I don't know why, but I feel like I want to experiment with Carly a bit and give her some interesting traits, kinda related to her first Japanese voice actress who got caught for being in a BDSM cult. Please, let me know if you like the change or not.

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The chapter begins in Carly's point of view.

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

Chapter 37: Crawling Feelings

Everything around me was dark and spooky. I thought I heard deep music notes echoing in my ears as I walked around, trying to find my way out of here. It felt like I was in the middle of a horror movie and the tension was building up to the big climax.

An evil laughter erupted behind me, scaring the wits out of me. I turned around to see who it was, but I was met by a bright green energy beam that hit me straight on the chest. I was then suddenly pushed through a window and falling down from a tall building, the glass splinter flying around me as my glasses flew off my face. Still, even with my blind bat eyes, I saw the image of Jack. My hand reached out automatically to him, hoping he would catch me, but in my horror he scowled at me and turned around without any attempts to save me.

Instead, my Fortune Fairies flew towards me, all of them having worried expressions. As they got closer, their bodies grew into young and beautiful women. Fortune Lady Earth and Fortune Lady Light grabbed my arms before I could fall down to the ground, which was a huge relief. But the horror returned when the Fortune Ladies' soft and gentle facial expressions turned dark and got those creepy smiles and red glowing eyes you see in the cartoons. A big shadow appeared behind them as it had a pair of orange eyes and a big nasty smile. It opened its mouth and released a bird-like cry that hurt my ears. I had to close my eyes to endure the screech, but just as I opened them the huge shadow threw itself at me with its mouth wide open, ready to eat me.

Jack… Jack! Where are you?! Help me!

XXXXXXXXXX

"JACK!"

My eyes snapped open as I sat up fast on my bed, cold sweat dripping down my face. My heart beat rapidly as I panted deeply to calm down. That dream has been haunting me for a while now, but it never got this extreme.

No… It was no longer just a dream.

It was a nightmare, but why did it feel so realistic? Did I get hurt and lost my memories at some point after Jack pushed me away when his wounds healed up? I remembered vividly the purple lines of the Nazca Line of the Giant covering a big part of Satellite. Did the nightmare have something to do with evil powers?

I glanced at the nightstand next to my bed and looked at my Deck. Ever since I woke up in Goodwin's mansion, I have been so confused about my cards. The Fortune Fairies had mysteriously transformed into these Fortune Ladies and my Deck had some cards I had never seen before. Jack and the others had assured me they hadn't touched my Deck, so was it possible that I made the change of the Deck myself?

I was so confused. My mind was full of questions and I needed answers to them. Who could I ask to shed some light at the nightmares I was having for the last few weeks?

After this particular nightmare, I didn't know if I should ask Jack about it. And I did kinda upset him during the moving when I snuck through his stuff to find something old that I could keep, like…

I blushed hard and put my hands on my cheeks before shaking my head, trying to wipe the perverted thoughts of my mind. What was happening to me? I had never felt like this before nor had such thoughts for a man. Was it because I never had someone I was interested in back in high school? I didn't know I had this side of me.

Anyway, if I couldn't ask Jack about my nightmares, perhaps I could ask Estelle instead. The two of us had gotten close since I had been kinda using her to get some inside scoop for the magazine I was working for. I didn't like my current job, especially that dirty boss who always wanted me to write some scandalous which was not my style. My dream was to become an honest reporter and never write lies, like my old rival, Angela, who often lies in her articles.

I let out a sigh before I grabbed my glasses and put them on my face. I checked the alarm clock and saw it was 7 a.m. It was time for me to get up and prepare myself for another day at work. But first, I needed to send a text to Estelle.

XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV

I got surprised when I received a text from Carly in the morning of her wanting to see me on lunch break. She wrote she wanted to talk to me about something that had been bothering her for a while, so I wrote back we could meet in a restaurant close to Sector Security.

Carly was already waiting in the restaurant when I showed up. She was sitting in a booth in the corner of the place, so I didn't spot her at first. It was only when she stood up and waved her hand to me. She was dressed in a white shirt with ocean blue skinny jeans, black and white stripey trainers, and a dark orange coat.

"Hi, Carly", I greeted her as I sat down at the other side at the booth and placed my briefcase next to me. "I'm sorry I'm a bit late."

"That's fine, Estelle", Carly smiled softly. "I've been here just for five minutes, so I'm the one who's early."

"Alright. So what is it you want to talk about?"

"Ah…", Carly hesitated for a second, turning away from me while I noticed she bit her lower lip softly. "Can we…perhaps talk about it after eating lunch? I'm very hungry…"

I blinked my eyes, feeling a bit confused as I wondered if she was trying to prolong the time before she wanted to spill the beans, but I accepted it. "Sure. And the lunch is on me, so feel free to eat whatever you want."

The reporter perked up when she heard that. She stared at me through her thick glasses before she snatched one of the menus resting on the table. "Then don't mind if I do that."

I giggled softly as I felt relieved to see her being in good mood again. A waitress came and wrote our orders and we ate silently without saying a single word to each other.

Once we finished our food, we both had a glass of drink that we sipped slowly. I waited patiently for the woman in front of me to start talking.

"I…", Carly began, making me put my glass down on the table to have my full attention at her. "I've been having…weird dreams lately. Very scary and dark dreams."

"What are they about?" I questioned in a gentle voice, having a feeling what they were.

"That's the question… I don't know what they are all about", Carly replied, looking down at her drink. "They're usually dark that I can't see a single thing, but last night they were so clear as if I've experienced it in real life."

She told me how her dream self crashed through a window and fell from a tall building towards her doom. Jack appeared in that dream, but he turned his back on her, not willing to rescue her. Instead, her Fortune Fairies caught her while transforming into Fortune Ladies, only to change into creepy images and a huge shadow with orange eyes grinning at her before devouring her.

I could quickly confirm it was a flashback of the time when Carly was a Dark Signer. The tower in her dream was obviously the Arcadia Movement when she lost to Sayer. The part with Jack must have represented the moment he tried pushing her out of his life so he could protect her from the potential danger. The Fortune Fairies transforming into their adult versions was the moment when Carly was reborn as a Dark Signer and the huge shadow with orange eyes must be Earthbound Immortal Aslla piscu.

"Did…something happen to me?" Carly asked nervously. "I woke up in Director Goodwin's place feeling like I was in a coma. I even missed work for several days. If it wasn't for the exclusive interview with Yusei, I'd be without a job now."

To be honest, I didn't know what to say to her. I couldn't tell her the truth that she died and was reborn as a Dark Signer, and caused so much trouble and harm for innocent people and even the Signers, especially Jack.

"Well…", I began, trying my best to choose the correct words. "You did get in an accident and you lost consciousness after that."

"You mean, I really fell from a building?!" Carly exclaimed loudly while standing up.

Her outburst got the whole restaurant's attention. She blushed hard when she realized what she had done and covered her mouth with both her hands. I blushed in embarrassment and tried making myself small in the booth.

Carly sat down again and rubbed the back of her head while laughing sheepishly. "S-Sorry about that…"

"It's okay…", I smiled sheepishly.

"But… Did that really happen to me?"

"Yes. When Goodwin heard about your accident, he brought you home and had the staff take care of you until you woke up."

"Why wasn't I sent to the hospital instead?"

"That…is confidential."

"And about the Fortune Ladies… Are you sure no one went through my Deck and swapped my cards?"

"No one touched your Deck while you were in comatose."

"What about that creepy shadow? It felt like I've seen it before, but I can't pinpoint where…"

"Maybe that shadow is from an old nightmare you had and it somehow crept into this nightmare? It sometimes happens that I have a nightmare and some figures from an old nightmare suddenly show up."

I knew I was lying, but I couldn't come up with a better and reasonable excuse.

"Huh… I never thought of that", Carly looked like she was taking the bait. "Maybe it is from an old nightmare…"

I didn't know if I could help Carly more with this. Perhaps I needed to consult with the others and ask for their advice, especially Jack since he and Carly did form some kind of a bond, both before and during the Dark Signers war.

XXXXXXXXXX

I visited the Satellite Trio's apartment straight after work on the same day. Luckily, all three of them were in the garage, so I could talk to them about the matter. Crow had just come back after he had delivered a few goods as part of his Blackbird Delivery service that he had recently established. Setsuko had been kind and made him the Blackbird Delivery jacket after Aki told her about the business. Yusei worked as a freelance mechanic slash repairer who tried to fix everything from refrigerators to Duel Runners. Jack… Well, he was currently unemployed and was mostly spending time at home drinking coffee.

"Carly's getting flashbacks from the time she was a Dark Signer?!" Jack exclaimed in disbelief, almost spilling the coffee he had in the mug on himself.

"Yes", I nodded. "She said she's been having these nightmares for the last few weeks, but apparently the last one really frightened her. And if I understand her personality correctly, she might try to figure out what actually happened to her."

"And is that a bad thing?" Crow wondered while he munched on a sandwich, still wearing his business jacket.

"It depends", I shrugged my shoulders with a soft sigh. "If she finds out she tried to kill people, it could shake her up even more and we might get another Kalin-case. No offense to you guys."

"None taken", Yusei said while he was working on his Duel Runner, dressed only in a black shirt, dark green overall, white socks and black trainers.

"So… What's your plan?" Jack questioned, his voice slightly shaking.

I let out another sigh. "That's the thing. I don't know how I can help Carly."

"Eh? You don't?" Crow said, surprised. "I thought you had an answer to every single problem."

"I'm a priestess, not a God", I replied a bit sarcastically before getting serious again. "I'm stuck in my head of how I can help Carly and not shake her up even more than necessary. In the cartoons, she never showed any signs of Dark Signer post-trauma and seemed to live happily, but this time… I simply don't know."

"So you came to us to ask if we had any ideas?" Yusei questioned before he stood up from the floor to grab a rag and wipe the oil off his hands.

"Yes", I nodded.

"Well, I don't know that much about psychology, so I can't come up with something right now", Crow spoke up, eating the final bite of his sandwich. "The only Dark Signer experience I have is Greiger, but I think his case was different compared to Carly's."

Yusei turned to Jack who tried his best to have eye contact with any of us. "Jack, you said the Dark Signer you faced was Carly and she was the one who took care of you after the Fortune Cup. You should know her a bit more than the rest of us."

Jack scowled as he held his cup of coffee close to his lips. "I know nothing about that woman."

"Are you saying that because this is your way of protecting her?" I questioned, holding back my irritation. "Last time you used this method, it failed to protect her."

"I know that!" Jack exclaimed, causing Crow to jump back in surprise since he was close to him. "But what else could I've done?! It was her fault for snooping around in the Arcadia Movement in the first place! Hadn't she done that… She…" The hand that held the coffee cup shook a bit, some coffee running over the edge.

I let out a soft sigh, realizing this conversation was going nowhere. "I guess I'll have to think more about it. The only idea I have is to Duel Carly-"

"NO!" Jack exclaimed, catching us all off guard. "Absolutely not! That could trigger her memories even more!"

"I'm aware of that possibility", I admitted after I calmed down my heart. "But what if she tries to find out how well she can play with her new Deck, since it's completely unfamiliar to her? Will you be able to stop her every time she wants to Duel? That would require you to be around her twenty-four seven."

"That's absurd…", Jack muttered irritably.

"You can't protect someone forever. That will only make them completely dependent in the future and they won't even try to come out of their shell. I was kinda spoiled by my parents during my first few years at school. When I was bullied, Mom and Dad tried their best to protect me from all mental and physical pain. But as I got older, we all realized it wasn't the best way for me to grow up. I had to learn to become strong and independent and come out of the protective shell I was living in. I had to face the world and the truth somehow. That's kinda what Carly has to do. If she happens to remember her dark past and she takes it bad, we have to be there for her, but we must help her get through it and make her stand tall once again."

"So, basically, we have to do the same thing we did for Kalin", Crow concluded.

"Every human being needs to be independent to live in this world", Yusei said. "But for those who have a slight hard time, we need to be there for them until they're strong on their own."

"Exactly", I nodded. "Maybe Carly's memories could get triggered by Duels and if they do, we'll help her from there. Misty remembered her dark past after she was reborn and accepted it, so we could try asking her for advice when she comes back to Japan."

"Is there no other way…?" Jack questioned quietly.

"You should try coming up with something, Jack", I said. "You know Carly way better than I do because you lived with her, even if it was just for a short time. See this as a punishment for the time you were violent towards me."

"Wait, what?!" Crow called in surprise.

"Jack was violent towards you? When did that happen?" Yusei asked while throwing a half-glare at his blonde foster brother.

"What the hell?! You're still upset about that?!" Jack growled at me.

"About what, Jack?" Yusei asked with a demanding voice while crossing his arms.

"It happened during the house arrest after we arrived to New Domino City, Yusei", I began explaining. "Jack came over to Goodwin's mansion and we had a Ground Duel. After he defeated me, and I had summoned one of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons, he became violent and tried taking the card from me. He grabbed and pulled me so hard I was almost forced down on my knees."

"That happened a long time ago!" Jack argued. "And I was a different Jack Atlas back then! I'm the new Jack Atlas now and I would never do such a thing towards a woman!"

"Hey, Jack, Martha taught us in an early age never to be violent towards girls!" Crow spoke up with a glare. "You should've known that back then!"

"Your ego made you blind, Jack", Yusei shook his head disappointingly.

I picked up my smartphone from the pocket of my blazer and checked the time. "I've gotta go now. I need to change clothes before heading to the self-defense class."

"Since when do you go to self-defense class?" Crow wondered.

"Shortly after I got adopted by Goodwin", I explained. "He said it's for my own safety, since he has enemies and they might try using me as his Achilles' heel by harming or kidnapping me."

"That makes sense", Yusei nodded. "You need a ride home?"

"Thank you, Yusei, but no", I shook my head. "The limousine is waiting for me outside." I turned my eyes on Jack. "But, seriously, Jack, think about this and give me an answer in the next few days."

"W-Wait a minute!" Jack called, but I had already turned around and walked out of the garage, closing the door behind me.

I may have sounded a bit rude towards Jack, but I wanted to show him he couldn't get away with how he treated me a few months ago. There were consequences and punishment, but this "punishment" was absolutely nothing difficult. I knew he cared a lot for Carly, but he always showed it the wrong way. Maybe this could give him a push in the right direction.

XXXXXXXXXX – Jack's POV

I couldn't sleep well that night. I tried to use every cell of my brain to figure out a way not to cause more pain for Carly. Duels were out of the question because they could trigger forgotten memories for anyone who was suffering from amnesia. Yusei told me and Crow before how he lost his memories after he reclaimed his Duel Runner from the impound center, but he regained them after Dueling Leo.

I didn't want an innocent and cheerful girl like Carly to have those horrible memories of how she once wanted to kill me and see the world sink into deep darkness and devastation. She wanted to see others happy by doing their best in what they wanted to achieve. I didn't want to see her disappear into the dark pit of depression, like Kalin got close to.

I sat in an armchair on the catwalk in the garage, watching the full moon in the night sky through the window. I was dressed in a white undershirt and dark grey pants as my pyjamas, but my trench coat rested on my shoulders to provide me some warmth.

I turned my eyes at the stairs in front of me when I heard footsteps. Yusei was coming down to see me. He was dressed in a black t-shirt, brown trousers, and a pair of grey slippers.

"You okay, Jack?" he asked.

"Yeah…", I muttered before turning back to the window.

Yusei stayed quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "I know you're hiding something from me and Crow. You didn't tell us everything about your encounter with Carly, right?"

"It's none of your business, Yusei."

"It is, because we're foster brothers. We're in this together and if you need help, you can rely on me and Crow."

I sighed softly and looked down on my lap. "I know Carly originally wanted to get a scoop out of me when she snuck into the hospital after I got hurt at the Fortune Cup, but she brought me to her apartment when I asked her to hide me from the world. She took care of me without any questions. She's a clumsy woman who tries her best to bring joy to the world, and yet…she somehow managed to crawl into my life. I just don't want see her smile and dreams get lost in the darkness."

My heart clenched in pain as I recalled the Shadow Turbo Duel with Carly. That was one of the scariest moments in my life. I never knew I could get so worried about a woman. Was this feeling related to what people called love? Was that the reason why my heart almost broke into pieces when Carly's body faded into dust in my arms after she died?

"You care that much about her?" Yusei asked, snapping me out of my memories.

"Yeah…", I nodded.

"Then be there for her when she needs someone to hold her close to calm down her fears. That's what Estelle did for me when I was scared."

That caught my attention. "When did that happen?"

"It was after the first Shadow Turbo Duel with Kalin. I began doubting myself whether I could face the Earthbound Immortals again, but Estelle held me close and said it's okay to be afraid. I was so grateful to have someone by my side in a time like that. It helped me calm down and realize I wasn't alone with the burden. Of course, I still had some doubt, but you punched it out of me while we stayed in Goodwin's place."

I noticed there was something going on between Yusei and Estelle, but I decided to ignore it. This was about Carly now.

I sunk deeper into the armchair and turned my eyes once again at the full moon. I didn't know why, but the white celestial body seemed to have a calming effect on me. "I'll think about this, Yusei."

"Just don't stay awake the whole night, Jack."

"I won't."

Yusei returned to the bedroom, but I remained in the garage. Once my eyelids started getting heavy, I gave up and walked back to my room for a good night's rest. Perhaps I could think better with a well-rested head and lots of coffee.

XXXXXXXXXX – Carly's POV

I woke up from another nightmare again, but this time I was drenched in sweat. My heart beat so fast I had a hard time to calm down. I took deep breathes for a while until my heart stopped trying to jump out of my chest. The mysterious nightmares kept crawling back to me every single night since I talked to Estelle earlier this week, and they weren't just getting worse, but they were starting to feel highly realistic.

The shadow in my nightmare had slowly gained a shape instead of looking like a haze with bright evil eyes. It now looked more like a bird with a long beak and orange highlights on its body. Whenever it chirped, it sounded like a tuning fork.

I saw more and more of Jack in the nightmares. He was driving his Duel Runner and chased after me. I was driving a crimson Duel Runner and appeared to be in a Turbo Duel with him. I had never ridden a Duel Runner before, so how did the dream me know to drive one?

I shivered by a chill that ran down my spine when I recalled the latest nightmare. The Fortune Ladies and Red Dragon Archfiend were battling each other, but the mighty dragon beat them as Jack got closer to me. His hand was within my reach and I could grab it if I wanted. His pleading eyes and the blood running down his face… I wanted to end the Turbo Duel, but just as I was about to take Jack's hand, a mysterious power took control over me and forced me to drive away from him. I could hear Jack calling my name, but I let out a dark laugh that didn't sound like me.

I curled into a ball as I stayed in my bed, hugging my legs close to my chest, and rested my forehead against the knees. What were the nightmares trying to tell me? Did I really Turbo Duel Jack? Did I have psychic powers like Aki and I almost hurt him?

No… It can't be… I had never wished any harm towards anyone, not even Angela, despite what she did to me in the past.

After graduating high school, I was more or less kicked out of the family house with some of my belongings, but I got an old car from my parents as a "graduation gift". I wanted to become a reporter, and so with my tiny merits I actually became an intern for the newspaper Daily Duel where Angela was working for. I became her assistant, but I was treated more like a slave than as an equal human being. At that time, she wasn't a very successful reporter, so she often used dirty tricks to get the best stories before anyone else. She even stole my stories and had them printed under her name, never crediting me. I tried telling the boss about her antics, but he never listened to me.

One day, Angela made a huge mistake that could have cost her career and job at Daily Duel, but she got defensive and blamed me for the mistake. The Daily Duel newspaper fired me and they didn't even pay me the last wages. It crushed me so badly and I didn't get a good reputation afterwards. I struggled for a long time to find a new job and the only newspaper that hired me was the current gossip magazine I was still working for.

I made myself a promise on the day I got fired from Daily Duel; I would become the best and honest reporter ever in New Domino City and I would one day push Angela down on her knees and make her apologize for all the evil deeds she had done to me.

I snapped out of my memories when my cell phone began buzzing. I put on my glasses before picking up the phone and answered the call, seeing it was Estelle. "Hello?"

"Hi, Carly. I'm sorry for calling so early. I hope I didn't wake you up."

"No, that's fine. I was already awake…"

My voice grew silent as I remembered the nightmare of me hurting Jack.

"Did you have another nightmare?"

"Yeah…"

"I'm actually calling you because of them."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Are you free this afternoon? It may be Saturday today, but I don't know if you're working today."

"No, I'm free. Since I'm a reporter for the magazine, I've got an independent schedule."

"Alright. Aki and I are going to meet up with Misty. She came home last evening and she heard how you've been struggling with your nightmares, so she wants to talk to you."

"Misty's back? Do you know if someone's interviewed her yet?"

"I don't think so. Maybe she'll let you have an exclusive interview before anyone else."

I threw the covers off my bed and slipped my feet into the white slippers. "Where are we meeting?" I was almost getting giddy by excitement to interview Misty, but that also meant I had to try getting some gossip out of her that my boss would love to hear.

"By the reception of the building where she's living, around 2 p.m."

"2 p.m., gotcha! I'll be there!"

XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV

Aki, Carly, and I sat on the couch in Misty's apartment with said model. Aki and I were sipping some delicious tea she had brought back from Paris while Carly was busy interviewing her. She was going to interview the model first before getting into the dark part of our meeting. Misty was dressed in a light grey dress, emerald green bolero, black heels, and the locket she got from her little brother years ago.

"Thank you for letting me interview you, Misty!" Carly smiled widely as she put away her notebook in her bag. "This will spike up my career!"

"You're always welcome to interview me", Misty smiled softly. "But try not to add the tiny embarrassing sides in your article, okay?"

"Try telling that to my boss", Carly sighed. "He always wants the latest 'delicious' scoop, and I don't like his way of thinking, but what else can I do? I can't get a better job because of my reputation and it's all because of Angela Raines."

"What do you mean?" I wondered.

Carly let out another soft sigh. "I used to work as an intern in Daily Duel, but she fired me after putting the blame on me for a mistake she did."

"That's so low!" Aki growled irritably as she carefully but a bit forcefully slammed her delicate tea cup on the coffee table. "I remember seeing her on TV couple of times and I knew I didn't like her for a reason."

"I don't have any good memories of her either", Misty revealed. "The few times she interviewed me, she always wrote something else or changed the story a bit. Therefore, I had asked my agent not to accept interviews from Ms. Raines."

"Let's add her on a collective list of women we would love to give a big slap on their face", I suggested sarcastically. "I've got someone from Sector Security I would love to humiliate."

"I didn't know you had this bad side of you, Estelle", Aki giggled.

"We all have our good and bad sides", I smirked. "And if I reveal everything about myself all at once, how will I be able to surprise you with my other secrets?"

Carly and Misty joined the laughing party, but then Carly's smile dropped as she looked down on her lap. The rest of us stopped laughing when we noticed her change of mood.

"Carly?" Aki called softly.

"Secrets, huh… I guess I've also got a side I've never been aware of", the reporter said.

"Is it about your nightmares?" Misty questioned gently.

Carly nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"Tell us. What's bothering you?" the model asked as she gently took one of the reporter's hands and held it with both her hands.

Carly told us about her nightmares and I could tell they were getting clearer for each dream. She was now seeing the hummingbird Immortal and that wasn't a good sign in my point of view. And she was remembering the Shadow Turbo Duel when she almost killed Jack.

"I don't know why, but it feels like I've been through all of this stuff, yet I can't remember if it's been real or not", she said after summarizing her nightmare, massaging her forehead with her fingertips. "But what worries me the most…was the part when I hurt Jack…" She looked down at her hands as if she was expecting to see blood on them. "Do I have psychic powers like you, Aki?"

My eyes widened in realization. Was Carly worried that she had psychic powers?

"Nooo… I don't think so", Aki said, hesitantly drawing out the "o".

"Are you worried you have psychic powers and you might hurt someone in a Duel?" Misty questioned.

"Yeah…", Carly nodded slowly before looking up, her serious eyes glowing through the thick lens of her glasses. "So I need to find out whether I'm a psychic Duelist or not. Can I Duel one of you, guys?"

Aki, Misty, and I looked at each other, sharing a glance. I nodded first, silently telling them that I could Duel her. The female Signer and the model nodded in return, giving me the OK sign.

XXXXXXXXXX – Jack's POV

I've been trying to come up with an idea to help Carly with the nightmares that were messing with her, but I had nothing in my head. I didn't know it was that hard to come up with something. I was the type who preferred to start and end the Duel fast with a massive attack. I wasn't the thinking type like Yusei.

I was currently driving randomly around on the streets on my Duel Runner to clear my head. I had been outside for more than an hour and it was bit of a relief not to hear Crow's annoying voice whenever he told me to get a job and pay my part of the rent and food.

I snapped out of it when I heard the ringing tone echoing inside my helmet. Aki's name appeared on the inside of the visor, so I pushed the answer button on the dashboard of my Runner. As soon as I did that, a small megaphone appeared next to Aki's name.

"What is it, Aki?" I asked irritably.

"Nice greeting, Jack", Aki replied sarcastically. "I have a message for you from Estelle."

"A message?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah… There's been a change of plans about Carly."

"What do you mean?"

"She… Um… They're going to Duel."

"WHAT?!" I braked my Duel Runner so suddenly I almost flew out of it. "I told Estelle not to Duel her! It could trigger her memories of her dark past!"

"It wasn't Estelle who suggested it. It was Carly."

"Carly? Why?"

"Because-"

"Wait! Don't tell me! Where are they Dueling?!" I demanded as I picked up the speed.

I didn't care if I drove over the speed limit. I had to stop the Duel before it was too late!