Rest Easy, Dad! I'm going to miss you. :(

Cora

Once the morning crept over the world, Cora and her friends gathered what they needed for another day at school and then headed downstairs to the tower's game shop to pick up a few cards from the new sets that were recently released. They found something they...did not expect.

"Rush Duels?" M said, looking at the new designs a few brand new monsters had. They were specially made for the new version of the game. "This isn't a requirement, is it? I mean, I don't have to add these things to my deck, do I?"

"Don't worry, babe," Nixie said, chuckling. "It's a whole new game. There's no need to add those cards to your deck. And I'm glad, that new magician right there has this awkward-looking rape face, don't you think?"

"I think he's wonderful," Cora said, not very judgemental about the cards. She started looking at a few new cards in the glass display cases. "Check out these new Red Dragon Archfiend supports. Red Super Nova Dragon. Man, that thing is so beast!"

"Why don't you add him to your deck?" Jericho suggested. She walked closer to Cora to get away from a possible outburst from a boy pleading his mom to buy him some cards. "I think Red Dragon Archfiend works well with Blue-Eyes."

The mother told the boy to put the cards away and lectured him about how she was here to buy a few things for a girl's birthday and not for him.

Cora tapped her bottom lip as she pondered what Jericho suggested. She had always wanted to try playing the Red Dragon Archfiend archetype.

"You know, I would if I could, but they are so hard to find, even for my dad. So far I only have Red Dragon Archfiend himself and his Red Nova Dragon form. The others like his Red Hot forms are always sold out by the time I go shopping for them. It's like Jack Atlas himself just buys them all or something. Speaking of which, anyone see him on the cover of Duel Kings Magazine?"

Jericho licked her lips. "Mmm, I sure did."

The mother grabbed the pack of cards from the boy's hand and put it away. He whined loudly, meanwhile Jericho and Cora high-fived. "Oof, I hope I get to Duel him one day."

"Me too, girl," said Cora. "I'd go straight for him."

M burst out laughing when she said that. "Damn, Cora. It's never a dull moment with you."

"You cannot blame her for that," Madeline swooned, remembering the cover as well. "Jack Atlas iz one of ze hottest bachelors in Domino City behind Prince Michael. On ze subject of dragons going well with your Blue-Eyes, have you thought about Galaxy-Eyes, Cora?"

The boy whined again and picked up another pack of cards, following his mom to the checkout line. Things were about to heat up.

"Galaxy-Eyes?" Cora asked.

"I want iiiit," the boy whined.

Kasumi joined in, wanting to get as far away from the confrontation with the boy and his mother. "Yeah, Pegasus uncovered the ancient cards of the monsters Evangelia Pendragon once used to defeat your ancestors in the Waltz of the Dragon Queens. Avi the Dragon Summoner was the first to use them. Now that they are a success, they've become a new archetype for the game. They're pretty cool-looking."

"Uh-huh," said Jericho. "Come on Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon, babe. That's what you need for your deck!"

"No way, that thing is so overrated," Kasumi argued.

"You're probably mad it trounced your ass a dozen times," Jericho countered. "Trust me, Cora. Crystal Wing all the way."

"She would say that," Madeline said. "She's a member of the Synchro Summoners Guild. Looking for a new member, I see."

Jericho snapped her fingers and smirked. "Well, Blue-Eyes White Dragons are about the Synchros. And don't point your finger at me for playing favorites. Hmph. You're pushing Cora to use those Xyz Monsters because you are part of the Xyz Summoners Guild, yes?"

"I am."

"There. It makes sense why you want Cora to have Galaxy-Eyes. They're Xyz based mostly."

Madeline smirked. "Of course I want Cora as part of the guild. Xyz Monsters are much easier to summon and are far more powerful by comparison."

"Easier, ha! It takes more skill to summon Synchro Monsters."

"And more cards," Kasumi countered. "I watched your Duel with Ethan. You burned through almost half your deck just to bring those D/D/D monsters out."

Jericho waved her hand up and down. "Details, details. I was able to bring out boss monsters who negate anything my opponent can play. Half my deck seems like a worthy payout to me."

"Well, my Monarchs can wipe the board and negate as soon as they're summoned," Amy said.

"Some of them can," Jericho sniggered. "They're cool but not as cool as my Different Dimension Daemons."

The mother took the cards from the boy and put them away. "What the FRRRCCCKKK!" he roared. He fell to his knees, hands grasping the back of his head. He roared in sorrow. His mom came and picked him up. He refused to move from the spot, arm reaching for the cards. "But I want it! I want it, ma!"

"Oh, Horakhty, have mercy," Jericho silently sniggered, finding the whole situation rather awkward.

"Mommy, I want it!" the boy shouted, grabbing a structure deck from the shelf. "Mommy, please! Mom!" he cried out one last time. She kept on walking, much to the boy's anger. "DARN IIIIIIIITTTT!" he roared as if he were a Berja charging into battle. Then he wept in disappointment.

"Victor are you serious?" the mother cried out.

"Yeah but I want it! I waaant it!" He started smashing things on his way out. "It's not fair! It's not fair! You promised me! You promised meeeee! I get nothing! Always nothing!"

He went out the door, kicking shopping carts. The mother followed telling him to stop. And then silence. They were gone at last.

"All right, folks, show's over," said the store manager.

"So when does the bus leave?" Cora said after an awkward silence. "I am so glad I can't have kids."

"Not with your preference, love," giggled Jericho. "Come on, let's get what we need and hit the road. So, Cora, what kind of cards are you going to get?"

"I'll take all of them," Cora said, whipping out her credit card. "Galaxy-Eyes, Red Dragon Archfiend, Crystal Wing. They're all too wonderful to pass up."

"Which ones do you want, sweetie?" asked the friendly cashier.

Cora picked more than fifty cards from the display case. The cashier wrapped them neatly in foil and packaged them in a leather case before handing it to her. "Thank you," he said. "Have a wonderful day."

"You, too," Cora said. She walked out of the store and waited for the others to finish their shopping.

Yumi came down later from the penthouse, clutching the white bear True Exodia gave her. He was on her back acting like a backpack. She had a red silk ribbon in her hair.

"Look at you," Cora said, running her fingers through Yumi's jet-black hair. "Don't you clean up nice. Uh, cool-looking backpack."

"It's the best we could come up with," True Exodia said silently. "And don't pay me any heed. People are going to find you weird talking to a bag, Cora."

Yumi gave a quick roll of her eyes and nodded. Cora couldn't help but giggle and followed her out of the hotel to a bus that took them all the way to school.

"Hey, Madeline," said Jericho. "Come on, let's find some food. We've got some time before our classes start."

"Oui. I could use a bite to eat."

"Cora. Think you can handle a few hours without me?"

Cora replied with a nod and watched as they both went upstairs to the food court and were out of sight, leaving the others behind.

"I wonder when those Banner Duelists will strike again," Amy said nervously. She took off her coat before sitting down on a bench in front of a gold fountain with water shooting hundreds of feet high and lit in yellow and blue lamps. The water was dancing around to graceful music from intercoms on the ceiling.

"Who knows," Jack said, checking the time on his phone. The train to the underwater halls of the school was due to arrive in ten minutes. "All I know is that we need to be on our guard. They almost killed you last night."

"Poor, girl," M said. "They really ripped them apart. Good thing that Exodia thing came when it did."

"M?" a girl said to his right. "Is that you?"

M froze like a statue. His eyes doubled in size from the shock he received from hearing that voice. He turned to look at the young lady and see if she was who he thought she was. The girl was standing in front of him, wearing a gold and emerald green uniform with a white flannel skirt. She wore an orange beret with a gold shield-shaped badge pinned to the front. An engrailed cross was in on the shield with musical notes and mathematical equations on the third and first quarters and Duel Monsters cards and a sword on the second and fourth quarters.

Her dark brown hair was curled and went down to her back and she wore black spectacles with heavy frames.

"Fanny!" M said. "I...I….Hey! How have you been?"

"I've been well. Look at you. You're in Rosenkruz Academy so I heard. I'm going to school at…"

"St. Martin Community College, yeah, I know. Your freshman year was the last I heard from you."

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry for that unpleasantness. Hello, Nixie," Fanny greeted her old friend.

"You," Nixie said standing up. "What are you doing here? Don't you have a big exam to study for or something?"

"Oh, no, I'm coming back from a class trip to Costa del Sol. Rosenkruz is the last spot on our trip before going home. You are so lucky, M. This place is wonderful."

"Oh," M said sadly.

"Is something wrong?"

"You went to Costa del Sol? I didn't expect someone like you going there. You said you were always shut off and stuff. Wanting to be alone. You know Costa del Sol is a place for social butterflies, right? And the kind of people that go there, right?"

"You haven't changed," Fanny giggled. "Come on, M. Let's not dwell in the past. I want to make it up to you for what happened last time."

Nixie did all she could to keep from laughing. "Really? You think it's going to be that easy?"

"Nothing ever is," Fanny replied, trying to keep her composure. "Please. Let's not fight. I don't think it was chance that we wound up meeting here. Let's take this opportunity to patch things up one way or the other."

"You mean become friends again?" M said. "I don't know, Fanny. You said some pretty hurtful things."

"What's going on?" Cora asked, joining them.

Fanny stepped back and starting laughing in excitement. She was clearly starstruck. "C-C-Cora Kaiba? This is such a pleasure. I've heard so much about you."

"Thanks. Who are you?"

Nixie walked forward with a scowl on her face. "This is Fanny En'Pruette of the Citrus Islands. She used to be my best friend."

"Used to be?" said Cora.

Fanny let out a frustrated and heavy sigh. "Nixie, if that's the way you want to be fine. I'm just here for M. Can we talk alone?"

"Sure," said M. He turned to look at Nixie. "If that's —"

"Do whatever you want," Nixie said. She turned and walked away.

"Don't mind her," M said to Fanny. "Come on. We have a lot of catching up to do."

As much as Cora wanted to follow Fanny and M, she needed to help Nixie, who was not at all pleased by the return of the girl. She told M she would catch up with them later and ran towards Nixie, who waited in line to order a coffee.

"What was that all about?" Cora asked. "That girl. It looked like she wanted to reconcile with you and M?"

"Like I told you, she used to be my best friend. I wouldn't have known M if it wasn't for her. We grew up together — the three of us. But as soon as we got to our senior year of High School, she started to change drastically. We saw Fanny hanging out with a strange and upbeat crowd. I mean, I did too; I'm not claiming I'm a saint by any standard, but I can handle myself. She, on the other hand, is a mindless sheep chasing the cool kids. M started to worry about her. She was hanging out at nightclubs every weekend; fell behind in her work and stuff. She started drinking hard stuff and posting it on her MyBinder page. M knew that girl his whole life. It hurt him seeing her go with people who acted so stupid. She would always try to convince us that she wasn't a girl like that." She shrugged. "So what the fuck were we seeing, huh?"

"Right."

"And it gets worse. At the end of the year, all the A/B students in school were whisked away to the Tropical Kingdoms to celebrate making it to the end of high school. M, Fanny, and I were supposed to be in our own group. Well, she didn't join us. She went with her other friends to a different area of the city and partook in behavior that would make your skin crawl. That was the end for us. Once we docked back home, I told her to fuck off and to never contact me again. M didn't want to see her again, either, but..."

She sighed again. "But being the big-hearted lummox that he is, he still made contact with her. I said it was fine so long as he didn't get me involved with her anymore. Then, we're off to our colleges. Fanny grew more and more distant. It got worse as she transferred to a school in the Citrus Islands. She started telling M not to speak to her for long periods of time."

"Why, though?"

"Her Dueling career started picking up. She needed to practice a lot. And I mean a lot. It started getting out of hand. At first, she told him not to talk to her for a few days. Then it turned into two weeks. Then more and more excuses to keep distant started popping up. The straw that broke M's back was when she finished another Dueling exam. They hadn't talked in a week, and he was excited to hear from her. But…"

"Another exam came up, huh?"

"Yeah, and she wanted more space away from him. This time it was for six months!"

"Oh, Goddesses," Cora groaned. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"It wasn't friendship. Not if you can put someone you care about off like that. And so constantly, too. Anyways, M had enough. He felt like he was no longer wanted because she kept telling him to stay away from her so she can study. He told her off and blocked her. They haven't spoken again until now. She's got a lot of nerve coming up to us like this and wanting to be friends again like nothing happened."

"I have a feeling she's talking to you two to get close to me," said Cora. "Would she have approached you guys if I wasn't here?"

"Girl, I figured that out the moment she saw you. If she wants to make things up with M, I can't do anything to stop it. But don't get me involved is all I'm asking. Cora, keep an eye on her. Not for M's sake, but for hers. If she hurts my friend again, I'm going to fucking kill her."

"Duly noted," said Cora. "I'll have a little chat with her."

Cora went to go look for them and saw them in a Duel in a courtyard on the east wing. Interesting. She sat down on a nearby bench and watched them team-up against two players who were bored and wanted to kill some time. Fanny had an Agent Deck, summoning cosmic angels into battle, a fitting companion to M's Lightsworns. The fact that his Lightsworns had to discard cards from the top of his deck to stay out meant that Fanny had all the ammo she needed to use the effect of her ace monster, Master Hyperion, who could destroy a card on the field once per turn by banishing a Fairy from the Graveyard. Cora smiled, thinking that they were enjoying themselves very much.

M was able to summon Judgement the Dragon of Heaven to decimate their foes. The two young men asked if anyone else wanted to play and Jericho and Madeline were quick to join in.

"That was so great!" Fanny said, clinging to M's arm. "You learned so much since I last saw you."

"Well, you gotta thank my girl Cora for the skills I got," M laughed. "She taught me everything I know. Well, a little bit anyway."

"Ha, ha, ha," Cora said sarcastically. "I must admit, Fanny, your Agents are pretty cool. You're not so bad."

"Whatever it is that Nixie told you about me is all wrong," she said. "I just want to be friends with M. I made mistakes and I'm sorry."

"Aw, who cares?" M said with a laugh. "We're friends again, right?"

"Right," Fanny said with a nod. "Thank you so much. I knew I could count on you."

"Of course," said M. "And might I add that —"

"—Cora, I must say I'm quite ecstatic to meet you," Fanny said, brushing him off. "Would it be okay if I added you on my Binder page?"

"That's sweet and all, but I still have yet to get to know you."

"Why don't you and I get well acquainted with a Duel, then?"

So they did. In no time at all, Fanny was quick to summon her Master Hyperion. Cora retaliated by Xyz Summoning Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis. By removing an Xyz Material, Cora could discard any number of cards she wanted from her hand to destroy that many cards Fanny had. But she was a fast one, using a vast array of traps and effects to nullify Cora's Sun Dragon. Cora ended her turn, but the effect of her Ancient Stone of Legends activated after being sent to the Graveyard with Sun Dragon's effect. She was able to special summon from her Graveyard a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"So you do have them!" Fanny said in wonder. "This...this is so amazing!"

"Thanks," Cora said. "I've got to admit, you're being very stubborn. I've tried everything I can to get rid of that Master Hyperion of yours. Looks like I've got to try even harder."

Fanny's turn. "Yes, perhaps you should. Impressed?"

"So far so good. But you've used up most of the cards in your hand. Not good, kiddo. I've got you in a vice."

"So you say, but wait till I use this card. Card of Sanctity that is. This lets us draw until we have six cards in our hands. Now, I'm fully loaded and ready to bring down the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

She could not. Cora proved to be a little stronger than that. On the eight turn of the Duel, she used Polymerization to fusion summon Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon and wiped her out. The blast shook the east wing. Those watching the match clapped and cheered for both Duelists for a job well done.

The blast knocked Fanny on her back. M quickly ran for her aid. "Fanny!" he cried. "Are you all right?" He helped pick her up. "Sorry about that. Cora can be a little rough."

Fanny merely patted his shoulder and walked towards Cora to shake her hand. "Thanks for the Duel."

Cora refused her offered hand. "I believe M was trying to help you."

Fanny looked back at M and smiled. "Oh, yes, thank you, M. I appreciate your concern."

"You have an odd way of showing it," said Cora.

"Hey, it's okay," said M. "After all, there has to be good sportsmanship after every match. Fanny, you want some hot cocoa?"

"Sure, thank you, M."

M nodded and turned to find a store to get the beverages. Cora, for M's sake, took Fanny's hand and gave her a quick and weak handshake. "So, just how long are you in town?"

"Well, I have to get back to the Citrus Islands to finish school. But once that's taken care of, I'll do my best to work something out with you guys."

"You should really work something out with M," Nixie said, coming towards them, still angry with Fanny's presence. "After all, he's the one who's happiest to see you."

"Please don't spoil things, Nixie. I want to make it up to him. I'm doing my best. Please, I don't want to fight."

"So far all you've done was grovel over Cora. M is going out of his way for you and you're giving him the shoulder like you always do. You're going to have to try a lot harder than you are, sweetheart." She left, not wanting to waste her time with Fanny.

"I have to agree with Nixie," said Cora. "Why didn't you accept M's help when he was going to help you up?"

"I did."

"After I told you to. Nixie informed me of what you did to him when he forgot your birthday and that was uncool. He patched things up with you again, you two promised things would be better for both of you. Instead, you tell him not to talk to you for a whole month because of an exam and then give him to cold shoulder because he made a mistake that could have been easily fixed had you just talked to him. You know he missed a lot of birthdays because he was working hard to see you?"

Fanny gulped. "I...I never...I didn't know."

"Of course, you didn't know. You decided to get angry and hurt him to get your revenge on him for missing it. Look, I get you want to be my friend, but I'm sorry to say I don't hang out with people who make choices like that. It's immature and it's really mean. My friends don't hurt each other."

"If I can prove to you that M means a great deal to me, will you think better of me, Cora?"

"So long as you're not doing it just to be on my good graces."

"Yes, yes. I'll prove it to you. M is my friend. He always was. I know I've made mistakes and I made the first step to try fixing them by coming to him and wanting to patch things up between us."

"Would you have done that if I wasn't here?"

"Of course I would. I want to be both your friend and M's. And Nixie, too, if only she would let me."

"We'll see."

Kasumi

She waited for Jack to come back, but there was no sign of him anywhere. She had finished her coffee long ago, and the one she ordered for him was now standing by her side, cold. She heard laughing and giggling coming from below the balcony where she sat. Then, lights started to flash constantly like lightning. Kasumi leaned over to see what all the commotion was about. She shook her head slowly when she saw Jack surrounded by hordes of fangirls, crowding around him to get their picture taken with him.

"Asshole," Kasumi growled. She walked back to the bench and threw Jack's coffee cup away.

Just then, a couple came from down the hall. A young man and a girl, both dressed in sophisticated winter clothing and carrying wheeled suitcases. The young man was tall and had black hair, shaved at the sides with slicked lengths on the top. A square-shaped diamond glistened on his left ear, signifying he was rich. His eyes were a rich shade of jade mixed with gold. The girl walking beside him also had jet-black hair, which flowed down until it brushed against her backside. She sported a white coat, black leggings, and a pink scarf with gold blossom petals patterning the surface as if they were blowing in the wind.

The boy spotted Kasumi and waved his hand. "Kasumi!" he called out.

Kasumi's eyes went wide at the sight of him. She stood up from the bench and bowed. "Prince Jaeyoung!" she said. "Do-makara igo. Ubi-tono mikaba etoni?"

Prince Jaeyoung smiled and walked towards her, taking both her hands and kissing them, much to the chagrin of the girl behind him. "Shin dun hoo. Nakaba-tiyo metsu adeneho. Koboro meya?"

Kasumi nodded her head. "Da, da. Bon na hoo. Ebo. Muto-Yugi-enosaiba?"

"Oooh," he said, nodding his head. "Dokara no-hu. Hei, hei?"

Kasumi turned around and saw Cora and Fanny coming to join them. Fanny stopped where she was. She didn't know whether to bow or stay still. Princess Kasumi and Prince Jaeyoung in the same area as her. She would never have dreamed something like this to take place.

"Wow," Cora said in shock. "Prince Jaeyoung of the Termnnian Alliance. This is such an honor. Um…" She tried to remember the basic Uzumenese Kasumi taught her. " Doo maka-something. Uh. Do-makara...uh…"

Jaeyoung laughed. "I can speak Emboldorian." He spoke it very fluently and had no accent.

"Well, shit. Okay."

"So you're the famous Cora Kaiba I've heard so much about." He shook her hand. "I heard about your father. I hope he has a speedy recovery."

"Thank you. What brings you here to Rosenkruz."

"I came to speak with the headmistress about her unwise choise to cancel a program Kasumi relied on for school. Speaking of which, Kasumi doesn't stop talking about you. I believe you two were getting married, right?"

Cora looked at the princess. "You told him we were engaged?"

"No!" Kasumi said at once, her face flushing red. "I was talking about Jack, of course, you weren't listening to what I was saying, Jay."

"I know how to read," Jaeyoung said with a blank look on his face.

Kasumi folded her arms and stuck her nose in the air. "Well, you must have read it wrong. So there."

"Very well. Kasumi, I was hoping you had some time on your hands. Care for a match in the Dueling Fountain below?"

"You sure?" Kasumi said with an arrogant smirk, followed by a laugh. "After the way I trounced you last time?"

"I've improved much since last time we fought," he said. "Master Yugi taught me so much during his stay with us."

"Show me," she said.

Jayeoung and his friend, who was named Xiefang, his personal bodyguard, took an escalator to the lower levels of the east wing to a vacant arena to play. Jaeyoung undid his scarf and took off his coat. He wore all black underneath. A vest with a silver chain dangling from the pocket, a buttoned shirt, and tie. Xiefeng took his clothes and folded them neatly. She set them down on a nearby bench. Then he held his jade ring in front of her. Xiefeng smiled and kissed it. The kiss transformed his ring into a crescent-shaped Duel Disk made of jade and gold.

"Aww," Cora swooned. "How sweet."

"Fanny!" M said, coming towards the arena. "There you are! I was looking all over for you. Here, I've got your hot cocoa."

"Oh, thank you," she said, taking the drink. She gave it one long, sip. That would be last she would drink of it.

"Ah, what's going on here?" he asked.

"That's Prince Jaeyoung going one-on-one with Princess Kasumi. Cora knows her apparently."

"So do I, she's my friend, too."

"Oh." She watched Kasumi draw her card to begin the game.

LP 8000

"Dakono-za!" she shouted. "Doro!" she drew her card. "I use the effect of Tenyi Dragon Adhara. Since I control no effect monsters, I can special summon it from my hand! Now, I'll use it to Link Summon, Warrior Monk of Tenyi! Now, I'll use the spell, Hollow Dragon Chakra to add a card to my deck. Are you following me, Jaeyoung? Or are you still the slow, spoiled prince I Dueled a long time ago."

Jaeyoung grinned. "Quite the trash talker, aren't you? Come on! If you want to see what I've got in store for you, then play your monsters."

"With pleasure, my prince. I use the effect of Tenyi Dragon Vishuda! Like before, I can special summon it if I have no effect monsters on the field. Now, I banish Tenyi Dragon Ajna to Special Summon, Tenyi Dragon Adhara. Speaking of which, I'll banish the one I have in the grave to add Ajna back to my hand. Now, I'll tune Vishuda and Adhara to Synchro Summon, Draco Berserker of the Tenyi!"

ATK/3000 DEF/0

Cora grimaced as Kasumi's ace showed himself through powerful display of fire and smoke. She still could not get the nightmare of having that thing eating her alive out of her mind. She would have won the Duel last time had it not been for that thing. But she was confident in herself that next time, it would be her Blue-Eyes prevailing over it.

"I now summon Tenyi Dragon Shthana. I'll use my dragon and Warrior of the Tenyi to Link Summon, Shaman of the Tenyi! And I am not through yet, Jaeyoung. Using my Shaman's effect, I special summon, Mare Mare!"

A sea horse monster surfaced from the ground as if it were made of water. It hovered over the field and snorted as it shook its head.

"Now, by reducing my Mare Mare's level by one, I can summon tokens! I will call on three of them. Now, I offer my tokens and my Mare Mare to Link Summon, Tenyi Dragon Sahasrara!"

The golden dragon was born from the magical energies of the four monsters. It hovered over the field and roared. Its body lit up the arena in a warm, radiant light.

ATK/3000

Link-4

"I end my turn."

"Wow, Kasumi's good," Cora breathed.

"She truly is a fine Duelist," Fanny agreed. "Let's see how this Prince Jaeyoung can handle things."

"Ha, he can't!" said M. "Pretty boy over there don't know what he's got himself into. Kasumi was the top-ranked Duelist in school. Whatever he can throw her way, she can handle it."

Fanny said nothing and continued to watch the match, while M grimaced at the sight of her ignoring him.

"All right, it's my turn," said Jaeyoung. "I'll show you what an apprentice of Master Yugi can do! Your Tenyi will tremble at the might of my Senka warriors! First, I use the effect of my Senka Justice Guan Yun!"

"You will not! Draco Berserker of the Tenyi's effect activates! I will banish your card."

Draco Berseker made hand symbols. Then, Jaeyoung's card burst into flames and was gone (Actually, it was sent to a compartment in his Duel Disk for banished monsters).

"Very well. But you're going to have to do more than that to stop me, Kasumi. I use Pot of Greed and draw two cards. Now, I summon Senka Adonis -Zhou Gong!"

He summoned a warrior in armor designed to look like a swan. Zhou Gong landed gracefully by Jaeyoung's side.

"Next, I use Fire Formation - Tenki! This will add a level four or lower beast monster to my hand. And, all beast monsters will have their attacks increased by one hundred points. Zhou Gong's effect activates. I send Tenki away and add a spell to my hand. I will activate it! Senka Legend - The Sun-Liu Alliance. Then, Senka Legend - Oath Sworn by the Three!"

Kasumi saw her chance to activate an effect. "I will use Sahasrara to add a token to my side of the field with attack points equal to your Senka warrior's attack points."

"If you think that will help," said Jaeyoung. "Now, Zhou Gong! Attack her token!"

"I activate the effect of my Shaman and destroy your Oath card!"

"Good!" said Jaeyoung. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist. When Oath Sworn by the Three is destroyed, I can special summon Senka Justice Guan Yu and Senka Herald Zhang Yuan!"

"Oh no!" Kasumi gasped.

"This does not bode well for her," said Fanny. "Prince Jaeyoung is doing exceptionally well."

"Just watch," said M. "Kasumi knows what to do."

"Cora, can Kasumi win?" Fanny asked.

"Watch and figure it out," Cora said sternly, noticing Fanny took no heed to M. "Stop bothering me. I want to watch the match."

They all watched in awe as a green-armored warrior with a spear jumped from a green orb and took position next to Jaeyoung. Then, from a red orb, jumped a warrior in black and gold with a helm plumed in red.

Guan Yu stood strong at 2500 and Zhang Yuan with 2300. Kasumi didn't feel so cocky anymore, even with her two 3000 ATK monsters on her field. She braced herself, for she knew a storm of powerful effects was about to rock her world.

"And we are still in battle," said Jaeyoung. "So that means Zhang Yuan will reduce your token's attack by 1000!"

Zhang Yuan swung his brilliantly designed halberd, launching a blast of flames that smacked the token and weakened it..

"Now, Zhou Gong will finish his battle with your token and destroy him!"

Zhou Gong sliced the token in half with his blade and dealt 1000 points of damage to Kasumi's Life Points.

"With that taken care of, Zhang Yuan's secondary effect activates!" Jaeyoung announced. "Your Draco Berserker of the Tenyi is destroyed."

Now, Jaeyoung's warrior charged towards the monstrous behemoth. He jumped and swung his halberd, slicing the monster's head off.

"NO!" shouted Kasumi. "Oh, how? He was my best card."

"Finally," said Jaeyoung, "Guan Yu will rid the field of your Shaman!"

The attack lost Kasumi another 900 Life Points.

Kasumi 6100 LP

Jaeyoung 8000 LP

"Okay, you did get a little better, Jaeyoung. Still, this Duel has just begun. I still have a few more tricks up my sleeve. And remember, you've never beaten me in your whole life. I'm not about to let you end that streak now. I use Sahasrara's effect to make a token with your Guan Yu's attack points!"

"Then I will use the effect of my Sun-Liu Alliance card. My Senka monster's attack points will increase by 300 for each Senka on the field."

"That's a nine-hundred point boost!" Cora gasped.

"Oh, wow!" Fanny whispered. "The Prince is amazing!"

"I am not through!" shouted Kasumi. "I discard Ajna to summon Vishudda. Then I'll use it and the token I used to Link Summon another Tenyi Shaman! And I'll use her effect to discard a card and revive Draco Berserker of the Tenyi!"

"Not him again!" M shouted. "Wow!"

Draco Berserker attacked Zhou Gong, but he did not fall. He remained where he stood, but Prince Jaeyoung lost 500 points.

"Wait!" Kasumi cried out in shock. "What's going on here? Your monster wasn't destroyed."

"No, he wasn't," said Jaeyoung. "Thanks to Zhang Yuan, my Senka monsters cannot fall in battle."

"Fine, but you can still take damage! I'll attack with Sahasrara and deal another 500 points to you! Ugh! I end my turn."

"My turn. Per the effect of my alliance card, choose an attribute."

"I choose Light," Kasumi answered.

"Fine. Now, Alliance activates and my monster's attack with increase. Next —"

"Sahasrara will make another token!"

"Okay, fine with me. Guan Yu's will destroy it with his effect. That will trigger Zhang Yuan's effect and destroy your Berserker once again."

Kasumi was so confused. So many effects triggered at the same time. One by one, her monsters vanished and were gone, then Jaeyoung summoned one final Senka.

"Arise, Senka Chief Cao De!" He called on the master of his Senka monsters. With 3000 attack points, Cao De was a very formidable monster.

Kasumi could only watch as what was left of her Tenyi monsters and her Life Points were destroyed with one elegant onslaught.

"Wow," Kasumi breathed. "Normally people would tremble in fear with Draco Berserker comes out. But you...you remained so cool and calm." She shook his hand. "Master Yugi taught you well, Jaeyoung. You are indeed are a great asset to the Round Table of Rassay. Prince Yuri will be in good hands when he comes back."

"Thank you, Kasumi. It's always wonderful to see our rivalry blossom each time we play."

"Indeed. I'm going to have to step up my game if I'm to deal with you one day. I'd ask for a rematch, but it looks like you have somewhere to go."

"I must go to White Harbor where I will live until Yuri returns. I just came back from Akuuda, where my friends and I aided Prince Marcel in sending back the Naralian invaders, looking to take the Red-Eyes Black Dragons and kill them."

"Wait a minute," Cora said. "Did you just say, Red-Eyes Black Dragon?"

"You haven't heard of it?" Fanny asked.

"No. It's new to me. Is it anything like my Blue-Eyes?"

"Alone, no," said Jaeyoung. "But they've got support cards that will make your Blue-Eyes's tail curl in fear, so don't underestimate them if you encounter a Duelist who uses them. Prince Marcel is one of them. So is Ser Joey Wheeler and his sister Serenity. Princess Alexis's brother had them, but he was driven mad and vanished some time ago. Anyway, it was fun playing with you, Kasumi, but I must be on my way. Xiefeng. Koro-mo do teko, mey mo."

Xiefeng nodded and put on his coat and scarf. Everyone parted to let them leave.

"That was great fun," said Fanny. "You guys are all well-connected. It must be great to know royalty like Prince Jaeyoung."

"And Prince Michael," said Cora.

"Wow, him too?" Her phone beeped. "Excuse me."

"Uh, Fanny," said M.

"Hold on, M, I have to take this call."

"But… I was just wondering if you wanted another hot cocoa. You didn't finish yours and its cold."

"Oh, sorry. I was just so excited by the Duel that I forgot."

"Do you want another?"

"Yes, yes, That will be great. Thank you."

"Okay! Wait here, I'll be right back!" He hurried up the escalator and was gone from sight.

Fanny was speaking to a friend on the phone in her native language. She hung up moments later.

"Well, Cora. Kasumi. It was a real pleasure, but I have to get going. My bus is here. So, is there any chance I can exchange information with you?"

"I don't see why not," said Kasumi. She searched her coat for her phone, but Cora held her arm up to stop her.

"Hold on," she said. "You're leaving? Aren't you going to tell M first? Say goodbye?"

"I would, but I'm in a rush."

"He's buying you something to drink. The least you can do is tell him so he doesn't waste his money."

"Oh no, I'll make it up to him, I promise. Really."

"Fanny. If you walk out of M's life again. Don't you ever come back!" Nixie said, finally emerging from the dark corner of the arena where she watched the Duel. Fanny stood where she was without a word. Kasumi felt things were heating up and decided to leave.

"Have a seat, Fanny," Nixie said, pointing at the fountain.

Fanny sighed and did as she was told. She looked at Cora, who had her arms crossed and her face turning bright red. "So, you're going to go against me, too?"

Cora turned her back on her and folded her arms even tighter. "You have a lot of nerve doing something like this to him," she said.

"Indeed," said Nixie. "You know something, Fanny. M was doing just fine until you showed up. And you've tried hard for the past few hours to convince us that you've changed and to want to be friends again. But it seems to me you just used us to get to Cora."

Fanny twidled her thumbs and looked up. "Look we're still going to talk."

"Bullshit!" Nixie shouted. "M'Bakuuan is not some useless old shoe that you toss under the bed and put on when you feel you need it. He's your friend. He has a life. It goes on. You have to be there always. He's been there for you but you've never been there for him."

"Look that's enough!" shouted Fanny. "Do you think I wanted these problems? I didn't! Don't...don't villanize me! We had some fun when we were kids but I'm in school now and I need to study and..."

"CUT THE CRAP!" Nixie shouted, slicing her arms through the air. "JUST CUT THE CRAP, WILL YOU?"

"Why are you making me the bad guy here, huh? I can't study anymore? Do you want me to drop out of school to be with M or something? I don't know why you and M feel so threatened and so bothered because I go to college now."

Nixie stepped forward until she was face to face with her. "How. Dare. You!" she growled through her teeth. "Is that what you think we were, Fanny? We were threatened? Bothered? No, that's your overinflated ego talking, missy! You think you're the only one taking tests? I've been there. We all have been there. You're not the only one who goes to school Fanny. You're not the only one who has tests to study for. You're not the only Duelist in Termnnia that needs to practice. I've been hit with obstacles lots of times that have kept me busy and my time, limited. But I didn't walk out on my friends. I didn't tell them to fuck off for long periods of time and make them feel unwanted. No matter what came my way, I was always there for the people I love. Because THAT'S what a friend does!? Admit it. You never wanted to be his friend, didn't you?"

Fanny narrowed her eyes and breathed through her nose. "I have a bus to catch. Can you please let M know that I..."

"I'm not telling him anything," said Nixie.

"Fine. I have him on Dueling Network. I'll just let him know from there."

"Yeah, why don't you go do that! I made a huge mistake calling someone like you my friend, Fanny. The only thing good that came out of my relationship with you is that I met M. Get on your bus and get the hell out of here!"

"Whatever," Fanny said turning around to leave.

M came walking down to the arena with her cup of hot cocoa in hand. "Fanny! Where are you going, girl?" he laughed merrily. "I got your cocoa."

Fanny turned and gave an awkward chuckle. She nervously grasped the straps of her backpack. "Oh...M? I uh...I'm glad you showed up when you did. I have to head back to the Citrus Islands."

"Now?"

"Yeah, sorry. I've really got to run."

"Okay, sure. It was cool seeing you again. So uh, I'll send you a message tomorrow, huh?"

"Oh, not this week. See, there's this huge exam that's coming up in a few days and…."

"Oh no," M groaned.

"No, no. Hear me out. Please, you have to understand. I really need to study."

M's smile faded. "Okay? We can talk after the test." He let out an excited laugh. "We have so much catching up to do, girl."

"Oh, I'm sorry. But after that test, I've got another one. It's a very busy time We can catch up when I find some time."

M just stared at her and nodded. Cora could see the tears of hurt glistening in his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, that's fine."

Fanny smiled and laughed. She didn't seem to care that she was setting him aside again. The sight of that twisted Cora's stomach.

"Great," Fanny said. "So, when my schedule is a little cleared up I'll give you a text and..."

"When's that going to be?" Cora said sharply as Brandy and Amy walked towards them from the escalator with worried looks on their faces. "Next month? Next year? Next lifetime?"

Amy wanted to tell them class was about to start, but she chose to remain silent.

Fanny laughed. "No. I'm going to be very, very busy for a while but we'll still talk. It was great seeing you again M. I hope we can..."

"No," he said. He tossed her cocoa into a nearby trash bin.

Fanny's fake smile melted. "Huh?"

"Forget it! You think you were the only one stressed out with this friendship? You don't know what I've been through. You don't know how it feels like being sick with the anxiety and heartbreak that you caused me, putting me off like I was some worthless thing for you to waste time on until you had something better to do. That anxiety felt like being close to death. I couldn't eat. I couldn't focus on my Dueling. I didn't eat! It kept me up till late at night. I would just cry and stare at the ceiling wondering where the hell I stood in your priorities. Well, now I know. I realized the truth about how you felt about me the moment you ignored me for two months and bragged to Nixie that you would 'happily' remind everyone else if they forgot your birthday."

M took a deep breath and continued. "Fanny. If that's true and I meant so little to you, I wish you could have told me sooner so that I didn't have to work my ass off all winter trying to earn money for a train ticket to see you!"

Nixie stepped in. "And you want to know the worst part about this, Fanny? You made M make a fool of himself, causing him to think that he was the toxic one. There's nothing toxic about wanting to stay close to a friend. There's nothing toxic about trying to build a friendship. Or keeping one. You killed this relationship. Not him."

Fanny babbled, wondering what to say. "M...come on. That's not fair. Why can't you understand? I want to be your friend."

M lost it. "NO! Fanny!" He paused for a moment to collect himself. "Want! Want! Want! All you ever did was want! But you never did anything to BE my friend. There's a difference between wanting to be my friend and being my friend! I know now that you don't want to be my friend. No matter what I did to keep us close, all you did was drift us apart. No matter how happy I was and how content I was with our friendship, you always found ways to ruin it!"

He paced around, trying to control himself. "You made things worse for us and wrecked everything when I was so happy with how things were going. You knew I was happy that my little sister was born! And you turned your back on me anyway with your selfish and despicable actions! You promised me that we were going to move forward from our past mistakes. You said I was a good friend. You said that from then on we were going to talk about our problems. But no surprise, you went back on your word like you always do."

"Oh, sure. Boy, don't you just love making me the villain in this story. Well, I'm sorry if I want to study and do good in school."

"SHUT UP!" shouted Nixie. "Just shut up!"

M shook his head and sniffed sadly. "Nixie. You want to talk about studying hard? This brilliant girl studies day in and day out trying to be a paleontologist and a Duelist. She is needed at the museum after school and stays until late at night. But even in her busiest of times, she makes time to contact me. Even if it's just for a few minutes, she lets me know she's there. And if she can't talk during the day. I can always look forward to her saying goodnight to me. And telling me she loves me."

He moved to Brandy. "Brandy is one of the heirs to a multi-million gold franchise. One with a great history. She has to help make new recipes, attend business meetings, and study her ass off to be one of the sharpest students in school. And time and time again, she finds time to be with us. She finds time to laugh with me for a couple of minutes through text if we're too far away."

He then moved to Amy. "Amy. She's an assistant librarian in school. You can't imagine the constant rearranging and so on she has to do in there. She has to study for her WYVERN exams, a special test that could land her in the Senate. But she messages me to see how I am. She was with her boyfriend, helping him with computer problems, and writing a report for her class. But that didn't stop her from stopping by and giving me a hello."

He put an arm over Cora's shoulder. "And Cora. It seems like Seto Kaiba throws obstacle after obstacle to keep Cora from becoming a Kaiba. You won't believe the crap Cora had to go through to be the woman she is now. And on top of that, she studies hard to be a good Duelist and a student. She's one of the best students in school with a 4.0 GPA. She's heading for the Obelisk Blue Dorm. You're stuck trying to stay in Ra Yellow for Holsta's sake! She has a lot to do for herself, her father, and the family name. But you know what. It never stopped her from sending me a text or calling me out into town for an hour to have a cup of coffee. She does that because she's my friend. They make time for me because they're my friends. They study as much, if not more than you do. And they still find time in the day to let me know they're there. To make me feel loved. To prove that they're my friends."

Fanny looked at the floor and stood silent.

"I know you've been using us to get closer to Cora the whole time we were here. Well, sorry to say, you're not worthy enough to be her friend. We make time for each other. We're always there for each other through thick and thin. That's what being a friend is all about."

He sighed. "But you. My best friend. Sorry M, I can't talk for two days. Three days. A week. Two weeks. A Month! How long before you tell me you can't talk at all, huh? You never wanted to be my friend, did you? But if that's not true as you say it is, then prove it to me. Prove you're going to BE my friend."

Fanny was quiet. A stone-cold look implanted on her face. Not a tear glistened in her eye. "I...," she said nothing else and turned to walk away. "Well...Goodbye, M." Fanny disappeared into the crowd.

She was gone. This time forever.

"I'm sorry, M," Nixie said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

M laughed. "Naw, this ain't so bad. I can sell that ticket I bought to go visit her and make some good cash for Christmas."

Nixie sighed. "M, I'm sorry. Just let it out, my dude. It's okay to be mad."

"Pfft! Whatever. Don't worry about, it baby. I mean, why should I be upset? Huh. At least she said goodbye this time. Unlike the dozens of times when she left me hanging and ghosted me." He reached into his shopping bag, pulling out a necklace of diamond and gold. "I just wish I didn't waste my money buying her this STUPID friendship gift!"

"Don't feel bad, M," said Cora. "It's okay. Oh, Goddesses, if there was something I could do."

"You ain't gotta do nothing, Cora. Come on. I've done lots of stuff since she left. I learned how to drive without her. I got into Rosenkruz without her. I learned to Duel without her. And I developed some beast skills, huh?"

"You sure did," Cora agreed.

"Damn right," said Nixie. "You're one of the best in school now. I feel sorry for those Banner losers already."

M nodded, jabbing the air with his fists. "Yeah, yeah that's right. I learned a lot of things without her. I learned how to write books without her. I published my first book without her. I welcomed my new sister in the world without her. I survived the DEATH of my mother without her. She couldn't even unblock me for a day to give me her condolences. TO HELL WITH HER!"

Cora was glad the place was deserted. She and everyone else in the group started to cry. It pained her to see M so devastated. Hurting for a snake who wasn't worth the tears coming down his cheeks.

"This ain't no stupid present," M said holding up the necklace. He put it around Nixie's neck. "It was going to the wrong person."

Nixie sobbed. "M..."

M placed his hands on her cheeks and rubbed her tears away with his thumbs. He leaned his head forward and kissed her. She playfully patted and squeezed her buttocks, causing her to laugh.

"See, I can be happy without out her. Who needs her? I didn't need her when she was around. I don't need her now. You know what girls? I'm going to Duelist Academy without her. I'm going to be an Obelisk Blue without her. And I'm going to make a ton of new friends. I'm going to be there for them just like you guys are always there for me. And I sure as fucking hell know that I don't need Fanny for that because there ain't a damn thing that girl can ever teach me about being there for my friends. There's nothing she can ever teach me about love!"

"Some friendships just weren't meant to be," Cora said sadly.

M didn't like the sound of that at all. He looked like he was ready to burst. The girls crowded around him. M's lips trembled. He started heaving sorrowfully.

"I wanted this one to go on. But she...how come she doesn't want me? What did I do wrong, man? I thought she was...my friend."

Nixie embraced him and held him close, letting him sob on her neck. Cora and the others joined in to give him a loving hug, in seconds filling him with a warmth that Fanny could never give him in three years.