This is one of the chapters I've waiting to work with. This and next one are Halloween chapters, so there will be some cosplay and dress-up, but there will be some unexpected twist of events.

The chapter contains some StarParticleShipping (Estelle/Yusei) moments, so enjoy the slow burn romance. ;)

Estelle's Halloween costume can be found on my DeviantArt account.

Special thanks to CitrusUnshiu for helping me to come up with the canon characters' Halloween costumes.

We have the winner of the 700 review shout-out! It's one of my long-time friends from DA, Pimsan! Congratulations! The next shout-out will be by the 725 review. Remember, those who already have won a shout-out won't get another shout-out and the guest reviews don't count.

The chapter begins in Estelle's point of view.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 44: Lovely Halloween

Time seemed to flash by in the speed of light, because the next thing I knew, it was October 31st. That meant it was time for Halloween.

I was preparing myself by changing into my costume that was based on a female ninja AKA kunoichi. The costume fit perfectly and didn't feel tight at all. Setsuko and her employees sure knew how to make a great job.

I wanted to tie my hair up into a bun, but I couldn't do it by myself, so I asked one of the maids to help me. While she combed my hair and used her skilled fingers to fix the bun, I recalled an event that happened in the garage of the Poppo Time clock shop a couple of days ago. I shivered by the memory since the event had almost caused my heart to stop beating.

XXXXXXXXXX – FLASHBACK

I was in the garage for another session of Duel Runners by Yusei. It was necessary since I was getting close to the part of my exams when I had to drive a Duel Runner. I already had one type of Runner in mind, but I needed to learn more about the circuits and frames and other programs that were needed for the vehicle to work.

Yusei and I had crouched down so the Signer could show me the cables inside the Runner, and he told me which cable had this and that function and which part of the Runner it was connected to. Our backs were turned to the stairs that led up to the kitchen slash living room, so we never noticed how Crow snuck up behind us while hiding something behind his back.

I was listening to every word Yusei said and wrote down notes when I suddenly felt a slight weight on my back. I looked over my shoulder to see a black creature. As I took a closer look at it, my brain began working in overdrive as I realized what it was.

"SPINDEEEEEL! (SPIDEEEEER!)"

I jumped up on my feet and threw my pencil and notebook before waving my arms around like a panicked chicken. I shook my body to get rid of the spider on my back while still screaming like the end of the world was coming.

"TABORTDENTABORTDENTABORTDEN! (GETITOFFGETITOFGETITOFF!)"

My voice was so loud it overpowered Yusei's voice when he called my name. My eyes were shut tight as tears gathered in the corners of them. I was only able to snap out of it when a hand grabbed my left arm and pulled my back into a broad chest and the other hand held me by my right shoulder.

"Calm down, Estelle", Yusei spoke to me in a low and gentle voice as I gasped hoarsely. "It's okay. It's gone now. Take a deep breath and relax…"

Once I returned to my senses and my panting wasn't so hoarse, I turned around in Yusei's arms and clutched onto his top and rested my face at the crook of his neck. I was still in slight shock as my body kept shaking uncontrollably. I wasn't crying or sobbing, but I was hiccupping a bit instead. I could feel Yusei's left arm wrapped around my waist while he used his right hand to caress my head to comfort me until I was out of the shock.

"Hey!" I heard Jack's irritated voice calling, but I didn't look up as I kept my eyes closed. "What are you doing down here, yelling like that?!"

There was a brief moment of silence before Yusei spoke up in a deep and serious voice that gave me quite the chills.

"Jack, punch Crow."

"E-Ehhh?!" Crow's frightened voice shook. "W-Wait a minute, guys…!"

The next thing I heard was the cracks of knuckles and the Blackwing Duelist's cries for mercy.

XXXXXXXXXX – END OF FLASHBACK

The rest was history. Jack beat up Crow for scaring me with a fake spider hanging by a thread of a stick. The beaten Signer apologized multiple times when he learned I had a serious case of arachnophobia and promised to never do that again. He just wanted to prank a bit because it was Halloween, but he didn't know it was going to backfire.

"There we go", the maid, Amalia, said as she finished fixing the bun. "It's done, Ms. Estelle."

"Thank you, Amalia", I nodded before I stood up from the makeup desk. "I could have never done this without help."

Amalia smiled sweetly. "I'm glad I was able to assist you. I hope you'll have a great time with your friends at the festival."

The old Satellite had a tradition to lighten things up by having a festival where children and adults alike could dress up and have fun and just forget the bad times they had to go through. Now, it was a new era, but the tradition got stuck to the people, and my friends and I had promised Martha to take the orphans and visit the festival in the evening. I was a bit excited to participate in my very first Japanese festival and dress up for the event, but I was worried if there was going to be a big crowd with lots of people and noise around me.

After the Daedalus Bridge Tournament, I told the Signers how my autism could cause my brain to work double overtime when it came to lots of impression around me than for a normal human being. They were very understanding and relieved that I told them. They said if I ever needed a break while we had an activity, I could tell them and wait for them in a quiet and secluded area. The rule applied to this festival as well.

I wrapped my ninja scarf around my neck before I grabbed my black shoulder-purse with cell phone, keys, and other minor necessaries. I walked down to the main hallway where I met up with Shinji and, to my surprise, Goodwin.

"Goodwin?" I spoke up confusedly. "What's the matter?"

Goodwin chuckled softly. "Can't a father wish his daughter well and tell her to be careful?"

"Oh… Sorry…", I blushed in embarrassment. "I thought you needed something from me."

"Understandable", Goodwin nodded. "Now then, make sure to have fun, but be careful."

"Careful with what?"

Goodwin cast a glance at Shinji and the maids that were in the hallway. They understood the message and left us alone to talk in private. I was getting a bad feeling about this.

"I have some concerns…about the Army of Shadows", the master of the mansion confessed.

"The Army of Shadows…?" I mumbled before my eyes widened. "You mean the Earthbound Immortals?"

"I'm not sure, but I recall reading a document about a foreboding event before all data got lost along with the Stairway to the Dragon Star. It said if the King of the Netherworld would ever crawl upon the surface of our world but got defeated, he might leave some seeds scattered around with the hope of one day being resurrected."

My left hand went instinctually to my right arm where my Mark was. I remembered the final Shadow Turbo Duel when the King of the Netherworld sent those sludge condors that attacked me, Yusei, Jack, and Crow. One of the condors managed to peck me right in the middle of the Star Mark and left a scar behind.

In the last few days, I often felt a sudden cramp in my arm that vanished just as quickly as it appeared. I had never injured my arm before and the cramp always appeared around my Mark.

What if…

No. I shouldn't shake myself up with this.

"Did the document mention anything else?" I asked.

"Only that if the King of the Netherworld left his seeds behind and they get enough energy, he might be resurrected while a rift between our world and the Netherworld is still open."

"Are you talking about the Old Ener-D Reactor and the Negative Energy?"

"That might be it, yes."

"When did this rift open and when does it close?"

"The document said the rift opens on July 15th and will close on November 2nd, but the rift will generate more power on the first day of Allhallowtide, causing it to become unstable and the Army of Shadows might raise up again to assist the King of the Netherworld."

My brain was trying to process the information. So this rift opened on July 15th, which was the date of Obon, the Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors, and closed on November 2nd, which was the last day of Halloween…

Wait a minute…

"Today is the first day of Halloween, so…", my eyes widened in realization. "The Army of Shadows might strike tonight!"

Goodwin nodded, "Take extra precaution and if you notice any odd signs, inform me and tell the Signers to help you take care of it before I arrive."

"Okay", I nodded hesitantly. "I'll pay a bit more attention if I sense dark energy."

XXXXXXXXXX

I was still thinking about what Goodwin told me as Shinji drove the limousine over to the island of Satellite where my friends and I were going to meet up at Martha's place. Could the resurrection of the King of the Netherworld mean the Earthbound Immortals would once again raise up from their imprisonment of the Nazca Lines? Did this mean the war with them wasn't over as I first thought it was?

I was getting a bit restless and played with my fingers until I stopped myself by clenching my hands into fists. I had to calm down and not think about the possibility. I needed to have the warning in the back of my head, but right now I wanted to focus on the good stuff like this event.

Shinji parked the limousine in front of Martha's house where I spotted three familiar Duel Runners. I got out of the vehicle and thanked Shinji before he drove away. Just as he did, the front door opened and Crow's little nest ran out to greet me. They were all dressed in cute little costumes.

"Hi, Estelle!" Kokoro smiled widely as she was dressed like a little witch with a long-sleeved red dress, dark red witch hat, black shoes, and holding a small broom. Her signature ponytail was down, so her hair was flowing nicely on her back.

"Hi, little ones", I smiled softly as I gave Kokoro and Hikari a hug. "Happy Halloween."

"Happy Halloween!" the children chanted in return.

Hikari was dressed like a witch too, but her dress was blue with long puffy sleeves, dark blue shoes, and a broom. The boys, however, were more creative.

Daichi was dressed in a costume that looked like an orange jack-o'-lantern. It looked nice on him, since he was a bit big, but it made him really cute at the same time. Taiga was dressed in a black costume that reminded me of Batman while Ginga was dressed like Superman.

"You all look so adorable", I complimented the children.

"Thank you, Estelle", Daichi smiled.

"Martha spent a lot of time to make our outfits", Hikari revealed.

"But ours are the coolest, right, Taiga?" Ginga smirked as he threw his cape around.

"Yeah, Ginga!" Taiga nodded. "We're the heroes of the Satellite! Justice will be served! And you, Estelle, will be our third member of our Justice League!"

Crow's laugh echoed from the front door. "Easy there, fellas! I bet there won't be any criminals at the festival tonight."

I turned to the door and saw the Satellite Trio walking out of their old foster house. Crow was dressed in his Tengu-like costume with a traditional Japanese monk top, male skirt, and a pair of detachable wings on his arms that were part of the top and tied around the wrists, white socks, and a pair of Japanese tree slippers. His face was covered in red make-up to look like he had a fever.

Jack's costume was actually the suit he had in the episode with the WRGP party. It was mainly white, but had purple parts, and golden embroideries, and he had the hat with a feather attached on the band.

Yusei's costume was based on a cowboy. He had a grey top that was half-covered by a dark yellow bolero-like jacket, black pants with a thick leather belt around his hips on which cowboy-like pants were attached on and two gun holsters for fake guns, a pair of black gloves, dark grey boots, a dark crimson cape tied around his neck, and a brown sheriff hat with a tiny star on the middle. He reminded me a lot of a Xyz Monster from my dimension, but I forgot that card's name.

"Good evening, guys", I greeted them. "Still looking good in your costumes."

"Thanks! You too, kunoichi!" Crow grinned as he gave me a thumbs up.

"But don't you feel cold without a jacket?" Yusei wondered.

"A little, but the air is still warm enough for me to walk with bare shoulders", I replied. "Any words from the others?"

"Carly said they'll show up any minute now", Jack said as he picked up his cell phone from the pocket of his long coat.

I couldn't help but notice his friendship with Carly seemed to have blossomed in the last few months, especially since the Duel I had with her when she wanted to find out if she had psychic powers.

"Oooh, gettin' close to Carly, eh?" Crow grinned mischievously as he elbowed Jack's side.

"S-Shut up, Crow!" Jack growled as his cheeks turned red.

"Look! Jack's turning red like Crow!" Daichi called.

"Jackie likes Carly~! Jackie likes Carly~!" Kokoro and Hikari sang teasingly.

"I do not!" Jack argued, blushing so hard that even the tip of his ears were getting red.

"Then why are you turning red, Jack?" Ginga grinned.

"When will you have a baby?" Taiga asked mischievously.

"A what now?!" Jack almost choked on his own spit.

"Yeah, Jackie~, when'll the wedding be? Don't forget to invite us!" Crow joined in the fun.

I couldn't help but giggle at the scene in front of me as Yusei stood next to me. "This is a nice way to start off the evening; a live comedy", I commented.

"Yeah", Yusei nodded.

Jack tried arguing back as he looked like he wanted to strangle Crow as the Blackwing Duelist and the kids kept teasing him. Luckily for the blonde Signer, the teasing got over when a familiar yellow VW Bug showed up. I liked to call it "Bumblebee", since it looked a lot like Bumblebee from "Transformers G1" in my world.

"Hi, guys!" Carly called as she, Aki, and the twins got out of the mini-van. "Sorry we're late!"

Carly was cosplaying Fortune Lady Water, but she was dressed in the censored version, wearing a dark blue bodysuit underneath the main costume. Instead of having the Fortune Lady's wand, she had a camera bag resting on her shoulder, obviously to take pictures and write a report about the festival. Tonight, she wasn't wearing her glasses; she was using contacts, so she could look more like Fortune Lady Water.

Aki was dressed in the same witch costume as Dexter imagined her in the anime, before she appeared with Black Rose Dragon for the first time. It consisted of a dark purple dress with a deep cleavage, a dark plum cape with hood strapped around her collarbone, a dark red belt with large green glass orbs around the waist, twin gold bracelets on the right wrist, a gold necklace with three green glass orbs, and a pair of dark purple heels. She was even wearing a wig that looked the same as in the anime.

Leo and Luna were dressed like the devil respective the angel. The twins confessed before that they got inspired by Light End Dragon and Dark End Dragon from my second Shadow Duel with Roman.

Luna had a white flowing dress with golden shoulder plates with green glass orbs as decoration, gold bracelets on both wrists, white ballet shoes, a pair of angel wings attached on her back, and a halo that was floating above her head with the help of a thin headband that went around her head and a thin steel thread at the back of the head.

Leo was dressed in a black bodysuit, dark grey vest with grey shoulder plates, dark grey shorts, and grey boots. He had a pair of black wings attached on his back, just like his sister.

"It's about time!" Jack growled as he pushed back Crow by his face, his red cheeks cooling down. "What took you so long?!"

"Whoa. Someone's not in Halloween mode", Leo commented as he, Luna, and Aki joined me and Yusei.

"I'm sure he'll get in a better mood once we visit the festival", Aki said calmly.

"Yeah", Luna nodded.

Martha walked out of the house with Blister behind her. "Well, what a lovely Halloween parade we have here."

"Hi, Martha", I greeted her with a soft wave with my hand.

"Hi, Estelle", Martha smiled warmly. "Okay, children. I entrust the little ones to you. Remember, the curfew is 9 p.m., so make sure to get them all back home safely, okay?"

"Okay, Martha!" Carly saluted.

"Just don't let the rascals eat too much candy", Blister warned. "Or else they won't fall asleep."

"Gotcha!" Leo grinned while giving the adults a thumbs up. "No candies to them, but candies to me!"

"Leo, you're a child too, so you need to put up a limit with sweets", I told him. "Too much candy and you'll have to visit the dentist."

Leo paled by the last word. "No! Not the dentist! I don't want them to drill my teeth!"

"That's why you shouldn't eat as much candy as you usually do, Leo", Luna sweat dropped.

"Can we go now already?!" Jack asked impatiently as Crow's little foster siblings giggled at him.

"Wait! Where's Misty?" Crow questioned. "Didn't she say she wanted to visit the festival too?"

"I got a call from her a couple of hours ago", Carly spoke up. "She said she was going to meet up with us at the festival. Apparently, she's bringing someone with her."

"A friend of hers?" Yusei wondered.

"I don't know. She didn't say any details", Carly shrugged.

"Anyhow, let's head to the festival and have fun! Happy Halloween!" Crow cheered excitedly.

XXXXXXXXXX

The Halloween festival was pretty much similar to a summer festival I used to read in manga books back in my world. There were many different stalls that sold food, lotteries, and even had some games. The decorations were creative and colorful, but the jack-o'-lanterns dominated everywhere. Several people recognized me and the others from the magazine we modelled for and asked for picture, so we took selfies with our fans.

There was quite a crowd, so we stayed close to make sure we didn't lose the orphans. However, children being children, they were excited to visit their first festival, so slowly and surely we ended up splitting up to look for them. I didn't know how, but I ended up all alone in the middle of the crowd. I looked around to try finding my friends, but it was useless. People were wearing all kinds of costumes in similar colors as my friends', so I mistook a few of them when I approached them.

I felt a slight panic attack grow inside me as I pushed myself through the crowd. I had been here for more than forty-five minutes, but my brain couldn't take it anymore. The colors, sounds, lights, smells, and people around me were getting too much for me to handle. I had to get to a quiet and dark place and rest a bit.

I apologized every time I bumped into someone as I tried to make it through the crowd and get to a nearby park. My mind was set on getting away from the environment around me that I never heard a voice calling my name until someone grabbed my right wrist.

I snapped out of the trance and looked over my shoulder to see the concerned expression on Yusei's face. "Yusei…"

"I've been calling your name, Estelle, but you didn't hear me", he said before his eyes changed into analysis mode. "You okay? You look pale."

"I… I need to get away for a bit…"

Even though I had calmed down a bit now that I had someone by my side, I still felt like my brain was going to overload if I didn't get away from the festival.

Yusei didn't question anything. He let go of my wrist to grab my hand and pulled me gently through the crowd. I followed him as we walked in a middle-fast pace through the crowd. Soon, we reached a nearby park where only a few people were walking around or sat on benches to get some rest themselves.

Yusei and I walked over to a bench where I immediately sat down and let out a sigh of relief. "Feeling better now?" the Signer asked as he sat down next to me.

"Yeah… A lot better", I nodded slowly before turning to him. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"It's no trouble at all", Yusei shook his head. "You told us you can't handle crowds and all the impressions around you, especially in a festival like this. But… I still can't help but wonder…" He stared straight into my eyes with a serious expression. "If you know your brain can't handle all of this, then why do you keep pushing yourself and try to stay in a 'messy' environment, as you quoted?"

I relaxed my shoulders as I exhaled a sigh through my nose. "This may sound a bit childish of me, but I naively think that if I put myself in such an environment from time to time, my brain might get used to it and I can handle it better." I let out a soft but forced chuckle as I rubbed my forehead. "I've always tried to catch up and reach the norm's level, so I don't look like an outcast in other's eyes. It's hard, but I'm catching up step by step."

"You don't have to change."

I looked at Yusei, surprised by his comment. "I never said anything about changing, Yusei. I just want to reach-"

"Even so, you should stay true to yourself", Yusei interrupted with a slight stern look in his eyes. "None of us care if you act differently in certain situations. We're all different, with or without a diagnosis. We don't want you to push yourself just to fit in the society." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and brought closer so I could rest my head against his left shoulder. "Our friends… In a way, we complete each other. Some of us got qualities the others don't have, and they got qualities we don't have. We might be the 'odd' ones in the society, but as long as we have each other, we don't have to worry about what the rest of the world thinks about us." His eyes shone with such warmth it touched the core of my soul. "So don't push yourself. We've accepted you for who you are and your difficulties, just as you accepted us."

This was the first time someone, besides my parents, had told me they loved and accepted me for who I was and accepted my autistic side, and Yusei's kind words touched my heart. I guess somewhere, deep inside me, I wanted to hear these honest words from a loyal friend. I bit my lower lip as tears accumulated in my eyes.

"T-Thank you, Yusei…", I said with a slight shaky voice before wiping off the tears. "N-No one, besides my parents, has ever said such things to me." Once I had control over my tears and held them back, I smiled softly to the Signer. "I'm so glad I'm friends with you and the others."

Yusei smiled softly with a chuckle. "I'm glad I've got to meet you too, Estelle. You're a unique woman; don't let other people tell you otherwise."

I smiled lightly before I relaxed and rested my head against his shoulder. For some reason, I felt very comfortable with Yusei and I felt like there was something going on between us, or was I just imagining it? I mean, Yusei had now several times taken the initiative to reach me when he noticed I wasn't feeling well and other times.

"Mind if we interrupt the cuddling?" a familiar voice spoke up.

I straightened up and tried to act nothing had just happened before I saw who had called us. It was Misty and…

"Kalin?" Yusei said in disbelief.

Misty was dressed as a geisha with a green kimono with black flower pattern, white socks, and traditional tree slippers. Her hair was tied up into the same style as geisha while her face was covered by white cream make-up and her lips were a bit dark pink.

Kalin was dressed in a dark blue Japanese formal police uniform with fake gold medals on the chest, a hat with a fake emblem, and gold buttons on the jacket.

"That's me, Yusei", Kalin chuckled as he moved his hat as greeting.

Yusei stood up from the bench and walked over to his big brother figure before they did a secret handshake. "I can't believe you're here. I thought the aspirants in the police academy weren't allowed to leave on holidays."

"Well, I can leave on Christmas, but not for Halloween", Kalin confessed sheepishly. "Misty contacted the academy and requested a 'bodyguard' for her during Halloween. Many wanted to get the task, but she specifically asked for me. The staff agreed to it, so I'm free this whole weekend, but I've gotta go back on Monday."

"I'm still glad to see you. Jack and Crow are around here somewhere, but they'll be happy to see you're doing well."

While the young men were talking, Misty sat down next to me on the bench. "Are you okay, Estelle?"

"Huh?" I blinked, turning my head to her.

"Your eyes are a little red. Did you cry just before we showed up?"

"No, not really", I shook my head. "I just…" I glanced at Yusei, feeling my heart throb in a fast pace. "I just had a small meltdown and Yusei helped me calm down."

Misty smiled softly, but didn't push on the matter. "Did you visit the festival?"

"Yeah, but after a while, the environment was too much for me, so that's why Yusei and I stayed here in the park so I could recharge my batteries."

"I see. Are you feeling better now?"

"A little. I think I can go on another round in the festival. I would love to try some yakisoba."

"Then let us get some food and meet up with the rest of the group", Misty nodded.

XXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the time at the festival went smoothly. We found the others and bought some food before we settled down by a few picnic benches in the park to eat. The children showed us what they bought or won at lotteries, but I almost got another panic attack when Taiga and Ginga said they found a stall that sold real big black spiders. They were about to reveal the spiders they had bought when Crow quickly stopped them and said I couldn't handle spiders. The young boys apologized for that and went to another part of the park to release the spiders. I was very thankful and gave them a bit more of my yakisoba as a reward.

The fun reached its end when we brought the orphans back to Martha's house. Kokoro and Hikari were tired, but happy for visiting their first festival. The boys were tired too and claimed they could stay awake a bit longer, but Martha shooed them to bed.

"Did you enjoy yourselves at the festival?" Martha asked once the orphans were inside the house.

"Sure did!" Leo grinned.

"It was beautiful and exciting", Luna added. "I've always wanted to visit a festival like this, but our parents never allowed us that."

"Yeah, finally we've got some more freedom!" her twin cheered.

"Will you head back to the festival?" Martha questioned.

"We're not sure yet", Aki shook her head.

"Well, whether you go or not, be careful on your way home."

"We will, Martha", Yusei nodded.

After wishing good night, Martha walked into the house and closed the door behind her.

"So what do we do now?" Crow questioned. "Head back to the festival or not?"

"It depends on how many are tired or not", Misty said. "The clock is around nine p.m., so it's getting late."

"Do you have classes tomorrow, kids?" Kalin asked the twins.

"Yes, we have", Luna shook her head.

"I've got classes too", Aki added.

"Then I guess it's up for a vote", Carly suggested. "The majority wins."

"How about we set up a time limit for those who want to head back to the festival?" Yusei added. "Like stay there for another hour or so?"

I was about to say my thoughts when my mind suddenly turned black, like someone just pushed an on/off switch in my soul. The last thing I heard was this deep voice inside my head.

"I shall soon be free… And you shall perish, Priestess…"