I'm going to try adding some mini StarParticleShipping moments in the next few chapters. Nothing extreme, but more to the friendship level so Yusei and Estelle's relationship can build up a bit.

And we have our first review shout-out! The winner is Meijin Lightus! Congratulations! Next shout-out will be by the 475th review.

WARNING! Mentions of drugs!

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

Chapter 5: Bonds

The one month of house arrest finally came to an end. It was time for my freedom, but in an unexpected way. Goodwin had informed me that Yusei wasn't going to get shipped back to the Satellite. He was going to be a free man in New Domino City. And, since I was Yusei's friend and had the same amount of days of house arrest as his time in prison, I was also going to be free. The ankle monitor I had on me the whole month was removed on the day I was leaving the mansion. I got dressed in my original clothes and packed my belongings in my satchel when Hilda walked into the room with a Duel Disk in her hands.

"Mr. Goodwin cannot come and wish you goodbye, so he asked me to give this Duel Disk to you, Ms. Estelle", the head of the maids told me as she handed the device to me.

The Duel Disk was the same model as the one I had used before, but the color schemes were red and white with orange gems. I couldn't help but wonder why Goodwin gifted me with a red Duel Disk. Was he suspecting I was connected to the Crimson Dragon? He had stopped asking questions days ago, so I thought he would drop all the mysteries around me.

"Tell him I'm grateful for the gift, please", I said as I strapped the Duel Disk onto my left arm.

"I certainly will", Hilda smiled sweetly before giving me a small wallet. "Mr. Goodwin also told me to give you some money for your stay in New Domino City."

I raised an eyebrow on that. Goodwin was giving me money? I accepted the wallet and opened it. I saw no cards, but there were several bills and some coins. I couldn't really count how much it was, but it was a lot. Was the Director trying to spoil me or something?

"Well… It was nice of him", I couldn't help but comment softly.

"Mr. Goodwin…looked really happy while you were staying in his residence", Hilda said, grabbing my attention. "He wishes no harm will come to you, so… Be careful, Ms. Estelle."

Goodwin was happy while I was staying with him? I thought he had looked the same the whole time, but I guess some of the staff in the mansion had known him long enough to read his facial expression to see whenever there was a slight difference.

I was escorted to a waiting limousine that drove me to the Facility. Once we were there, I got out of the vehicle and thanked the chauffer. He smiled softly before leaving the area.

I turned my attention at the giant building of the Facility. It looked more like a forte on the outside. I could hear some yelling from the inside and how the personnel shouted to each other and to inmates.

I waited for like ten minutes when the gate to the Facility opened. I straightened myself and waited to see if the figure who was coming out was Yusei. My shoulders relaxed when I saw it was really him. He looked safe and sound, but there was a different aura around him. Did he hear about the Signers from Yanagi and now wanted answers from Goodwin?

I took a few steps forward and intercepted Yusei with a soft smile. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted me. "Hi, Yusei", I greeted softly.

"Estelle?" Yusei blinked his eyes confusedly. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Goodwin's mansion."

He must have been told that I was staying in the Director's home, probably when Goodwin had visited the Facility to offer an inmate freedom.

"Yes, I was there under house arrest, but he decided to release me on the same day as you were leaving the Facility", I explained. "He had his limousine driving me here."

Yusei glanced down at the Duel Disk strapped on my arm. "And that Duel Disk?"

"A goodbye gift", I answered. "He was…unexpectedly very nice."

Yusei's eyes narrowed a bit before his face lightened up and a tiny smile grew on his lips. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"And I'm glad to see you in one piece", I smiled softly with a tiny blush before getting into serious mode. "So what's the plan?"

"We're going to get my Duel Runner back", Yusei replied. "I…made a few friends in the Facility. One of them told me to find someone named Blister; he'll help me get the Runner back."

"Okay", I nodded. "Then let us go."

Yusei nodded before we walked away from the Facility. I heard the noise of a Duel Runner nearby, but I knew that was just Trudge who had gone against his orders and chose to follow us.

But for now, I wanted to enjoy the moment of peace before the next adventure would arise with Blister.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yusei and I wandered through New Domino City the entire day to reach the rough part where the bar Bootleg was located. We stopped by a café once to eat some lunch in the good part of the city. Yusei got surprised when I showed him how much cash Goodwin had gifted me with, but he didn't complain when he got the first taste of actual food after living on "rations" in the Facility for a whole month. We did get some cautious looks from the other customers due to Yusei's criminal mark, but we ignored them.

The moon was dominating the night sky when we made it to the Daimon Area. I shuddered in disgust when I saw so many using drugs openly on the streets and smoking weed, some of them losing consciousness right in front of us. I noticed how some men eyed me like a piece of meat, which gave me a bad taste in my mouth. I turned to Yusei who was looking straight ahead with a poker face. I felt the need to hold his hand to feel a bit safe, but I didn't want to seem so pushy in his eyes. So instead of reaching for his hand, I chose to pinch the edge of his jacket with my fingertips and held onto it while we were walking. I knew I acted like a scared child, but what else could I do?

I snapped out of my thoughts when I felt Yusei's hand remove my hand from his jacket and held it instead, giving me a soft squeeze. He still had his poker face, but I could see the corner of his lips had moved up a bit. I couldn't help but smile softly at the kind gesture and kept my hand in his, feeling warm and protected.

I could sense eyes on my back, but I knew it was those stalkers that had been sent by Goodwin to follow us and track our movement.

"Are we there yet?" I asked Yusei with a low voice. "This place scares me a lot more than the Satellite…"

That was the truth. Back in the Satellite, I did see some people taking drugs, but not to this extent. Was it because it was harder to obtain drugs and weed on the island than in the city?

Yusei looked up when we stopped in front of a building. A bar sign was hanging above an open door that said Bootleg in English. I noticed ever since I arrived to this dimension, I had been able to understand everything around me. Everyone was speaking in English instead of Japanese, so it made me wonder if the Crimson Dragon had blessed me with some kind of power to hear and read everything in English instead of Japanese. I was going to ask him that next time I saw him.

"This must be the place", Yusei nodded after checking the sign. "I just hope Tanner's friend comes through for us."

I nodded as well before I snuck my hand out of Yusei's, feeling like we should keep a low profile and not give people any weird ideas about our relationship.

We walked down the few stairs from the door before entering the bar. There were a few people drinking, but they seemed to behave and not cause a scene despite their intoxicated status. Many of them had criminal marks, so they didn't look up from their drinks and food when we walked past them, heading for the counter. I saw a few people smoking with a water pipe, getting lost in the haze of drugs.

Yusei and I sat down next to each other before the bartender turned around to face us. He had spiky greyish/brownish hair, tanned skin, and dark eyes, dressed like a bartender with white shirt, brown vest, pants, and shoes. He also had a few criminal marks on his face and seemed to be around his late 40's.

"So what do you want here, kids? Lost your puppy or somethin'? My heart's breakin' for ya, but this ain't the animal shelter!" the bartender snorted. "Now, get outta here! We've got a no-loyalty rule; payin' customers only!"

"In that case, I'll have some milk", Yusei said calmly.

The bartender didn't like Yusei's attitude and grabbed him by the collar, surprising me by the sudden action. "This ain't a kids' bar!"

"Hey, let him go, please!" I shouted as I grabbed the bartender's arm.

The bartender turned to me with a growl while opening his mouth before he turned to the entrance of the bar. I followed his glance and saw two men dressed in black suits and wearing sunglasses, even though it was nighttime, entering the bar. That was clearly a signal for the bartender, since he let go of Yusei's jacket and shook off my arm. Yusei was not affected of what just happened and pulled out a Duel Monster card he got from Tanner from his jacket and placed it on the counter. The bartender gasped lowly, knowing what the card meant.

"Bolt Tanner gave this to me", Yusei told the bartender. "I'm looking for a guy named Blister."

The bartender looked over our shoulders, probably eyeing the stalkers, before he poured a glass of milk and placed it on the counter in front of Yusei, straight on the Monster card. "Those suits that followed you lookin' for Blister too?"

Yusei raised an eyebrow, not getting it. The bartender nodded his head softly, telling Yusei to look over his shoulder. We both turned our heads a bit and spotted the two stalkers in the corner of the bar. When we made eye contact with them, they looked quickly away, acting as if they were in the middle of a conversation.

"I assume those guys…aren't with you", the bartender spoke in a low voice. "Now, get outta here, kids. You don't find Blister; Blister finds you."

A cryptic message, but Yusei understood the meaning. He drank his glass of milk before he picked up Tanner's card and got off the seat. I followed him after giving the bartender a soft nod as thank you. We exited the bar, sensing how those stalkers followed us from behind.

"So what do we do now…?" I whispered to Yusei. "Walk around for a while until Blister finds us, or try to lure those stalkers away first…?"

Yusei was quiet for a few moments. "Let's walk around a bit…"

We walked through the alleyway and reached an empty street when the bombarding noise of a Duel Runner suddenly echoed around us. We looked up and saw a Duel Runner with a side-car leaping off a roof and landed right behind us. I even had to duck down to not get hit by the back tire when the Runner flew past us.

"Lookin' for me?!" the male driver called, his voice sounding just like Blister from the anime.

I looked over my shoulder when I heard running footsteps. The stalkers were coming and fast. I grabbed Yusei's hand and pulled him towards the Duel Runner. Once we were next to it, I let go of Yusei and jumped into the side-car while Yusei sat down behind Blister.

"Hold on tight!" Blister warned us before he zoomed away.

I found two helmets in the bottom of the side-car so I put one of them on me before handing the other one to Yusei. He grabbed it and put it on while Blister activated a harmless laser, aiming it at Yusei's criminal mark.

"Hold still! The ions in this little bad boy are jamming the mark and your signal!" Blister told us. "Can't have those suits following us!"

"Are you Blister?" Yusei asked.

"In the flesh!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Blister drove us to an apartment building where we got off and pushed his Duel Runner into an apartment. We removed our helmets once we were inside and stayed away from the windows while helicopters with spotlights shone around outside.

"Sector Security usually save the helicopters for the big time offenders", Blister pointed out as he sat by a laptop and typed on it. "But you two seem harmless enough. You know something about the city hall fat cat you're not supposed to know?"

"Actually, I think someone knows something about me", Yusei replied as the two of us looked around in the slight messy apartment. "But I don't know what."

"Well, your marker won't transmit for a few hours and I've clogged this building. You're good for now", Blister informed us." So Bolt Tanner told you to come here and find me, did he?"

"That's right", Yusei nodded.

"I don't suppose he sent you to pay me the junk of change he owes me", Blister said sarcastically.

"No", I shook my head.

"In that case, you must be here for the official Blister Hookup!" Blister said. "So what's the deal? Need a new identity, both of you?"

"I need to sneak into the Security impound center to get my Runner back", Yusei said directly.

Blister's eyes widened in shock. "You're kidding, right?"

"Tanner said you can help me", Yusei retorted calmly. "So, was he right or wrong?"

Blister hesitated for a moment. "He's right."

XXXXXXXXXX

Blister helped Yusei prepare a bag with random items and a suit with a cap for the infiltration. Yusei was going to look like an electrician. It took a few hours before Blister also managed to create a fake but realistic ID card with Yusei's photo and a fake name.

"Okay, Mr. Adams, your maintenance uniform is set, and I've got your ID card", Blister announced. "Just need to hack into the city system…" He hummed a short melody while he worked on his magic.

I found a photo frame that had a picture of Blister and his old friend while both of them held a trophy together, smiling brightly. Blister's friend, Aero, if I remembered his name right, was holding the card of Machina Sniper. There was an upside-down card underneath the photo frame that was once ripped apart, but fixed with some tape. I had a feeling it was the same Monster card as on the photo.

"And done! Yusei Adams, you're officially an employee of the New Domino City Security impound center!" Blister announced. "Now, each door requires a specific code. Let me hop on the main frame and see where they're keeping your ride, so I know what code you'll need. When did they take it?"

"A month ago, Blister", Yusei replied as he picked up the photo frame.

"Alright then! I'll have to break the encryption of the security main frame", Blister said.

Yusei picked up the torn card and it was indeed Machina Sniper. The edge of the card was also black and dirty, as if it had been closed to get burned into ash. Blister was oblivious of us finding the photo and the card while he mumbled words to himself during the hacking session. I found myself having a hard time to concentrate on other things around me. It was pretty late now, almost midnight.

"Bingo! Vault 64B!" Blister said as he moved to his second laptop. "Top floor! Now, to snag the passcode you'll need to get in. This shouldn't be too hard."

"Blister, did you used to be a Duelist?" Yusei asked as he turned around with the photo frame and card in his hands.

Blister looked over his shoulder before his eyes widened when he spotted the photo frame and got up from the chair. "Wha?! What are you doing, snoopin' around in here?! Put that picture back!"

"Looks like you were taking names in the big leagues", Yusei continued calmly.

"Nah, I was never big league, that's for sure!" Blister snorted as he looked away. "Me and my partner Dueled in the semi-pro league for a bit. But… That was a different life, Yusei, Estelle. It was a long time ago."

I could tell the incident from the past hurt him, but I knew there was more behind of it.

"Put the picture down", Blister said as he returned to his seat. "We've got to focus here!"

Yusei said nothing while he put back the photo frame and the card underneath it before we joined Blister by the laptops.

"Got the passcode for 64B", Blister informed Yusei.

"Is that all I'll need?" Yusei asked.

"That, the ID card, your uniform, and a whole lot of luck", Blister replied. "The security droids are on a random program, so I can't help you there."

"I'll risk it", Yusei declared. "So is that your Duel partner with you in the picture?"

"Man!" Blister sighed dramatically as he rolled his chair to the other laptop, typing randomly on it.

The action said pretty much that Blister wanted to avoid the subject. As much as I wanted to go and get some sleep, I was curious to see the outcome of this story.

"You don't know how to let something go, do you?" the hacker commented a bit harshly. "We're not here to get to know each other. Got it?"

I covered my mouth and moved my head aside as I let out a soft yawn. "You wouldn't happen to have a bed or a couch in this place, Blister?"

"Well, it is late, and Yusei's going to need every ounce of energy to get his Runner back, so you two can go and catch some sleep", Blister replied as he pointed towards a couch in the corner of the one-room apartment. "You two can share that couch; I won't need it, since I'll be busy for the rest of the night."

XXXXXXXXXX – Yusei's POV

Estelle and I almost had an argument of who should take the couch, but I won in the end, letting her sleep comfortably. She walked over to the couch and settled down her bag and Duel Disk on the floor next to it. She sat down on the couch and removed her glasses, jacket, and boots before lying down on the furniture. It didn't take a long time until she fell asleep.

"You two a couple or something?" Blister asked all of the sudden, his eyes still on the laptop.

"No", I shook my head as I sat down on a chair. "Just friends."

"Could have fooled me", Blister snorted. "Now, catch some eye rest. You'll have to leave early in the morning."

I nodded softly before I sat down and leaned back against a chair and closed my eyes, falling asleep to the noise of clicking keys.

XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV

Once I was back to the realm between the 5D's dimension and the Spirit World, the Crimson Dragon appeared in front of me. "Hello, Estelle."

"Hi, Crimson Dragon", I nodded.

"Since you have returned, I believe you have more questions you wish to ask?"

"Yes. How can I hear and read everything around me in English while I'm supposedly in Japan? I might know the lyrics of several Japanese songs and few words, but this is very confusing to me."

"I understand your concern, Little One. To answer your questions; you are indeed in Japan in this dimension. As for hearing everyone speaking in English instead of Japanese is because I have blessed you with a gift."

Pretty much of what I suspected.

"To make it convenient for you while staying in my Signers' world, I made sure you can understand the world around you in English. And whenever you talk, instead of hearing you in English, the people around you are hearing you speaking in Japanese. Of course, when you choose to speak in Swedish or another language, they will hear said language."

"I see… That explains some things."

"Do you have another question?"

"I do… When will I return to my dimension?"

The Crimson Dragon hesitated when I said that question. He looked away for a while, as if he was trying to come up with a proper answer. My heart dropped when I feared for the worst.

"Can I never return to my world?!"

The Crimson Dragon turned quickly back to me. "Yes, you can. But… There will be consequences."

"What kind of consequences?" I asked, shaking a bit due to nervousness.

"You are not ready to hear them yet."

"Why not?"

"If you hear them now, you won't view things clearly. You need to experience more before you can hear me out."

That sent a shiver down my spine, but I kind of understood what the Crimson Dragon tried to tell me. I needed to experience the whole adventure to the end. Maybe the events in 5D's dimension would change me, just as the old events at school changed me a lot. Maybe it could help shape myself a bit more and make me stronger.

"I understand. I'll wait."

The Crimson Dragon's eyes moved a bit, as if he was smiling. "A wise decision. Now, relax and enjoy your dreams."

XXXXXXXXXX

I felt the heat of the sun on my face, which forced me to open my eyes. The eyelids were a bit sticky, but that was normal whenever I was waking up. I stayed on the couch as I heard voices not so far from me. I rubbed my eyes before seeing the blurry figures of Yusei and Blister by the desk, talking about something. I strained my ears to hear they were talking about Blister's past and of his friend, Aero. Blister said something like "you shouldn't have friends; they would only turn against you as soon as they were done with you".

It was partly true, but if you found friends who were loyal and stayed by your side no matter what, they were very valuable. I got to experience that with Yusei and his friends back in the Satellite. I used to have some friends when I was a child in my world, but I got betrayed by them. I had a best friend once, but due to our differences we split apart and never saw each other again. It kind of hurt at first, but I got over it. During that time, I had already experienced bullying and humiliation at school, so I was used to it. You could clearly say I had my own share of darkness from the past.

I shut my eyes when I saw how Yusei picked up his bag for the infiltration. I pretended to still be sleeping when he walked past the couch. I heard how he stopped next to me, probably watching me for a split second.

"Look after Estelle for me until I come back, Blister", Yusei said before a door opened and then closed.

I opened one eye and saw Yusei was gone. Blister sighed loudly before it was quiet in the one-room apartment.

"Talk 'bout lame…", Blister muttered.

"It's not lame", I said.

"What the?!" Blister almost jumped when I spoke up. "Were you awake the whole time?"

"Almost", I confessed as I sat up on the couch and stretched my stiff body a bit.

"So you heard everything?" Blister asked with glaring eyes.

"Not everything, but everything I needed to hear", I replied as I put on my glasses and boots. "I'm sorry about what happened to Aero, but you shouldn't blame yourself. I'm sure Aero understood why you had to save yourself. He would've felt guilty if you risked your life to save his. You could have ended up in the same condition as his, or maybe even worse."

"But I still couldn't save him…!" Blister growled as he almost crunched the Machina Sniper card in his hand.

"You shouldn't let the guilt eat you up", I shook my head before standing up from the furniture. "Aero has already forgiven you by sending your team's mascot to you. You are the one who cut the ties because of the guilt, not him."

Blister muttered something before he looked away. He walked over to the windows when the engine of a Duel Runner echoed from the outside. I followed him and saw Yusei walk out of the apartment building. He seemed to have ignored the sound of the Duel Runner, but he shouldn't have. Because the Duel Runner that purred from an alleyway and then drove out to the street to follow him belonged to none other than Trudge!

"Not him again…", I groaned.

"You know that Security guy?" Blister asked.

"We had a few run-ins with him back in the Satellite", I explained. "He's got some kind of vendetta with Yusei after losing to him several times."

"He might be up to something if he's shadowing Yusei…", Blister muttered.

The brunet turned around and hurried to one of his chest of drawers. He picked up a cell phone and a few other things before turning to me. "You've got a cell phone?"

I wanted to say yes first by instinct, but I stopped myself. My smartphone couldn't be used in this dimension. I had tried it once to check, but it didn't work.

"No", I shook my head.

"Figured as much", Blister commented before throwing me a cell phone, which I caught. "Can you help me roll my Runner after I've removed the side-car?"

"Sure", I nodded.

I helped Blister roll his Duel Runner out of the building and to the empty streets. He put on a helmet before he sat down on the motorcycle and turned it on.

"Your cell phone's got my emergency number. Call me if there's something", Blister instructed me as he gave me a copy of the key to his apartment. "I'd prefer you stay in my place until I come back. Daimon Area is not really the safest place for a girl to walk around alone."

"I'll wait", I told him. "Look after Yusei, and thank you."

Blister shrugged before he drove away. I watched him drive down the street until he was gone. I let out a soft sigh before walking back into the apartment building, hoping both Yusei and Blister would return safely.