he asked. "What's your dragon?"

It took a moment to get an answer from the anxious girl. "Ancient Fairy Dragon".

Rua's eyebrows rose, he had never seen the creature before, let alone know of it in Ruka's deck; she had never played it and the name had never come up before. But he said nothing, waiting for her to carry on her story; she took another shaky breath before speaking.

"Eight years ago, I slipped into a coma that lasted a month. During that time, I travelled to the Duel Spirit World" she reiterated. "I think it was that incident that made me a candidate for a Signer. But I tried to block it all out when I came back; I promised to help defend that world against invading evil, but when I heard you, I became scared and remembered what I was giving up to be there. Feeling so guilty, I suppressed it so I could live with you and not have the reminders eating away at me". She placed her hand over the mark, tears filling her eyes and dripping onto her pale skin.

Rua watched with a neutral face; he couldn't be sure what exactly to say. Rather than words, he leaned towards her and laid his hand onto hers, drawing her eyes to him, finding a smile directed at her.

"It doesn't matter if you did that, you're plenty strong and you shouldn't feel guilty" he said cheerfully. "The Crimson Dragon was just too early when it showed you the Duel Spirit World; to ask you at three years was a bit much".

The boy chuckled; Ruka wiped her eyes with her left hand and dropped it, watching him curiously. "Do you still remember that time long ago?"

Rua opened his eyes with a joyful air, regardless of the severity of the matter they discussed; the time eight years ago when he sat by his sister's bed night and day, neglecting his own needs in favour of her.

"Well…" he began moderately hesitant. "As you speak about it more, more comes back to me. I remember waiting for you to wake up, giving you that bear I brought while you were sleeping, refusing to let everyone give up on you. They're snippets, but they're what I remember".

Ruka's eyes widened slightly, automatically brimming with tears coming without a mind. The words of her brother touched her; that he refused to give up on her when everyone else was doubting her chances of returning, giving up on her in their world while he stayed by her, calling out to her and penetrating the space between the two words with his hope. The tears built in her eyes slid down her cheeks, ignored while she set herself onto the one who mattered.

"Rua…" she managed with a tight throat. "Thank you…"

Rua smiled, understanding his sister's tears weren't of sadness or regret, but relief and gratitude; she had felt his feelings once before and through those, he could make it out of the human world, following the path she laid out for him to the Spirit World, falling short without the Crimson Dragon's reinforcement. It hadn't granted him the power to completely cross over as it had her,

"Ruka…" the boy muttered. "I'm sorry. I always felt like I was being held back because you were ill, because you were too frail to go outside and play with the other kids, so I was kept back with you. But I don't mean that, I don't feel back that I had to stay with you all the time; I wouldn't change you for anyone else, just like I wouldn't have back then, when I waited for you".

Ruka wiped her pale face with her slender fingers, scratching away the trails that had been left by tears already gone. She smiled at Rua, whose torso was half–sunken and the upper half drying in the midday sun. His face darkened vaguely, shifting from wholehearted compassion to serious understanding.

"So what are we going to do next?" he asked gravely.

Ruka looked down to the pool water, staring the reflection of her unsure face. "I think it's best that we just keep back. Yusei and the others have gone back to where they belong, they don't seem to be plotting whatever it is that lies ahead of us. We shouldn't worry either, not until we're sure what they'll want".

Rua smirked playfully, infused with a scowl. He clenched his fists, sinking from the edge and drifting in the water with raised fists and a determined glare skywards.

"I want to face Divine again, though" he growled. "I want to get revenge on him for what he did at Arcadia; he must have been behind it all and used Izayoi–san as a pawn, she may not even know. When I duelled him at Security, he beat; I didn't back at him for anyone".

Ruka frowned at her brother; he was a passionate boy, set on completing a mission handed to him; be it a personal endeavour or an assignment by someone else – with the clear exception of homework from Duel Academy – he wouldn't let what had happened go without a fight. Especially seeing as it involved her. Rua took a moment to calm himself, looking back to her with a calm face, like a completely different person.

"What do you plan to do about Ancient Fairy Dragon?" he asked. "I've never seen it before".

Ruka sighed guiltily; before her duel with Frank, she had no memory of the dragon, she was essentially the same as her brother.

"To be honest, I don't know" she mumbled. "There's nothing I can do at the moment; she's trapped in the Duel Spirit World, but there wasn't a clear way to get her out without hurting her. I hope I can find her soon, we'll need her if there's some kind of destiny ahead of the Signers like that vision implied".

"The one about a big spider in Satellite?" Rua asked to be sure, tilting his head to the right.

Ruka nodded, the disturbing news had been able to drill itself into the minds of everyone who had been there that night, burying itself like a bad nightmare that refused to go away and haunt them at night.

"Maybe it has something to do with her being trapped like she is, powerless and only having the ability to talk through our link" she sighed. "But I don't know yet, no–one seems to know very much at all".

She picked herself up, withdrawing her soaked feet onto dry land and stand at the edge of the tiles lining the pool. Rua said nothing, but watched in bewilderment as she crossed the garden, heading to the edge of the rooftop and clutched the bars keeping her from falling over the edge; the same place she had been standing when he discovered during the night of the first attack on Satellite, when Stardust was spread over the City, shrieking to her. Ruka was gazing aimlessly at the sky, a small part of her expecting to awaken in that night once she blinked; to see Stardust above Jack's tiny D–Wheel in the streets below, the skin on her arm clean of any kind of ancient symbol and for Rua to be as clueless about the situation as he had been before following her into Security.

"I will find Ancient Fairy Dragon, I have to. I made a promise to her' the girl thought.

There was a feeling brewing deep down, that maybe it had been Ancient Fairy crying through Stardust, mixing her pale comrade's voice with her own from so far away. Rua, in the water, swam towards her, curious about what was on her mind and what it was that had drawn her to the edge of the garden. When his arms moaned from the sudden charge, he slowed and raised them, smiling at Ruka.

"Hey, Ruka" he called. "If you're not going to worry about all that stuff, why not come in then?"

Ruka turned slowly, gazing to her distant brother over her shoulder with a smile. He was right; if she wasn't going to worry about her destiny, or do nothing about it; why not at least have some fun before reality came crashing down?

"I'll be there in a moment" she hollered back.

-Neo-Domino: Public Security Maintenance Bureau-

Akutsu stood with clenched fists on his hips, looking over the monitors in front of him, each monitoring levels of Momentum, comparing those from the past with those from the Satellite invasion; both the initial attack and the current occupation struggle. Levels were falling, nowhere near as high as those of the first night strike; there was only one solution that the Director would suggest: another wave of attacks against Satellite. The scientist was far from impressed, however. Normally he would be spinning and howling with uncontrollable glee, but not today.

He was still frustrated that he had been tied to a chair by three intruders when one was promised, then left to make his way to the roof. After hours of struggling to get himself to the top, he arrived just in time to see the helicopter carrying the group away, leaving him no hope of being freed. He dropped down on the roof and waited for Security officers to swarm the building; they had found him and released him, only to then drag him through a series of interviews regarding the break–in. It wasn't common for Akutsu to be in the other Security building, but he had been that night, making the eyeless officers suspicious, glaring at him from the cover of their helmets casting shadows over the tops of their faces.

A couple of days after the invasion, he was finally allowed to return home and take a few days off by Godwin's orders, to recuperate. But his work was his love, he wanted to be with his beloved Momentum, keep the position to himself and not have to share his passion with anyone else.

"How I've missed being here" he murmured dully to himself. "If it wasn't for Director Godwin, I would have never left. At least I got to come back and get back to work without any more commotion".

In the corner of his eye, a bunch of loose cables removed from the system caught his eye, a shimmer ran across his spectacles. He looked around, finding only one other worker in the room with him, prompting a smirk.

"You!" he yelped, pointing to the man. "Assistant!"

"Um… Haruto, sir" the man mumbled anxiously.

"Yes, yes. I have a task for you" Akutsu continued, stepping to the chair positioned behind him and pointed to it. "Tie me to this chaaaaaaair!"

"W– What?" Haruto gasped in horror.

"Just do it" Akutsu pleaded lively. "Pleeeeeeease".

"R– Right" Haruto stammered, crossing the lab slowly.

He picked up the cables, fixing one end in place and circled Akutsu, who seated himself with a grin. Haruto repeated the circular path until running out of cable, at which point, he tied the two ends into a knot behind the chair, tugging on them to ensure his superior that he was securely fastening him down. Once that was done, he moved around, stepping in front of Akutsu with sweat of puzzlement hanging on his brow.

"T– there, Akutsu, sir" he said. "It's done".

Akutsu chortled, kicking at nothing in particular and testing the binds with a playful struggle. "This feels goooooooooood!" he cried with glee.

Haruto's eyes widened and larger drops of sweat made themselves visible clinging to the side of his face. Akutsu paused after a moment, freezing until he looked dead to the disturbed colleague. His head dropped and his eyes wide as he stared at the tiled floor beneath him, sweat building on his head.

"I may have found out something dangerous about myself…" he mumbled shamefully.

-Neo-Domino: Arcadia Movement-

A creaking filled the soothing quiet in Divine's office when Aki pushed the wooden door open from the opposite side, opening the wide chamber that the Arcadia leader could hide away in for hours at a time. The place itself was situated directly above the room where Divine had pushed Rua out, hoping for his untimely demise in order to snatch his sister for the Movement, a couple of floors above the room sealed off while the window was secretly undergoing repairs to cover Divine's tracks, to save him from having to explain to anyone unaware of what had happened; the majority of the Movement's members who trusted him with their lives. None more so than Aki.

Divine rose from his throne–like seat behind the wooden desk and stood opposite Aki, who remained in the threshold, blocking any exit from the room, determined to get the matter that brought her to Divine sorted before letting it rest.

"Aki" Divine spoke, breaking the silence. "Is something the matter? What's brought you here unannounced? This isn't like you".

Aki moved into the room, allowing the door to creak shut behind her. "Divine" she said as she advanced. "There's been something troubling me since the Security incident, it's been on my mind since we got back". She came to a stop close to the desk between them, close enough to read Divine's eyes. "Ruka and her brother said something; he claims that you tried to kill him before you were captured".

Divine's eyes widened, he was stunned by the revelation that the boy had passed on word of their private confrontation; should the truth come out, he'd lose Aki within a heartbeat. He used his stunned expression to his advantage, drowning it in hollow despair at the vicious claim.

"Rua said that you did it to get Ruka to join the Movement when she refused before because of him" Aki went on.

"Aki, honestly, I'm shocked" Divine sighed, closing his eyes. He moved forward, around the desk and to her, laying his hands gently onto her shoulders, gloved fingers sinking into the puffy fabric of her white shoulders. "The boy is trying to drive a wedge between us because we couldn't accept him. Think about it; he hated us from the get–go, maybe not you initially, but when he learned you wanted to help his sister, he became extremely defensive and did whatever it took to protect her. Can you really trust him over me?"

Aki frowned, casting her eyes downwards guiltily, beginning to dread bringing up the subject to begin with. The only positive of the meeting was that she had closure; she trusted Divine not to lie to her, she believed him without a doubt, that he wouldn't try to slay Rua for the sake of gaining his sister.

"But…" she breathed. "Maybe he has a point. Maybe we shouldn't try to separate them. It would be like taking you away from me, and it did happen. When it did, it hurt. A lot". She looked into Divine's eyes, pressing her hand over her chest where her heart was buried. She was speaking from experience, with raw wounds to be dealt with completely.

Divine smiled, moving his fingers to her hair and began to pat the top of her head like a father in the middle of comforting his daughter and telling her to pick herself up and fight on for what she aimed to achieve. He leaned forward, still with his hand in her hair, reluctant to let her go until his lips reached her ear.

"It won't happen, I won't leave you alone anymore" he whispered into her. "And for now, we'll leave the twins alone, we'll focus on you. I want to make sure you're alright after everything that happened that night".

Aki replied with a nod, leaving Divine free to withdraw and smile softly at her with an angelic face; no matter what, she would put her faith in him and follow his words; his heart was her heart.

"But something still doesn't make sense" she added, without the fearful eyes that a devastating revelation would tear her apart. "Rua was able to escape from Security, but you weren't. What happened for him to get away and not you?"

"Ah, you see, Rua was never captured" Divine answered with an amused smirk, chuckling lightly at the apparent misunderstanding. "He left to use a toilet nearby just before they arrived to arrest me for whatever false crime they believed I had committed. He must have returned afterwards; he was never in any danger".

Aki's frown deepened; if Divine's version of events was true, then that meant she had dragged Ruka into the ordeal for no reason. She had taken the girl from her brother and thrown her into another world without needing to; all they had achieved was discovering that there were four Signers with Birthmarks similar to her own, each seeming to accept theirs. She lowered her head in disappointment, struggling to comprehend just what she had done by taking the girl along with her.

Divine's face softened at the frustration that overcame the face of the girl in front of him. "It's alright" he hushed, brushing her shoulder delicately. "I did manage to escape on my own, just to be there for you".

Aki nodded dully, taking what Divine said to heart, but still frowning with guilt and hidden doubt still sewn into her. She turned away from Divine, making her way towards the door she had come in through, filled with questions and worry, departing through it with acceptance of Divine's version of events.

"I understand, Divine" she muttered. "Thank you".

-Satellite: Old Momentum-

In the underground centre of Satellite, the tanned man dressed in a black robe lined with crimson markings folded his muscular arms over his chest. A spider dropped down from the ceiling, using a string from its body similar to a bungee cord without the aim of soaring through the air again. The arachnid landed on the back of the man's hand, standing obediently like a pet. The man smirked at the sight of the eight–legged servant returning, revealing the maroon markings vertically painting his cheeks.

"So, I see…" he murmured with a darkened smirk.

Two of the others dressed in matching robes entered, the taller with yellow decoration and the shorter blue. The paled man moved quicker, charging towards his leader fervently once he registered the coy smirk on his face, a maroon pattern ran down his right cheek, like a blooded and mirrored version of Yusei's Marker.

"It seems that the time has come" the leader chuckled.

"What?" the pale man blurted, half–surprised, half–eager to jump straight into battle.

"Fudo Yusei and his friends are gathered in one place" the leader stated. "It seems that Godwin has succeeded in assembling the four Signers he sought; three remain in Neo-Domino and Fudo Yusei is back on home soil".

"Finally, revenge" the pale shadow hissed with a twisted grin.

"No, not yet" the leader called quickly, raising the hand without a servant atop it. "It's best to see just how strong he can be against a shadow wearing skin, you should keep calm for now. But don't worry, your time will come soon".

The pale man scowled, folding his arms over his chest and bearing his teeth in bitter disappointment. He had been waiting some time for his chance to meet up with Yusei once again, waiting longer wasn't something he was in favour of doing. But it was what he had to do.

"Alright" he huffed. "But I'll make this clear now: this one better lose because I'm facing Yusei soon. And I'll be the one you guide him down to Hell".

-Satellite: Daedalus Bridge-

Long after dusk, Yusei was alone in front of the campfire Crow had set up to warm his orphaned kids during their last hour of the day before being sent to bed by their surrogate father. The kids were sleeping inside the shacks lined against one another, producing an extended home to shelter them all. With them; Rally, Blitz, Taka, Nerve, Yanagi and Himuro also slept, leading Yusei to the conclusion that Crow was also out for the night.

But they weren't at the centre of his mind like always; as he stared into the orange crackling flames, he could see the purple spider eating away at Satellite, tearing apart everything they cared for – the place they called home – and bringing an end to what he had come back for. It scared him to think that such a devastating future was ahead of Satellite, wondering what exactly it meant for the friends trapped on the edge of the island with no guarantee of escape; would they perish in the chaos? And then there were the duellists that had flooded from Neo-Domino, as well as the following waves, occupying their home like some kind of war zone with soldiers from another country keeping check on them like threats to the livelihoods of those in the City. He held a thin stick in his right hand, moving it ahead and the tip into the core of the growling flames. The fire began to spit at him furiously, unleashing embers that soared into the air and fell short, floating back to the earth where they would be extinguished. As they hissed out of existence, Yusei's Birthmark began to pulse, leading to a twinge of pain in his right arm, which he pressed his left hand over, dropping the twig onto the dirt. He winced at the sudden sensation from his Birthmark, hissing himself briefly while taking a second to adjust.

His eyes were fixed on the arm for a moment, his fingers peeling away the glove and sleeve over the symbol that began to glow once exposed to the night air. His eyes narrowed at the twist and the sensation of a dark presence lurking around. He searched the area from his seat, glaring fiercely to pick up any sign of life around him, of a shadow hiding in its terrain of night. Without experience on his side, he could only assume that the pulsating feeling and the dark spirit were linked; perhaps that his Birthmark was warning him. Then it came to him; there was the mysterious missing Fifth Signer, bearing the final Birthmark of the Crimson Dragon; was it already ruled out to be linked to him?

A shadow flitted across the dirt street ahead, heading further inland. Yusei picked himself up and darted to his D-Wheel, punching the key that would release his Duel Disk. The machine detached the Duel Disk mutely, the screen flashing with a wheel of rainbow lights resembling Momentum stretching further until it vanished from the monitor. Yusei checked over his shoulder to ensure that there was no-one standing behind him; friend or foe, he couldn't risk upsetting or worrying someone he was hoping to keep out of the impending danger. Without a word, he paced to the edge of Crow's home turf and charged out of the area and into the B.A.D. Lands in search of the black figure.

A handful of minutes after leading the camp's perimeters, Yusei slowed, doubtful that he would be able to catch up with the figure and learn who he had been or why he had been lurking around the camp. He sighed with frustration, gritting his teeth and turned back in the direction of his friends' home.

"Fudo Yusei" a voice announced, confirming he had seen something before. "Are you running from fate now?"

Yusei turned back, uncovering the man standing in the centre of the street ahead of him. He glared harshly at the figure who hadn't been there a handful of seconds beforehand, by his sides, his fists tightened.

"Who are you?" he growled.

The man smirked, chuckling without a verbal response. Yusei's glare hardened; it was now that he had a look at just what he was facing; the only exposed part of the man was the lower half of his face; a nose, mouth and chin with stubble growing from it, a pale man. But that didn't help whatsoever; he could still have been anyone.

"If you won't answer me, then how about we duel?" he suggested, raising his left arm where the detached Duel Disk had been joined to him.

The man chuckled again, his body shivering with the sign of amusement. He held up a Duel Disk of his own; a standard model like those used in the Pro League by those who hadn't already constructed their personal design. The sign puzzled Yusei, who was sure that the cloaked threat would have some kind of dark machine to match his intentions, but shrugged it off.

"I know there's no way to get answers out of you other than through a duel" the teenage Signer growled. "So if I win, you'll give me what I want, right?"

"I suppose" the man chuckled, there was a sinister tone to his voice. And what sounded like a faint second voice blended with his own. "Only you won't win, Fudo Yusei. I'm going to enjoy this".

Yusei growled, unimpressed by the man's confidence and lack of an incentive; was this man out to kill him? Just wandering the streets and challenging whoever he wanted? There was nothing to indicate there was a specific goal of the robed one. The two pulled five cards from their decks without taking their eyes from their opponent.

"Duel!"

DUEL START

YUSEI - DARK SIGNER
4000 -LP- 4000

A symbol began to glow on the other man's arm, joining Yusei's in lighting his body vaguely amidst the shadows of the night. Yusei's eyes widened in surprise when he noticed the purple glowing symbol. He was about to ask the man if he was a Signer when his words were captured in his throat, stunned to learn that the shape was that of a spider – the same he had seen tearing apart Satellite in the vision he shared with the other Signers a week before.

"What? A Spider mark?" he gasped. "Then… you're the one whose going to destroy Satellite?"

The man chuckled, cold eyes shining through the black shadows cast by the robe's loose hood, keeping Yusei from seeing anything more, from uncovering the true identity of the figure opposite him.

"Satellite is a wasteland, destruction will change nothing" he spoke with sadistic satisfaction in the predicted future. "For now, I hold open the gate to Hell, ready to drag you down into the depths".

Yusei growled, glaring bitterly at the man; whoever he was, he was the one that Yusei had been worrying over – the one who was going to rip apart the isle he called home and thousands of lives stranded on its shores.

"I won't let you destroy this place" he barked.

"You won't, huh?" the man chuckled. "Let's see if you even live to see the next dawn first".

A ring of flames erupted from the soil around them, encircling them in the centre of the street where there were no eyes to take in the spectacle. Yusei gasped at the purple ring, gazing at the waving barrier with no hope of escaping the trap laid out for him; whatever this anti-Signer had planned, he had fallen for it and was cornered like a rat.

"What is this?" he asked, not expecting an answer, but a chortle.

"This ring imprisons those who have offered themselves to the darkness" the robed figure claimed with the same twisted glee. "Only one will get to leave this place alive; my duty is to see that that one isn't you".

"So we're duelling for our lives?" Yusei snapped, astonished and infuriated by the tactics of the anti-Signer.

"You catch on quickly, Fudo Yusei" the man chuckled.

"And that's not I'm good at understanding quickly" Yusei snapped with a confident smirk. "Let's see how long you last".

"I'll take that as an invitation to start" the man laughed. "Alright then, I draw!"

FIRST TURN – DARK SIGNER

"I begin with summoning Giant Germ [ATK 1000] to the field.

On the field, a circular cell appeared, shaking off the blue sparkles coating its infectious surface. The centre's pale purple coloured it, with green plague-spreading spots around it. Yusei clenched his teeth at the sight of the creature; a parasite just like the dark force using Satellite as a base and then burning it to nothing.

"To accompany my monster, I'll set a card face-down" the figure added, sliding a hidden card into the lower part of his Duel Disk. "And that ends my turn".

SECOND TURN – YUSEI

"My turn" Yusei called, tearing the top card of his deck away. He glanced at it, turning the card for his mysterious opponent to see. "I activate Tuning; I draw Junk Synchron from my deck and discard cards equal to its level, meaning I send three cards to the Graveyard for each of Junk Synchron's three levels".

With three flicks of his wrist, the cards came from his deck and were moved to the mouth of the Cemetery. Once the trio were sucked below, Yusei held up the Junk Synchron card he had saved.

"Now I'm going to summon my Junk Synchron" he declared, throwing it down onto the central Monster space of his Duel Disk.

Opposite the germ, the orange-armoured Tuner appeared in a shower of light, chirping its only sound and setting its large white goggled eyes onto the obstacle between itself and the opponent's lifepoints.

"Junk Synchron's effect summons Shield Wing from the Graveyard" the Signer called, retrieving the card once it slipped out of the Graveyard, returned to life.

The instant the card hit the blue surface of its space, a portal opened on the field, the unnaturally slim creature falling through and curling its wings in front of it. Behind it, Yusei smirked at the anti-Signer's scowl. The orange Tuner tugged on the cord hanging from its breastplate, revving the engines fixed onto its back and trembling in the air. Three stars sapped its form of life and danced in the air, spinning around to forge a trio of rings that fell over the remaining creature.

"I'm tuning my Level 3 Junk Synchron to my Level 2 Shield Wing" Yusei called, raising his hand above his head. Shield Wing relinquished the two stars hidden inside of it, the pair glowing in the centre of the short tunnel. "Tsudoishi hoshi ga, aratana chikara wo yobiokosu! Hikari sasu michi tonare! Shinkuro Shoukan! Ideyo, Jyanku Woriā! [ATK 2300]" [1]

A line of light exploded into a wide tunnel, the purple Synchro warrior leaping through with glowing red eyes, punching through the air with its right fist. The dark man growled, glaring up at the beast from underneath his blackened hood, concealing anything more than bitter eyes and clenched jaws.

"Junk Warrior, attack Giant Germ!" Yusei barked, pointing to the simple entity. "Scrap Fist!"

Flames erupted from Junk Warrior's back when it dove towards the being opposite, throwing its metallic right fist forward and driving itself into the enemy, ripping apart its spherical shape and light it with fire. The thing squirmed weakly, exploding in a matter of seconds, unleashing an outwards wave of gusts that spread across the street and dispersed. The cloaked man groaned, lifting his arms in front of his face defensively, blocking the winds that threatened to rip his hood from over his head and expose his identity.

"Ugh" he sounded with a grunt, the winds dying. "Giant Germ's effect deals 500 points to you directly when it's destroyed".

YUSEI - DARK SIGNER
3500 -LP- 2700

Yusei flinched, feeling something inside of him twist; there was something wrong. He pressed his hand over his stomach, a knot building amidst the flaring pain, his face wincing.

'What the-?' he thought anxiously. 'This is… real damage? How can he deal damage to the player?'

His eyes passed the man opposite and the flashing flames drew him in – they had to bring about the sensation that he felt; their presence intensified the blows of battle and inflicted true pain onto the players as well as the monsters, projecting their suffering. Across the centre of the field, Yusei noticed a tear in the road; not a fissure from so many years ago, but a fresh scar – what he inflicted was just as real, he was guilty. Dread washed through Yusei when he realised just how deadly the duel he had entered truly was, the opponent was unfazed, aware all along and drawing in his prey to the flaming ring of darkness.

"Giant Germ's other effect is that when it's destroyed, it grants me the power to spread its life and summon any more in my deck" he chuckled, laying two cards onto the field.

Identical Giant Germs appeared on the field, duplicating their predecessor, worsening the field; it was as though Yusei hadn't attacked, but sliced the thing in half and created a twin to keep the original company.

"That's not all though" the duellist added lively. "I activate my face-down card: Call of the Haunted!"

"What?" Yusei gasped.

"This will return my destroyed Giant Germ to his brethren" the robed man stated with a dark smirk. Between the two, the original Giant Germ appeared, wiggling mockingly.

Yusei growled at the rebirth of the parasite and glanced down at his hand. "Turn end" he scowled.

THIRD TURN – DARK SIGNER

"Heh, so the Signer of the Crimson Dragon is out of ideas already, is he?" the robed duellist laughed. "This will be over quickly then, my turn!"

Yusei glared uneasily at the trio of Giant Germs; their combined effects would wipe out 1500 further lifepoints if he attacked them, bringing him down to half of his original strength. A laugh from the opponent snapped him out of the plan and drew his eyes, widened to their usual size as the chilling sound touched him.

"You really believe that using these Giant Germs is all about dealing you damage through their effects, don't you?" he asked smugly, a wicked grin spread across his face. "I'll show you the true depths of the Dark Signers".

"Dark Signers?" Yusei repeated with a gasp. There hadn't been anything from Godwin or the vision about 'Dark' Signers, the only clue the man had to any kind was the glowing Spider mark on his arm, underneath a sleeve of white material.

"I release two Giant Germs to summon my Dark Tuner Catastrophe! [ATK 0]"

"A Dark Tuner?" Yusei asked.

Two of the Giant Germs vanished into swirling rainbow-filled orbs, merging into one. From the union, a twisted beast emerged; skin of ice blue with wings and arms of black. A single blood-red eye poked through a golden mask pressed over the misshapen face, a large horn protruding from the head above the occupied socket. On the other side, black hair stood up through a gap in the helm. A collar of burgundy hung around the beast's neck, matching a robe attached to its waist and hanging behind its slender legs. The pale lips parted and a demented smile filled the remainder of its face, revealing the jagged teeth inside that belonged in the mouth of a wild animal.

"Tuners and Synchro Monsters are always associated with light" the robed duellist stated. "But every source of light creates a shadow – that's what this is; let me show you what else evolves from darkness. I'm dark-tuning my Level 8 Dark Tuner Catastrophe to my Level 3 Giant Germ".

Eight white stars left Catastrophe and circled themselves around Giant Germ, diving into the round being and uncovering the three stars hidden inside the germ. Three stars surrounded two, the remaining pair cornering the third. Surrounded, the stars were attacked by the invading army, dispersing into nothing. The Giant Germ exploded, spitting out five blackened stars dancing in a circle where it had been, Yusei's eyes widened at the sight, wondering if he was seeing things clearly – black stars were never a part of tuning.

"What's going on?" he cried.

"A Dark Synchro Summon takes the levels of a Dark Tuner from that of a normal monster, dragging it below zero and into the shadows that people neglect" the man replied with a grin.

"'Below zero'?" Yusei highlighted in shock. "Can there really be such a monster?"

"There can be" the man answered, holding up a grey card in the place of a white Synchro Monster. "A Level Minus 5 Dark Synchro".

"No way" Yusei gasped, staring at the card with widened eyes of horror and disbelief.

"Yami to yami kasanarishitoki, meifu no tobira ha hirakareru. Hikarinaki sekai he! Daaku Shinkuro! Ideyo, Hyouketsu no Fittsujerarudo! [ATK 2500]" [2]

The five stars combined into one, winds swirling around the tuning process. From the blackness, a body of ice grew; a small head tucked between two high pointed shoulders and clear wings sprouting from the narrow body, Brittle-looking arms hung from the connection between its body and wings. There were no legs, but a narrowing body hanging, eaten away until a mere tip ended its form; red eyes glowed from the white mask over where a face would be.

"A Dark Synchro Monster?" Yusei uttered, glaring up at the beast. An overwhelming feeling of doubt and dread washing over him; the Dark Synchro Monster was something entirely new, something filled with evil. If the vision from the Crimson Dragon was true; then it, and the man before him, were ready to strike, to burn Satellite to the ground and wipe out everything he held dear in defiance of the sacred dragon. Yusei clenched his jaws, glaring up at the beast; if he couldn't find a way to overcome the shadow counterpart of his Synchro Monsters, then Satellite was facing its end.

PREVIEW

Yusei: What's going on?

Dark Signer: This, Fudo Yusei, is your end.

Yusei: I have to assume this is why Godwin was aiming to gather the Signers, I won't let you destroy Satellite.

Dark Signer: Fate is not in your hands, you are but a mere servant. You cannot avoid the inevitable destruction of Satellite, taking you Signers with it.

Yusei: Next time: "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's: The Neo-Domino Purge, Chapter 26 – Dark Synchro Summon!" Synchro Summon, Turbo Warrior!

NEXT KEY CARD – Freezing Fitzgerald

[1] "Clustering stars will call upon a new force! Become the light it shines upon! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Junk Warrior!"

[2] "When dark overlaps with dark, the doors of the underworld will be opened. To the world without light. Dark Synchro! Show yourself, Freezing Fitzgerald!"

Taking advantage of the snow day between coursework and revising for exams; a mixture for constant stress, which will hold back updates, which I had been hoping to catch up on. For now, I hope this is enough to make up for not updating much in the past months; I'll aim to update again before the end of the year (if it shows, it'll be in the holiday) with a twist that's been in the planning for a while.

– CuteYami, 3rd December 2010