I wanted to finish writing the one-shot that RoseWriter12 won by the 500th review shout-out before picking up the work with this fanfic. The one-shot is up and it's called "One-Shot Prize – A Fake Wedding?", so go and check it out if you want.

The chapter begins in Yusei's point of view.

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

Chapter 10: Conflicted Heart

It was a relief to see both Luna and Estelle were okay after the loser's bracket, but I still had so many questions. What actually happened during the Duel between Luna and the Professor? What caused Estelle to suddenly faint during their Duel? And how come the girls seemed to have already formed a close bond, even though they had just met? It didn't make that much of sense, but I had my suspicions.

I had noticed a glowing Mark on Luna's right arm during the loser's bracket Duel that faded shortly after the Duel was over, confirming she was a Signer like me, even though I didn't have a Mark on my arm right now. And in just a few seconds during the Duel, the concrete beneath Luna and the Professor's feet seemed to glow in crimson flames before it calmed down. I wondered for a moment if the Crimson Dragon had something to do with it.

Luna, Estelle, and I headed to the stands where our friends were waiting after the Duel. Tanner told us how Leo fainted during the Duel and they brought him to the infirmary of the Kaiba Dome. Leo couldn't remember what happened before, but he was angry at Luna for losing the Duel.

"How are we supposed to get Dueling now, Luna?! It's not fair!" he yelled at his sister who had settled down next to him.

"Well, just look who's talking! At least I didn't lose my match like you did", Luna retorted calmly.

"Well… Yeah, but…", Leo trailed off, knowing he couldn't argue about it.

I was wondering if Leo's fainting was related to Luna's half-conscious condition during the Duel, since they were twins. Did they have a spiritual bond, or was Leo connected to the Crimson Dragon too? But I couldn't really feel anything different from him.

"What's wrong, Luna?" Yanagi spoke up when Luna put a hand on her right arm where her Mark had glowed before. "Did your arm hurt during the Duel?"

"Yeah, you kept looking at it like you were expecting to see something", Dexter added.

"My arm's fine! I promise!" Luna replied quickly as she removed her hand.

"If you say so", I said. "Now, I think it's time I get you two home."

"You're staying with the twins?" Estelle asked.

"I want to make sure they're both okay after what happened to them", I explained.

"Have fun babysitting them", Tanner commented with a teasing smirk.

Leo certainly liked the idea of me staying over. "Alright! We'll have an all-night Dueling sleepover!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, listen up!" the MC called out, making all of us turn to the giant sphere in the middle of the dome. "The second round has been announced! Check out the competition brackets! Who knows what excitement awaits? Who will win? Who will lose? Four Duelists, two rounds, one champion! Who will it be? Things are gonna get crazy! See ya tomorrow!"

The sphere changed the image of the MC to reveal the semi-finals tomorrow. It was me VS Greiger and Aki VS Estelle.

"Looks like you'll be Turbo Duelin'", Tanner told me.

"That bad?" I questioned.

"You bet! Because the rumor on the circuit says Greiger's got a brand new Duel Runner he's gonna be using", Tanner explained. "It's supposed to be unbeatable."

"But aren't the Turbo Duels about how well the Duelists play and not how unbeatable the Runners are?" Estelle spoke up.

"There's more to the Turbo Duels than just the cards, Estelle", Tanner replied. "You'll understand more when you'll get your own ride."

"If I ever get one…", Estelle mumbled lowly next to me.

Estelle had been silent the whole time, and she did look a bit out of it. Was she still feeling groggy after she woke up from the fainting? No… I think she was hiding something.

"Are you okay, Leo?" Luna spoke up.

I turned my eyes at the boy and saw he was acting weird while he walked past the others in the stands. "Oh yeah! Fine! I just… I left something…somewhere else. Be right back!"

"Where are you going?" Luna asked.

Leo stopped by me and Estelle before he turned to his sister while rubbing the back of his head. "To… Um… You know… That place with the… Oh, look at the time! Bye-bye!" He turned around and ran down the stairs of the stands to leave the dome.

"But, Leo…!" Luna called, but her brother was already gone. "This can't be good."

I didn't like it how Leo had just acted. I just hoped he wouldn't do something that could put himself in danger.

XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV

Tanner, Yanagi, and I took a cab back to Blister's apartment after we separated from Yusei and the two kids who went back to the Tops. I went early to bed to have a clear head the next day. I was going to need that if I was going to Duel Aki and try to help her come out of the darkness she had fallen into, or at least try to pull her up a bit from the deep abyss to the surface so Yusei could then pull her out from it.

Tanner was kind to make breakfast again after I washed myself and joined him and Yanagi by the breakfast desk. "Slept well, Estelle?" he asked when I sat down.

"Yes", I nodded as I cut the fried bacon into two with a knife.

"I'm still worried about you Dueling the Witch…", Yanagi said with a concerned voice. "Her psychic powers are not to play with. She almost killed Randsborg yesterday!"

"But she didn't", I reminded him. "That means she still has some kind of control over her powers. And I don't think she wants to hurt others."

"What makes you say that?" Tanner raised an eyebrow.

I munched on the piece of toast in my mouth and swallowed it before answering. "Because I used to have the same eyes as Aki's; eyes full of sadness, anger, fear, rejection. She's hiding behind those emotions and uses them as a mask to be the Black Rose Witch to the world. She's portraying a girl that's not her true self."

"It sounds like you've experienced hurtful things in your past", Yanagi pointed out.

"That's because I have", I replied. "But it's a long story and I don't want to tire myself out with a storytelling before the main game."

"Right. You should focus on the Duel with Aki first", Tanner nodded. "And then we'll see if you and Yusei'll Duel each other in the final."

XXXXXXXXXX

The three of us took a cab to Kaiba Dome without any drama. We met up with Yusei, Dexter, and the twins by the lobby where Yusei and I checked ourselves in for the Fortune Cup. The receptionist informed us briefly that Greiger and Aki had checked in too, so all four contestants were here.

Tanner and the others went to the stands after wishing me and Yusei good luck in the semi-finals, but Leo stayed behind because he wanted to say something to Yusei. I went to the lounge to prepare my Deck for the Duel with Aki, but I wished the young man good luck against Greiger as he and Leo went to the garage where Yusei's Duel Runner was secured.

I was alone in the lounge, except for two members of the staff who made sure everything was fine in there. I settled down by the couch where I could watch the Turbo Duel between Yusei and Greiger with one eye and modify my Deck with the other eye. But since I basically knew what the outcome of the Duel would be, I decided to put my full attention on the Deck instead.

I didn't bring my satchel with me; only my Duel Disk with my Deck and my Side Deck in the pocket of my jacket. I switched my second Breakthrough Skill card from the Side Deck with the Equip Spell card United We Stand because this Trap card was very effective against Black Rose Dragon's effect and other Effect Monsters. With Breakthrough Skill, I could stop the Signer Dragon from clearing the entire Duel field and the attack points removing effect. Once I was done, I shuffled the Deck before inserting it in my Duel Disk and stored the Extra Deck in the Extra Deck compartment. I put away the Side Deck in a pocket inside the jacket, so I wouldn't lose them.

I snapped my head up when I heard an earsplitting noise from the television that forced me to cover my ears for a second. I watched how Greiger flew out from the garage to the Duel Runner course with his massive Duel Runner. That Runner was like a bull ready to fight for blood, just as Greiger would snap at the end when he would reveal the truth of his village's fate.

I looked over my shoulder to see if Aki had come to the lounge, but she was still missing. Was she talking with Sayer, or was she avoiding me because I spoke to her yesterday before her Duel with Randsborg? Did she think I had an ulterior motive to get close and hurt her and now she was afraid of me?

I got up from the couch and walked out of the lounge to look for her. I could sense the staff looking at me, probably wondering where I was going and if I wasn't going to watch the Turbo Duel. I walked down the corridors, looking left and right when I came to a fork. The corridors were empty that the only thing I could hear was the echo of my footsteps.

I was about to turn a corner when I halted and moved quickly back. Sayer and Aki were standing at the other side talking to each other. I took a few steps back to make sure they wouldn't see me, but I stayed in a good distance to eavesdrop on the dialogue between them.

"You don't need that mask anymore", Sayer told Aki.

"But I can't Duel without it now", she replied with a low voice. "I can't face that crowd."

"C'mon, don't listen to them, Aki. You're not who they think you are. You have special powers; that's why you joined our group. You're a psychic, not a sorceress; you don't need this mask."

I heard a soft gasp escape from Aki's lips, probably because Sayer took her mask.

"It's time we stop living in the shadows, Aki. It's time the world knew about people like us."

Sayer sure had a way to use words. It reminded me of my old time of how I was once an outsider because I was different with my autism. People could easily criticize those who weren't normal and bully them without really getting to know them. They only saw the word "problem" labeled on the different human's forehead. They couldn't see the real human's self behind that label.

"Umm… Sayer. There's something else I want to tell you", Aki spoke up.

"I'll listen. Tell me."

"It's about that girl…"

"That girl? You mean Estelle, your opponent?"

I blinked my eyes when I heard my name.

"Yes… Yesterday, before my Duel with Sir Randsborg, she wished me good luck. No one, besides you, has done that before."

"She might have just wanted to give you a little attention because you two were the only women participating in the Fortune Cup. Luna doesn't count because she's still a child."

"But I detest her!" Aki suddenly exclaimed with a harsh voice. "I saw her in the Daimon Area the other day and she had a Mark just like me!"

Sayer stayed silent for a few seconds. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! Both she and…that Satellite had each a Mark!"

"Satellite… Fudo Yusei. Interesting…"

I could tell by Sayer's voice that he got curious about my and Yusei's Marks. Did he suspect that we could be psychic Duelists too, or we had a similar power that he wanted to use for his own purpose?

"Aki, I don't know what kind of person Estelle is, but I don't think you should be afraid of her. She almost lost to the Professor, so there's a possibility she won simply by luck. You can win without having any fear of losing."

I didn't know if I could call my victory in the quarter-finals a lucky win, but I was close to lose with only 100 Life Points left. If it hadn't been for that combo I pulled off, I would have lost for certain.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Sayer's hard footsteps heading toward the fork. I quickly turned around and jogged soundlessly a few meters away and then turned around to walk down the corridor to act as if I was coming down this way just now. Just before I reached the fork, Sayer walked straight ahead, but I saw his eye looking at me from the corner. I gave him a poker face as I stopped by the fork. I watched him walk away before I turned to my left, seeing Aki by herself. She looked like she was in deep thoughts.

"Aki?" I called softly.

Aki snapped her head up and turned to me. She looked surprised for a second before her eyes shifted to a glare. "What do you want?"

"I came looking for you", I explained calmly as I approached her.

"Why?" Aki's glare never faded.

"I was wondering if you'd like to watch the Turbo Duel with me in the lounge", I replied with a small smile.

Aki's eyes blinked from the glare into a surprised look. She obviously got caught off guard by my sentence, but her glare quickly returned. "Why?"

"Because I want to spend some time with you", I replied, my small smile still on my lips.

"Spend time…? With me…?" Aki's glare shifted once again to a surprised look.

I nodded to confirm my words. "Yes. With you."

Aki looked down on the floor to think, but she seemed very conflicted. "You should be scared of me. I'm the Black Rose Witch…"

I shook my head softly. "You are Izayoi Aki, a different girl among the norm. Where I come from we call those people 'freaks'." Aki's eyes widened slightly in shock and hurt. "And I'm one of those 'freaks' too."

Aki froze as she slowly turned her head to me. "You're…a 'freak' too?"

I nodded, "I may not have psychic powers, but I was born with something else that puts me in the outside category."

Aki was silent as she stared at me with a look in her eyes that said she was trying to figure out what was it that made me different like her. I giggled softly before holding out my right hand to her. Her eyes shifted to the hand before glancing at me.

"Want to go to the lounge together?" I asked softly.

Aki was stunned to say the least. She stared at my hand before she slowly raised her right arm and moved her hand towards mine. My hand stayed in the air, palm face-up, as I waited for her to place her hand on mine. Just when Aki was fingertips away from me, she moved her fingers back a bit in fear, half-clenching her hand into a fist. She looked at me for a second before casting a glance down to my hand. She unclenched her fist and placed her hand on my open palm. I carefully wrapped my fingers around Aki's hand, giving her a soft squeeze.

Just as we made physical contact, I felt something opening inside me. It was a similar feeling I had with Luna after the loser's bracket Duel yesterday. I think it was an emotional bond that I had with every Signer, or at least with Luna and now with Aki. I could sense Aki's deep fear of being rejected inside my heart. She was afraid to be used and then thrown aside like garbage or be forgotten like with her parents. She wanted to find acceptance by people she could trust, but right now the only person she trusted was Sayer who was a bad person on the inside.

I tried to transfer some warm feelings through the bond to assure Aki that I meant no harm and I really wanted to be with her for who she was and not for what she was. I wanted her to trust me and realize there were other people who wanted to be friends with her and they were not scared of her psychic powers.

Aki's eyes widened as she let out a gasp, which caught my attention. "Aki? Are you okay?" I questioned gently.

Before I knew it, Aki had ripped her hand out of mine and held it to her chest as if she got burned while glaring at me with a wild animal's expression. "What did you do to me?!"

"Pardon?" I blinked confusedly, not understanding what she meant.

Aki's hair moved a bit as if she was ready to use her psychic powers, but she didn't do anything. Instead, she ran past me with tears flying in the air behind her.

"Aki!" I called as I turned around, watching her figure disappear in the corridor.

I was surprised by this. What just happened? Did Aki sense the warm feelings I transferred to her and got scared of them? Was that approach a mistake? I hoped I didn't frighten her away from me permanently.

XXXXXXXXXX – Aki's POV

I ran as fast as I could to get out of the Kaiba Dome and to the Arcadia Movement van where I knew I could find Sayer. I needed his safe embrace right now.

That girl… Estelle Malmström. She triggered something inside me and my Mark. I got washed over by a warm sensation that almost made me cry, but it hurt at the same time. At first, I wanted to hurt her with my psychic powers, but something stopped me from doing that.

Her eyes.

They were full of understanding, compassion, and warmth that I almost wanted to run into her arms and bury my face onto her bust and cry out my emotions and thoughts. I had never felt like this towards someone, except Sayer. Why was she different?

I dashed into the Arcadia Movement van and went to Sayer's private room. He was sitting by a desk and reading some paperwork when he looked up and spotted me. My mask was resting next to the paperwork, much to my relief.

"Aki?" he said in slight surprise before getting up from the chair. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

I raised a hand to my cheek and felt it was wet by tears. I never noticed I had been crying.

Sayer walked to me and embraced me with a father's warmth as I held onto his coat. "What happened, Aki?"

"I… I don't know…", I confessed. "I feel so confused."

Sayer let go of me and raised my chin up with his hand. "Tell me. What is confusing you?"

I wiped the tears off before taking a deep breath to calm down. "Estelle."

"What about her?"

"I… She asked me if I wanted to watch the first semi-final with her in the lounge", I began. "I asked her why and she said she wanted to spend time with me. Then she held her hand out to me. I hesitated first, but gave in and placed my hand on hers." I took a quick moment's break to collect my thoughts. "I don't know what she did, but I suddenly felt a warm sensation in my body and it scared me. But at the same time, I wanted to be with her." I clenched my right hand above my heart. "I've never felt like this before. I… I can't face her without my mask."

Sayer took in my words before he nodded. He turned around and walked back to the desk and picked up my mask. He returned to me and held it out for me to take it.

"Then take it, Aki. Estelle is trying to reach you and it's probably for no good reason", Sayer said. "You cannot trust people you don't know. If you feel the need to hide behind your Black Rose Witch alter ego, then do so."

I nodded and grabbed my mask without hesitation. Now, I would feel safer to Duel against Estelle if she would try to do something to me again. With this mask, I could conceal my feelings and become an emotionless witch.

XXXXXXXXXX – Sayer's POV

I might have underestimated Aki's opponent. Estelle could be more than just a Duelist who won by sheer luck. If she was trying to approach Aki, then this could mean trouble for me and my Arcadia Movement.

Aki was one of the best Duelists in my organization. I couldn't afford to lose her to someone from outside, especially if that person had a similar Mark as hers. I had read about the Crimson Dragon and its legend about its Signers and the Marks those people were blessed with. I knew for certain Aki was a Signer, but if Estelle and Yusei were both Signers, then they would surely try to take Aki away from me and make her join the "good" side. I couldn't let that happen. She was mine and mine alone; my little witch and main soldier to conquer the world with psychic Duelists.

As soon as she left my room, I allowed my sadistic smirk to appear on my lips.

Rip your opponents apart, Aki. Show them no mercy.