It was supposed to be just a normal day, just Kaze and I lounging around and enjoying each other's company. Yesterday had taken a lot out of Kaze after all, though he couldn't seem to recall what had happened or why it did. Though he seemed to be better now, I still didn't want to push his condition, if one could call it that. We were just supposed to take a short walk around town and check out a few stores. I should have known better than to expect such a blissful thing, though.

As we made our way to leave the Arcadia Movement, the door suddenly opened and three girls rushed in with Ida lagging behind that. Seeing Ida with someone else just struck me as odd, as she never seemed to have any friends but us here.

"Ah, he really is here! It's him!" one of the girls cried out. Kaze, oblivious as he was, slowed to a stop and did a quick glance behind him and to the sides, checking for a famous person, or at least someone that would warrant their reaction, but found no one. Since Kaze was the only guy present in the entryway at the moment, and Ida was with them, it was obvious that they were looking for him.

"Hey, Kaze, Aki," Ida smiled as she gave us a quick wave.

"Oh, Kaze, I heard that you were good-looking, but the rumors just did not do you justice," the blond girl gushed as she and her friends quickly ran over to us, or more specifically Kaze, as they circled around him.

"Talented psychic duelist and D-Wheeler and good-looking to boot! I knew I just had to meet you!" the brunette said eagerly as she took hold of Kaze's hand in her own. My boyfriend gave me a look that was a mixture of confusion and apology, for he seemed to have no idea what was happening or why. I found myself twitching and fighting back the urge to draw a card from my deck, but my concern for the building we were in held me back. Instead, I settled for giving them the worst glare I could manage. Unfortunately they just seemed to ignore me.

"Hopefully you don't mind, but these guys heard about your exploits on the track and breaking the record and wanted to meet you, so I said you wouldn't mind. They just want you to teach them some tips, after all, since you're so good," Ida said, apparently having no issue with the girls fawning over Kaze for more than just D-Wheel skills.

"Yes, please do! I've always had so much trouble, and you look like such a capable rider…" the black-haired girl cooed as she slowly began running a finger down Kaze's forearm, causing him to flinch. This time, I actually did reach for one of my cards, to teach them to keep their hands to themselves, but Kaze's pleading glance to hold myself back caused me to pause. It didn't ease the growing irritation, though. Sure, Kaze was a nice guy, but these girls just came out of nowhere and were apparently smitten with him? That and Ida's presence with them just screamed that something was wrong with the situation.

"Please, Kaze!" the blonde begged, taking hold of Kaze's other arm.

"Please!"

"Erm… Well… I…" Kaze trailed off as he met my gaze once more. I found myself glancing over towards Ida only to find her simply smiling innocently. I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to gauge her reaction and see what her plan was. Was this some kind of trap? If I said no, was she hoping to ruin my image with Kaze by looking too clingy…? Saying yes was just as bad given how clingy they were though…

"Fine, go help them or whatever," I gave an irritated sigh as I pinched the bridge of my nose. Kaze's expression shifted into one of concern, but before he could act upon it, the girls let out a squeal of excitement before dragging him away towards the track. With them gone and Ida still smiling away beside me, I found myself holding back another sigh as I lowered my hand. "Hey, what are you trying to accomplish?" I asked without meeting Ida's vexing grin.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ida said innocently as she placed her hands behind her back.

"You were trying to get me separated from Kaze. I'm assuming you at least have some kind of reason, but I don't think doing it pointlessly is beyond you," I muttered.

"Ouch, you wound me. But no, not really no reason, but to you I suppose it probably would look like that," Ida hummed softly to herself as she rocked on the heels of her feet.

"Who are those girls?" I decided to change the topic since I was getting nowhere with her.

"Just some friends," Ida said with a sidelong glance towards me.

"Oddly I've never seen you with them," I remarked as I turned to face her.

"Friends in a cause, Aki," Ida rolled her eyes, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, before turning to face me as well.

"So you're telling me that they like Kaze, and you're okay with that?" I interrogated.

"Mm, no, more like they despise you?" Ida offered playfully with a finger to her chin.

"Despise me…?" I managed to let out in surprise. Ida smiled as she hummed her agreement and nodded her head. "But why!? What did I do to them?!" I snapped.

"Beats me," Ida said with a shrug of her shoulders. "They don't even really like me, but I'm close enough to you that I can make things happen. You can think of us as the Anti-Aki Alliance," Ida finished with another one of her vexing grins, like this was all just some sick playground game to her.

"You…!" I grinded out as I struggled to control my disgust. If I attacked her, Kaze probably wouldn't like that. Whatever he talked to Ida about, he didn't seem as upset with her as I had hoped, so I couldn't just unleash my powers on her. Even so, the idea was oh-so-tempting. Kaze would certainly understand, wouldn't he?

"Hm, what? Did you have a little date with Kaze today? So sorry. Guess he'll be spending the day with us instead," Ida feigned sympathy as she spoke.

"Unless I tell him," I said.

"Tell him?" Ida echoed dully.

"Yes, tell him. Tell him everything you've said to me, that you all hate me and are doing these things in spite me. Do you think he'd really stay with you if I told him that?" I asked.

"Ha…? And you think he'd believe you?" Ida asked, her eyes narrowing at me.

"Of course he would! Kaze and I have a close bond! We understand each other, and he knows that I wouldn't lie about this!" I found my voice raising, irritated that she'd even suspect that Kaze would favor her over me.

"You make it sound like he's your plaything, you know? Like you own him," Ida hissed out, taking me back a bit. My… plaything…? No, Kaze was his own person, he was entitled to do things, and I wouldn't stop him… So why would Ida say that…? "I have a special bond with Kaze too. One that's much closer than whatever act you like to put on to win him over. I'm a hero after all, so it's only natural that Kaze gravitates towards me in the end," Ida said boastfully with a shrug of her shoulders.

"A villain," the words left my mouth before I could stop them.

"Ha?" Ida asked, narrowing her eyes at me, daring me to say it again.

"You're a villain. Stop saying you're a hero!" I continued to snap.

"Who are you to judge, Witch?! What gives you the right to talk, huh!?" Ida snarled back at me with her hands clenched into fists.

"You…!" I found my fury rising higher as she called me a witch once more. Psychic powers didn't equate to being a witch! She was surrounded by people with psychic powers, and Kaze was even one of them, so why couldn't she see that?! Was she really so petty, so jealous of my relationship with Kaze, that her spite was reserved specifically for me?!

We probably would have remained like this, glaring intensely at each other, for quite some time, if we didn't hear footsteps approaching us.

"Hi Miss Aki!" a familiar voice greeted, drawing my eyes away from Ida and towards the brunette slowing to a stop.

"Oh, um, Tobi, right?" I pulled back at the memory of the boy, but it wasn't too fresh despite being just two days ago. A lot of things had happened since then.

"Mmhmm! I'm surprised that you remembered me! That makes me so happy!" Tobi's wide grin reflected what he said. Seeing his youthful cheer eased a bit of my irritation, as I could focus on him instead.

"Why, hi there! I don't think we've met before! My name is Ida, the Dark Queen! If you need something, I'd be happy to help you! I'm way better than Aki here," Ida decided to bring my disgust back by entering the conversation with a grin matching Tobi's.

"Oh, no, I don't need your help with anything, really, I was just looking for Mr. Kaze," Tobi said.

"Kaze? Well, you just missed him, but what do you need him for?" I asked, finding it a bit odd that my apparent fan was seeking Kaze out of the blue.

"Ah, it's just that I still don't have my key yet, but I want to go into my room so I can unpack," Tobi explained, turning a bit to reveal a small backpack to us.

"Oh, you're staying here? That's great!" I found myself smiling at the Psychic before me, who eagerly returned the smile. If he was staying here, he wouldn't have to face any of the hate from those who feared our powers and… "Wait… why would Kaze be able to help you with that?" the rational part of my mind decided to speak up.

"Well, Mr. Divine said that the two of us were really similar, so he'd room us together! I mean, Mr. Kaze doesn't know about it yet, but…" Tobi trailed off weakly as he shifted on his feet, apparently feeling a little guilty about it.

"Oh, that's fine, I'm sure Kaze won't mind," I tried to comfort him. "Here, I'll take you there so you can get started," I offered.

"You have a key, Miss Aki?" Tobi asked.

"Something like that," I smiled softly.

"Ah, that makes sense! You're his girlfriend, right? Of course you have a key," Tobi nodded a bit as he spoke, but I just found my cheeks heating up. Despite us having been dating a while, being called out of the blue like this was still embarrassing. We hadn't even told Tobi, either, yet he was able to infer it right away.

"His door is always open, kid, it doesn't have to do with that," Ida growled indignantly as she glared at me. Obviously she wasn't too happy about Tobi thinking I had special privileges in regards to Kaze, but then again, when was Ida ever happy about something related to me?

Tobi was quick to pick up on the malice in Ida's voice and stared at her for a while, trying to figure out why.

"Oh, don't worry about her. She's just bitter," I commented, enjoying the twitch of irritation that it gave Ida. Realization suddenly spread across Tobi's face.

"Ah! Are you Mr. Kaze's ex?" Tobi asked as he placed his fist into the palm of his other hand, apparently pleased with his deduction. I found myself jumping back a bit at his bluntness, though, while Ida reacted as if he had just hit her instead. Once her surprise faded, Ida's countenance quickly shifted back to irritation, but it was much more intense this time.

"N-no, that's not-" I quickly made to explain before Ida could unleash her fury on Tobi.

"No, but I know who should be," Ida growled, giving me a sidelong glance, before turning around and storming out of the building. I let out a sigh, internally glad that she was gone.

"I'm sorry, Tobi, but that's kind of a sore topic right now for Ida," I explained to the befuddled duelist before me.

"No, no, I'm sorry, it's my fault. Sometimes I just don't think before I talk, so I'm sorry if I hurt Ms. Ida's feelings," Tobi said. Part of me wanted to congratulate him for giving Ida a taste of her own medicine, but I figured that'd just be more confusing for the brunette.

"I'm sure she'll be fine in a minute. Instead of worrying about her, though, let's go get you to your room," I suggested.

"Oh, right! Thanks, Miss Aki," Tobi smiled before we began making our way to Kaze's room. Along the way, I took out my PDA and sent a quick message to Kaze, explaining that I'd be in his room when he got done dealing with Ida's groupies. With that out of the way, I finished taking Tobi to Kaze's room and opened the door, motioning for the brunette to enter.

As soon as we entered, I found that there was another bed set up in Kaze's room. I certainly had no reason to doubt Tobi, but it did confirm his statement that he and Kaze were now roommates, despite the short notice. After I explained which bed was Kaze's to him, the brunette went over to his bed and slung his backpack off his shoulders before rummaging through it.

"You're lucky to have Kaze as a roommate, you know. He's an amazing friend. I'm sure you two will get along just fine," I spoke absentmindedly as I helped myself to Kaze's bed.

"I know! He seems so kind! I mean, I didn't really talk to him, but he just has that aura, you know? And, and, I heard that he broke a D-Wheel record! He's a Psychic too! He's, like, the best roommate I could ask for, especially since I kind of know him too," Tobi began to rant excitedly and I found myself smiling lightly at him. It was strange, this whole fan business. It really didn't feel like I deserved a fan at all after everything that I did, but here Tobi was, looking up to me like I was some kind of celebrity and eagerly chatting with me. "Ah, but I suppose you already know all that, don't you?" Tobi finished sheepishly as he paused in his unpacking to give me a smile.

"Of course, but I don't mind talking about him. What about you, though, Tobi? How'd you end up hearing about me and coming to the Movement?" I found myself asking.

"Ah, well, funny story, actually! So, my sister is this big model, so I travel around with her a lot, changing Duel Academies as I go. Not too long ago, I was actually enrolled in your Duel Academy!" Tobi said, taking me by surprise.

"Y-you were enrolled at my school?" I repeated in disbelief, to which Tobi hummed a bit and nodded. I supposed his constant transferring would explain the different uniform, since Kaze also had a different uniform, but all the same… If Tobi attended my school, why wouldn't he hate me?

"I saw you duel once, and it was amazing! You had such amazing combos, I was blown away! Then I learned that you were a psychic, and I just knew I had to meet you! I heard rumors that you were staying here, so I figured I'd come check it out, and what do you know, I met you on the very first day!" Tobi smiled contently. Ah, so he didn't know about the destruction that I caused…? That certainly explained a few things.

It didn't sit as well with me as I'd hoped, though. I supposed part of me wanted my supposed fan to admire me regardless of my powers' destruction. The fact that I had a fan was a miracle in itself, though, so I shouldn't take it for granted.

Suddenly, the door opened, drawing both of our attentions as Kaze slipped into the room, as if he were being watched.

"Ah, Aki! You're still here, good," Kaze gave a soft smile as he closed the door behind him.

"Of course, I told you I'd wait here for you. Where are your little fans, though?" I asked, trying to keep the spite out of my voice.

"I managed to get away from them by having them go out on test runs together and telling them that I had to go to the bathroom. I felt really bad about leaving them, but I felt worse leaving you, since we had plans and all," Kaze said before his eyes finally caught sight of the other brunette in the room. "Oh, Tobi, what's going on?" Kaze asked as his eyes shifted between the duelist and his belongings scattered across the bed.

"Oh, um…! Mr. Kaze…! I'm joining the Arcadia Movement! Mr. Divine said that we'd make a good match, so he assigned me to be your roommate! I hope you don't mind," Tobi said, stopping his unpacking to turn to face Kaze and give him a slight bow.

"No, no, it's fine. I don't mind at all. I've just never had a roommate before, so it'll be a learning experience for the both of us," Kaze said.

"Mmhmm! I'm looking forward to it!" Tobi said.

"Though, if we're going to be roommates, you can stop being so formal," Kaze pointed out, taking the brunette by surprise.

"A-are you sure?" Tobi asked apprehensively.

"Of course. I'm not that much older than you, and if we're roommates, we'll be equals," Kaze smiled.

"The same goes for me as well. As flattered as I am, I'm just another Psychic like you, so you don't have to treat me like a celebrity," I added. This seemed to make Tobi more uneasy as he shifted on his feet.

"O-okay… If you two insist… Kaze and Aki," Tobi said experimentally, trying out saying our names by themselves before nodding to himself.

"So, Tobi, since you're staying here, I'm assuming you have psychic powers. What kind do you have?" Kaze decided to start a conversation with his new roommate as he situated himself beside me on his bed and Tobi resumed going through his things.

"Oh, I have powers like Aki. I materialize monsters, though not as strongly as she does," Tobi said. "Ah, that reminds me though!" Tobi cried out suddenly as he spun around to face us. "Will you duel me?"

"D-duel you?" I repeated in confusion.

"Mmhmm! I've been meaning to ask you, but I hadn't gotten the chance! I really would like the chance to see your powers up close and get a better feel for mine! I'd be honored if you dueled me!" Tobi bowed as he spoke.

"If you want to learn control, you'd be better off dueling Kaze. He's the one helping me with my powers, after all," I pointed out, causing Tobi to right himself as he looked at Kaze in surprise.

"Aki, you're selling yourself short. You have plenty of control now," Kaze smiled at me. It was true that my powers were better than before, but still…

"How about a battle royal, then? So he can duel both of us?" I suggested, figuring it was a fairly solid idea. It was like the best of both worlds, after all. Tobi's eyes quickly widened though as he took a step back.

"B-but… if we do a battle royal, I'll be by myself, and I'm sure I'd lose against you two. You're so strong," Tobi muttered. I shot a glance at Kaze from the corner of my eyes. I supposed that he did have a point… Though Kaze and I were ranked Osiris at Duel Academy against Tobi's Obelisk status, our dueling records were still fairly strong compared to most.

"Aki, why don't we do two-on-one? You team up with Tobi, so he can learn from you up close, and I'll duel you both," Kaze offered.

"Are you sure that's okay? You'll be by yourself against us," I noted.

"It's not a big deal. We're just dueling to help Tobi learn, after all," Kaze dismissed my concern with a slight wave of his hand as he pushed himself off the bed, to which I followed in suit.

"Well… if you're sure. Do you want to have 8000 or-" I started to ask Kaze about the rules of our duel when the door was suddenly thrown open and Ida strutted in, a wide grin on her face. I tried to hold in my groan.

"Kaze! There you are! I've been looking for you!" Ida said as she situated herself by his side.

"Ah! Ida! That's great! Now you can have a partner! It's a tag duel!" Tobi said excitedly, not helping my revulsion. Honestly, she couldn't just leave us alone…? Beyond that, now she was going to be partners with Kaze and act all buddy-buddy with him again.

"Tag duel…?" Ida asked, obviously confused as she had entered the conversation without warning.

"We're going to duel Tobi to help him with his psychic powers," Kaze offered.

"Oh, I see! Of course! I'd be happy to help! We're going to blow them away!" Ida grinned.

"W-well, try not to go too hard at it. This is for Tobi," Kaze gently reminded her with a smile, to which Ida nodded.

"Hmm… We need team names!" Ida exclaimed suddenly. "Kaze and I… We're the Red Queen Team!" Ida smiled, apparently quite satisfied with her choice.

"That's not too bad. I've heard worse," Kaze seemed to appreciate the name with a slight smile. Heard worse? What about the 'Justice Brigade'? I let out a light laugh under my breath before shaking my head. No, this was for Tobi, and Ida wasn't going to ruin anything with her fake antics.

"Haha, I know, right? Because you're Red and I'm the Queen, it just works out!" Ida scratched at the back of her neck as she continued to smile before turning her attention towards us. "And they… they're…" she trailed off as her bravado left her.

"Um… I don't have a nickname," Tobi murmured. I briefly wondered if Ida was simply trying to think of the worst name for us without it being obvious slander, but thankfully Kaze stepped up before she could piece her thoughts together.

"How about the Rose Kites…?" Kaze asked slowly.

"Kites?" I asked. The rose part I could understand, as my nickname was the Black Rose Witch, but 'kite' just seemed…

"Well, um, Tobi means kite, so I just… I don't know, it just came to mind," Kaze said sheepishly with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Hm… But… Kite is a little anti-climactic," Ida murmured with her hand to her chin in thought.

"It is, isn't it?" Kaze agreed before the two returned to their thoughts, wracking their mind for names.

"Um… Can we be the Misty Black Duelists?" Tobi spoke up from beside me.

"Misty…? That's even more random than kites," I muttered.

"O-oh, well, my sister's name is Misty, and it works, right?" Tobi gave me a lopsided grin that I couldn't get the heart to protest against. It truly wasn't that bad of a name, though given Ida…

"Mmm… Ominous, very befitting for the opponents of the Red Queen Team!" Ida shouted eagerly right on cue.

"W-wait… Why does that make us sound like the villains…?" Tobi asked.

"You'll learn to just deal with it, Tobi," I let out a sigh as I rolled my eyes.

"Now! Prepare yourselves, Misty Black Duelists! It's time to duel!" Ida said before we all activated our duel disks.

[Kaze and Ida: 8000 LP] [Aki and Tobi: 8000 LP]

"You can go first, Tobi," Kaze prompted the brunette beside me, who nodded.

"Alright, but please don't hold back! I want to see just how strong you guys are!" Tobi grinned. "I'll start things off with one card face-down! Then I'll summon Telekinetic Shocker!" Tobi declared as he threw his card into his duel disk, causing the helmeted monster to appear in a burst of electricity. [Telekinetic Shocker: 1700 ATK] "That ends my turn!"

"So then, I'll go first for our team?" Kaze asked Ida, who gave a nod of approval. "I'll summon Warrior of Atlantis," Kaze said before the blue fish-like man showed up. [Warrior of Atlantis: 1900 ATK] "Then, Warrior of Atlantis, destroy Shocker!" Kaze declared. His monster quickly rushed forward before jumping into the air, firing its harpoon, which went through our monster and caused it to shatter. [Tobi and Aki: 7800 LP] "With one card face-down, I'll end my turn."

"It's my move, then. I'll just summon Hedge Guard in Defense Mode, and that'll be all," I said as the plants materialized out of nowhere, thankfully not tearing through the ground as they used to, before turning blue. It seemed like my training with Kaze was really working. [Hedge Guard: 2100 DEF]

"I'll start off by tributing Kaze's Warrior of Atlantis to summon Malevolent Mech - Goku En!" Ida declared. The blue man erupted into purple flames, and when they dispersed, a large black creature was snarling down at us, its flames disappearing harmlessly as they hit the walls. [Malevolent Mech - Goku En: 2400 ATK] "Now we have enough Attack to destroy Hedge Guard! Goku En, do your thing!" Ida continued as she threw her arm out towards my monster. Her zombie let out a roar before rushing forward, raking its claws through Hedge Guard, shattering it. "That'll be all."

"Um…! For my move… I'll just summon Lifeforce Harmonizer in Defense Mode," Tobi said shakily from beside me as a blue creature that seemed to be made out of water took its place on our field, shifting to a darker blue as it did. [Lifeforce Harmonizer: 400 DEF]

"To start, I'll activate Enemy Controller. This card allows me to change one of your monster's battle position. I choose Lifeforce Harmonizer," Kaze said as our only monster was forced back to its original hue. [Lifeforce Harmonizer: 800 ATK]

"Wah..! I-I'm so sorry, Aki…! This is all my fault…! If I just had a stronger monster-" Tobi started to apologize to me, but I shook my head.

"Don't worry about it. The duel isn't over yet. Keep faith in your cards. We can still turn this around," I smiled at him. Though he was taken by surprise at first, the sparkle quickly returned to his eyes and he nodded vigorously. I turned back to face Kaze to see the rest of his combo, only to find him smiling as well.

"Then I'll summon Pilgrim of the Ice Barrier," the brunette said. As he placed his card down, a blond man appeared before him, clapping his hands together as he focused on his meditation. [Pilgrim of the Ice Barrier: 1500 ATK] "Now, Goku En, attack Harmonizer!" Kaze declared. In a similar fashion as before, the zombie let out a roar before charging forward and destroying our monster. Thankfully Ida wasn't a psychic, so her monster simply faded through and left Tobi unharmed. [Tobi and Aki: 6200 LP]

"Are you alright, Tobi?" Kaze called out experimentally as Tobi lowered his arms, which he had raised up in defense.

"Huh… Y-yeah. I just… I didn't feel anything…?" Tobi whispered. I opened my mouth, considering telling Tobi that the others weren't technically Psychics, but then I realized that it might be better if he didn't know. If he thought they were Psychics, he might realize that he truly could control his powers, as I have. Kaze said there had to be trust, so this could be a crucial step in his development.

"If you're sure. Pilgrim, now it's your turn. Attack them directly," Kaze ordered his monster. The man before him snapped out of his meditation and suddenly rushed forward, slamming one of his palms into Tobi. [Tobi and Aki: 4700 LP] "That ends our turn," Kaze said.

"Then it's my move, and I'll summon Lonefire Blossom," I said as I summoned the bulb-like monster. [Lonefire Blossom: 500 ATK] Tobi looked at me out of the corner of his eyes, noticeably concerned that I summoned such a weak monster compared to our opponents', but choosing not to say anything. "Then I activate its effect! I can tribute one Plant monster to Special Summon another Plant monster from my deck. I'll tribute Lonefire Blossom in order to summon Tytannial, Princess of Camellias!" I declared. My Lonefire Blossom opened up its bulb, causing a light to erupt from it. As it withered away, a new monster took its place, a large woman made of roses. [Tytannial, Princess of Camellias: 2800 ATK]

"W-wait…! Is that even fair?" Ida cried out in disbelief.

"Don't worry, Ida, this duel isn't over yet," Kaze comforted his partner.

"Wow…! As expected of the Black Rose! Now we have a stronger monster!" Tobi shouted eagerly as his hands clenched.

"Now, Tytannial, attack Goku En!" I shouted.

"Not so fast! I activate Widespread Ruin!" Kaze said as he reached to activate his trap.

"Unfortunately for you, I activate Malfunction! By paying 500 Life Points, I can negate your trap's activation and return it to its original position," I said, causing the trap to float back down. [Aki and Tobi: 4200 LP]

"Uwah…! You're so cool!" Tobi gushed, causing me to blush. Really, this fan thing…!

"Don't get careless, Tobi. Next turn, they can just activate it again," I reminded him.

"Ah! You're right!" Tobi said as our monster tore through Kaze's and Ida's monster. [Kaze and Ida: 7600LP]

"That will end our turn," I said.

"Alright! It's my turn for a turnaround! I activate Creature Swap! With this, I can swap two of our monsters! I swap our Pilgrim for your Tytannial!" Ida shouted.

"W-what!? B-but that means…" Tobi trailed off as our monsters floated to the other's place.

"That's right! Now we have the strongest monster again!" Ida grinned.

"Even so, Pilgrim can't be destroyed by monsters with over 1900 Attack Points," I pointed out.

"That doesn't matter! All that matters is dealing damage to you!" Ida said. "With that said, Tytannial! Attack Pilgrim!" I braced myself for the damage as the woman charged forward, but thankfully the attack faded right through me, more than likely due to my increased control of my monsters and the fact that Pilgrim took the brunt of the attack. [Aki and Tobi: 2900 LP] "That ends my turn."

"My move!" Tobi declared as he drew his card. Upon seeing what it was, his eyes widened. A good card, I presumed, as he quickly grinned afterwards. "I summon Krebons in Attack Mode!" Tobi said as the purple themed jester appeared before us. [Krebons: 1200 ATK] "He won't be sticking around for too long, though! I tune my Krebons with my Pilgrim!" Tobi continued. Krebons jumped into the air, bursting into a blinding light before shifting into two circles. Pilgrim of the Ice Barrier then changed into four stars, which flew through the circles. "Now! Synchro Summon! HTS Psyhemuth!" As the light faded, a dog-like creature made of machine parts with crystals lining it took its position on our side of the field. [HTS Psyhemuth: 2400 ATK]

"Um… kid? That has 2400 Attack Points. It's not strong enough to defeat our monster," Ida pointed out. I had more faith in Tobi than that, though.

"Let's see about that! Psyhemuth! Attack Tytannial!" Tobi shouted.

"I-Ida! Quick, activate our trap!" Kaze told his partner, who just looked at him, bewildered by his suggestion.

"E-eh?! W-why? It's weaker than ours, they're just destroying themselves!" Ida retorted as Tytannial easily overpowered our Synchro. [Tobi and Aki: 2500 LP] "See? It's fine," Ida insisted as she motioned to their monster.

"Ida…" Kaze trailed off with his hand to his chin, apparently debating about something.

"I activate Psyhemuth's effect! After damage calculation, I can remove both it and the monster it battled from play!" Tobi grinned as Ida's eyes widened in shock.

"W-what!? Agh, man, I messed up royally…! Sorry, Kaze," Ida muttered as Psyhemuth dug its fangs into Tytannial's neck, causing it to disappear with it.

"No, no, it's fine. You didn't know," Kaze tried to console her, but I found myself amused with the fact that their teamwork was so off. She didn't trust Kaze enough to adhere to his judgement and was the same reckless duelist as always. "Besides, this might make things interesting. The playing field is level now. Let's see where this takes us."

"That ends my turn," Tobi announced.

"Alright then. I think I'll summon Nightmare Penguin in Attack Mode, and whenever he's face up, all Water monsters gain an addition 200 Attack Points," Kaze said as the top hat wearing penguin appeared before him. [Nightmare Penguin: 900 - 1100 ATK] "Nightmare Penguin, attack them directly," Kaze commanded. With a squawk, the penguin obliged, phasing through Tobi on its stomach. [Tobi and Aki: 1400 LP] "And that ends my turn."

"It's my move, then," I muttered as I drew my card. I felt myself smile upon seeing what I had drawn. "I'll summon Twilight Rose Knight! That's not all, though! Whenever he is summon, I can Special Summon a Level four or lower Plant-Type monster from my hand! So, I also summon Revival Rose," I started with one of my favorite combos. I waited for the purple-themed knight and roses to appear before continuing with my move. "I tune my Level three Twilight Rose Knight with my Level four Revival Rose! Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" I shouted as I threw my hand up towards the light from my synchro. 'Remember, Aki, just believe…!' When it faded, Black Rose Dragon was floating before me. There were no petals, no damage to the room, just a bit of wind as she flexed her wings. [Black Rose Dragon: 2400 ATK] I sighed with relief as Tobi gawked at my dragon. "That ends my turn."

"Ah…! You're not attacking because they have Widespread Ruin, right?" Tobi pondered, to which I nodded my confirmation. Attacking at this point would leave us open for another attack, which we couldn't afford since Ida could summon a monster too.

"I suppose I'll start off by shifting Nightmare Penguin to Defense Mode. Then I'll summon Zombie Master in Defense Mode as well, and that's it," Ida said as Nightmare Penguin changed to blue and a masked man with a cape appeared, also shifting to a blue hue. [Nightmare Penguin: 1800 DEF] [Zombie Master: 0 DEF]

"I summon Destructotron," Tobi declared before a robot took shape before us. [Destructotron: 1200 ATK] "That's not all, though! I use his effect! I can pay 1000 Life Points to destroy a set trap or spell! I choose your face-down Widespread Ruin," Tobi shouted. After absorbing some of our Life Points, the robot fired the accumulated energy out of its hand, piercing through our opponents' face-down. [Tobi and Aki: 400 LP]

"Good job, Tobi. Even though it reduces your life points, it leaves us wide open for your attack," Kaze praised the brunette beside me, causing his face to light up.

"Uh… Kaze…? You know you're my partner, right?" Ida deadpanned.

"Of course, but we're trying to help Tobi learn more about his powers and dueling. We should try to help him out as best we can," Kaze smiled.

"Thanks, Kaze! My move doesn't stop there, though! I'll use Destructotron to destroy Zombie Master and Black Rose to destroy Nightmare Penguin!" Tobi said before the monsters attacked their designated targets, easily destroying them. "Now it's your turn. Unfortunately, since Destructotron is the only Psychic monster on our field, he's destroyed," Tobi continued as the machine exploded.

"It's my move, then! I'll start things off by activating Water Hazard! This card allows me to Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Water monster from my hand if I control no monsters! I use its effect to summon Skreech, and then Normal Summon Deep Sea Diva," Kaze began with a familiar combo of his own. I let out a wistful sigh, knowing what was coming next. I should have known better. Even if he was partnered up with Ida, Kaze was still a top-notch duelist.

"Ah! Is this what I think it is?" Ida asked eagerly.

"It is. I tune my Level 2 Deep Sea Diva with my Level 4 Skreech. He who was born from the blizzards of the past! Break your frozen shackles and freeze all who dare get in your path! Synchro Summon, Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!" Kaze shouted. As the two monsters combined in a display of lights, giving way to Brionac, I slowly realized what was going to happen; Brionac and Black Rose would be on the field at the same time. After yesterday, the thought quickly made me blush a bit. [Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier: 2300 ATK]

As if to justify my concerns, Brionac began growling something at Black Rose, who returned it eagerly. Kaze, pink tinging his cheeks, put a hand to his face while shaking his head. Ida gave an exaggerated eye roll while Tobi gave us all concerned glances. Were those two really flirting across the duel field…? I kind of felt bad for Kaze, since he could actually understand them. I could only imagine what they'd be saying to each other.

"Anyway…! I use Brionac's effect! By discarding one card, I can return one card on the field to its owner's hand! I choose Black Rose Dragon," Kaze declared. Though seemingly a bit reluctant, his dragon obliged, flapping its wings and forcing my dragon to return to my Extra Deck, leaving our field empty. "Brionac, do your thing and end this," Kaze said. Brionac let out a growl before flapping his wings once more, taking away what remained of our Life Points. [Aki and Tobi: 0 LP]

"T-that… That… That was amazing…! It… it was real, but, like, it wasn't! Does that make sense? Like, I could feel everything! How cold the wind was, the gust from Black Rose, but none of it hurt or anything…! This is what controlling your powers is like?" Tobi began to gush excitedly as Kaze and Ida made their way over to us.

"That's right, and with a bit of practice, you can control yours too," Kaze gave Tobi a smile, which the brunette quickly returned.

"You guys are amazing…! I learned so much, not only about my powers, but about dueling too! Thank you all so much," Tobi bowed as he spoke.

"It was nothing. We were glad to help," I smiled.

"Oh, this is just so great…! I've gotta to try my powers out now! I'm gonna learn how to control them so I can be just as good as you guys some day!" Tobi said eagerly before darting away.

I looked over towards Kaze, who was still smiling as he watched his roommate depart. After everything that had happened with Ida, I had thought that everything was ruined, but it wasn't, was it…? In fact, things were starting to look up.

"You did great, Aki," Kaze commented suddenly, taking me by surprise.

"E-eh? But we lost," I said.

"Well, yeah, but winning or losing doesn't really matter. The most important part was that you really controlled your powers, and it will only get easier from here," Kaze continued.

"Hey, yeah, this is great and all, but won't the others be finishing up their practice runs soon? They're going to be wondering why you didn't stick around until they finished," Ida obnoxiously decided to try and ruin the moment.

"Ah, I suppose you're right. I should probably apologize too," Kaze conceded. Just as I began trying to quell my anger, Kaze turned and smiled at me. "Come on, Aki, let's go."

"Are you sure that's okay? Those girls seem to really not like me near you," I commented offhandedly, causing Ida to ground her teeth a bit.

"Aki, if that's the case, then that's all the more reason for you to go," Kaze insisted, taking me by surprise. "You and I… We're like a packaged deal now. If they want to be friends with me, then they're going to have to be friends with you too, because I'm not going to put anyone else before you."

I found myself floundering for words as my cheeks began to feel numb from blushing so much. Ida sighed in irritation, but I paid her no mind. I smiled at Kaze before entwining our fingers as we began departing.

That's right. Why did I ever doubt Kaze? No matter who else shows up, we'll always be together. Always.

Reviews:

Lion Heart Leon: A tiny bit of trivia relating to the dragons falling in love; I was originally planning on having the dragons fall in love first, during DA, which would force the two to hang out because Brionac would nag at Kaze that he wanted to be with his girlfriend, and the two would awkwardly bond over that, but I decided to go with, well, what you've seen so far, as it made more sense. Thinking back on it, that's probably a pretty good one-shot AU. I'm glad you enjoyed it, though.

Silver Flame Haze: I'm afraid that in this sense, you're in Aki's shoes, and Aki is completely dumbfounded by what's happening. Unless Aki suddenly starts understanding what's happening, chances are you'll be bewildered by her actions too, just as she is.

Tyler Nator: Haha, well, I'm glad my research paid off xD I'm glad you enjoyed everything so much, though, and hope you continue to.

Rush: Well, I'm afraid there's not another extra relating to Ida planned relatively soon. You might just hear about it later on down the road, though. I'm glad you got the Divine connection, though xD I was worried that no one was going to pick up on it.