Author's Note Part 1: Thanks goes to Ulrich362, mcdinh, Doccy Larsson Seraphim, and iloveyugiohGX93 for reviewing the previous chapter!

I'm sorry. I tried. I tried to get my muses to write something else (like Crimson Games or my Professor Layton story Lost Future), but they were ADAMANT about working on this story.

*Sigh*

Oh, they also realized we totally forgot about one of our many fanfiction worlds… so yeah. There are five worlds left to be destroyed, not four, like I said last chapter.

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ONE OF MY FINISHED SIDE-STORIES AND A FUTURE SIDE-STORY I MIGHT NOT EVEN WRITE! IF YOU GET CONFUSED… TOO BAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! (Although I'll be glad to tell you more about the ninth world if you review, seeing as how that one is quite a bit out of context.)

This chapter ALSO contains two worlds belonging to other people. Ulrich362's "The Price of Peace", and Doccy Larsson Seraphim's "The Darkness Within". If you have not read either, then you might want to. …Especially Doccy's story, because his has OCs and if you aren't familiar with them, you'll be very confused. Speaking of that one, Doccy was kind enough to write me dialogue for the segment I wanted to use from that story. So yeah, the dialogue from that world is not taken DIRECTLY from that story.

With that out of the way… I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, Jay, or Lance. I own my OCs, though. Enjoy?

***This chapter is brought to you by Sorrow from Professor Layton and the Unwound Future***

Chapter 51

~Seventh World~Price of Peace~

An empty, barren land. One thing remains, one thing that makes me realize that this empty place is the ruins of Satellite. The twisted metal bridge to nowhere… it still juts proudly out of the ground. I can hear crying, but I have no idea what the source is, until my view zooms in.

Yusei is there, all alone. His eyes are red and puffy, tear tracks seemingly permanent marks on his face. He stares at the ruins of Satellite for a short while longer, then turns around. Across the sea, Neo Domino City fares no better.

Just what happened to this world…?

"They're all dead…" Yusei sniffs. "Everyone I know was killed because of what I did."

W-What?! What did he do?!

"I should have known that there would be a cost, but I never thought it would be that. All I did was try and protect them. I'm such an idiot…"

A rusted piece of Daedalus Bridge falls off, plummeting into the ocean below. It's the only noise here, in the place void of everything but Yusei…

"I should have been the one to die instead of them… The world may as well have been destroyed. This… This wasn't worth the cost… millions of lives lost… especially… especially her." A choked sob racks the broken man's body after that last declaration.

"It should finally end…"

It's now that I realize he was holding a shard of glass in his hands, and he holds it up. Without hesitation, he plunges it into his own chest.

The world's destruction is noticed by no one… because there is no one left alive.

XXX

Th-That's…! Yusei… He caused his own world's destruction… What did he do? Why did he have to die in order for everyone else to live? And… and who was the "her" he referred to? Was he married…? Oh god… driven mad with grief… enough to kill himself… a-and then the world ended anyways…

XXX

~Eighth World~Surrender~

A destroyed city… floating, upside-down, over the top of Neo Domino. The ruins slowly descending, slowly grinding the city beneath it to ruins. Yusei and Sky, arguing in the midst of the ruins, Yusei's Duel Runner not far away from them.

"I won't let you do this, Yusei!" Sky shouts. "I can't lose you…"

"And I can't lose you again," Yusei retorts. "Would you prefer it if one of the others does it?"

Sky fervently shakes her head. "No way. We're too close for use to lose anyone… you, most of all, Yusei. You're the glue that holds us together. If you do this, if you die…"

What are they talking about? What would Yusei have to do that could result in him dying…?

But you're the glue that holds me together. I have to do it, Sky," Yusei says confidently. "The more time we waste arguing, the closer to complete doom the citizens of Neo Domino and Satellite get."

Is he going to sacrifice himself to save them…?

"But you don't understand, Yusei! Leo and Luna look up to you! You, Jack, and Crow are practically family! And Akiza…"

Yusei's eyes glaze over as he looks away. "I do understand, Sky. You might not like my decision… but it's mine to make."

He moves over to his Duel Runner, placing the card Stardust Dragon on the Duel Disk. His dragon bursts to life, grabbing Sky from behind. He must be a Psychic in this world, too… Sky's face lights up with fear and surprise.

"No, Yusei! Don't do it!" she screams. "Be selfish for once in your life!"

"I'm sorry," he replies. When he gets on the Duel Runner and looks back at Sky, there are tears in his eyes. He looks up at his dragon, "Take her back to the others."

The dragon starts to carry her away. Away from the ruined city. Away from her brother. Sky shouts and struggles and cries. What is she trying to prevent…?

And the world cracks apart in the face of her sorrow.

XXX

G-Goodness… Was Yusei going to sacrifice himself to stop that upside-down city from falling? I-Is that what was necessary? And it was pointless… the world ended anyways…

XXX

~Ninth World~Zone~

A busy street just outside of a massive school. Children and teenagers already gathered in front of the building, all of them in variations of the same uniform. A red Duel Runner speeds across the street, pulling into a plaza with a fountain at the center. It has two riders—one girl, one boy. The girl is the driver, despite the Duel Runner looking exactly like the one that belongs to Yusei.

The Runner stops, and both riders get off. When they pull off their helmets, I see who they are. Yusei, a little younger than he was in my world, and with his hair styled in such a way it covers his right eye. The rest of the right side of his face seems scarred… like someone had burned it…

The driver, surprisingly, is Natsumi. She looks closer to sixteen in this, though.

"Well, nii-san? Aren't you glad to finally be back?" Natsumi asks.

"Y-Yeah… it feels like it's been forever since I've been here…" Yusei's hand tightens on the strap of the backpack slung over his shoulder.

A look of sorrow flashes across his sister's face. "It has been, remember? You were in that coma for two years…"

"And yet, it felt like it was an eternity," Yusei replies, a similar look on his face. It vanishes just as soon as it appeared. "S-So… where are our friends?"

"The usual place… you remember where that was?"

He nods, and they continue walking across the courtyard. There's a small alcove near the entrance of the building, and that's where more familiar faces are. Crow, myself, Jack, Alice, Leo, Luna, and Carly. The only person missing is Akiza. Instead, there's a young man with blue hair. No idea who he is.

"Yo!" Crow's the one who spots them first. "Look who's finally back?"

They all bombard him with hugs—even Jack, which is extremely unnerving. Yusei just stands there, staring at all of them. I think he even has tears in his eyes…

"Ah… where's Aki?" Yusei asks. His answer comes a moment later, when the magenta-haired teen angrily attacks him. And by that, I mean she slaps him in the face. The hand print is evident even amidst the scarred skin. He stumbles back in shock and pain. "A… Aki? What was that for?"

Her eyes are lined with tears even though she's clearly furious. "How dare you make me worry so much, Yusei?! I thought I'd never be able to tell you…" She catches herself, clamping a hand over her mouth and stares. Akiza shakes her head, and her hand drops. "I… that…"

And then she's kissing Yusei. On the lips.

After a split second of panic, Yusei seems to return it. Someone whistles—I think it was Crow—but the two seem to have no worries in the world…

They're broken apart when the sky turns into fragments.

XXX

G-God… a two year long coma? And Yusei was only just being able to see his friends again? Fate is… cruel… Especially for him and Akiza. (Aki? I wonder if that was a nickname or something.)

XXX

~Tenth World~Darkness Within~

The remnants of a penthouse destroyed by a dragon. That dragon being a long, serpentine red one with black lines adorning its body. The dragon's controller is hidden inside of shadows. Opposite them is someone I can see—a young man with blood-red hair and horns coming out of his head. His eyes are filled with worry; his dragon, which looks like it should be strong with its spikes, armor, and bladed tail, completely weakened…

And the horned man had people to protect. Akiza… Leo… Luna… the three of them are there, scared out of their minds.

"Now, your Supernova Dragon loses every ounce of power it has! All that's left is the body now, but soon, it will be devoured by Star Eater!" the shadowy figure proclaimed. "Battle Phase! Star Eater attacks Supernova Dragon! Eternal Dragon's Fury!"

The serpentine dragon lets loose a massive blast of energy that instantly destroys the other dragon. It sends the controller of the destroyed monster flying into the remnants of a wall. The impact makes a loud, sickening crack. He falls to the floor, a small pool of blood forming around his head, mixed with his own tears.

"JAY!" Akiza screams. That must be the redhead's name…

The mystery figure starts walking forward, his messy black hair shifting in the wind. Leo runs in front of him, declaring, "Don't you touch hi—"

Before he can finish, the serpentine dragon swats the green-haired boy away. The poor boy hits a block of marble, harder than the redhead hit that wall. His arms are cut up now, and there's a hole in his chest. I-Is… Is Leo…?

"LEO!" Luna howls… before Star Eater does the same to her. She lies on the floor, bleeding from her chest. I think… I think she's…!

That black-haired man… he murdered both of them…!

A very distraught Akiza tries to run away, but she's easily captured. The black-haired man laughs, and leaves the ruins of the penthouse with his two allies and Akiza in tow.

A little while later, the young man with horns stirs. He gets up and starts walking around—more like limping—and nearly trips over Luna's body. Jay turns her around, cupping her face and staring with eyes wide as saucers.

His tears only got worse when he turns around and sees Leo's body.

"NOO!"

His sorrow is extinguished by his world crumbling to pieces.

XXX

Whoever that was… I-I mean, I wonder why he has horns, but that really isn't the point! He… He was trying to protect Akiza, wasn't he? And then… then the twins… And Akiza was taken anyways… His world ending like that, too…

XXX

~Eleventh World~Angel~

A well-established orphanage in a secluded part of Satellite. The children are playing in another room, leaving the two occupants of the kitchen to their own thoughts. One is a kind, dark-skinned woman with her hair in braids. The other, a sixteen-year-old with brown hair and blue-grey eyes. The boy keeps pacing nervously across the kitchen floor, checking his phone and outside the window like he's expecting something.

Toby… and Martha. Th-This is…! This is my world!

"Boy, all that worrying won't do you any good," Martha says. "Angel can take care of herself."

"I-I know," Toby replies, "it's just… She and her Signer friends vanished so suddenly… I-I can't help but think something bad happened to her."

No, Toby. Nothing bad happened to me… but everyone else…

Martha chuckles a little. "You really care about her, don't you?"

"Y-Yeah… I'd marry her right now if I was older," Toby admits, blushing some. "She's… the only person alive who really knows me. Misty was the other, but she's…" He stops talking, wiping away a fresh batch of tears. "I wish I could hear something… This waiting is torture…"

"If you settle down, I wouldn't mind telling stories to pass the time," Martha says. "I raised Angel and her brother, remember?"

"R-Right… um… n-no super-embarrassing stories, okay? I… I think Angel should tell me those… and only if she wants to."

Martha chuckles again, and starts telling the story about how she rescued Crow and I from the streets.

They're so peaceful… but still worried about my safety…

And then reality falls apart, erasing two people I love from existence.

XXX

"TOBY!" I screech, throwing myself at the outside of the giant space bubble. It expands, so I get nowhere close to the edge. Tears are streaming down my face. All of the worlds were bad… but that one was mine… that one had Toby

The world where Sky's choice killed people…

The world where they survived the zombie apocalypse…

The world where it was more like a video game…

The world where Father tried to murder three girls…

The world where Crow was dying…

The world where I was insane…

The world where Yusei destroyed everything…

The world where Yusei would sacrifice himself…

The world where Yusei was in a two year coma…

The world where the twins were killed and Akiza was kidnapped…

The world where I used to live…

Is this really because of the power of the Crimson Immortals…?

To be continued…

Author's Note Part 2: Aaaaaand that's it for this chapter. I put in a little recap of all of the worlds. Hope that helped… somewhat…

Thanks again to mcdinh, Ulrich362, and Doccy Larsson Seraphim for letting me destroy their own fanfiction worlds!

Oh yeah. If all goes according to plan… there's only going to be one more chapter plus the epilogue. If that is the case, then there probably won't be an author's note next chapter I'll be crying so hard.

Yes, my muses have come up with the ULTIMATE heart-wrenching scene for next chapter… *sniff* S-See? I'm crying just THINKING about it!

Ah… please review?