"Psychic Duelists, listen up…!" Sayer barked. "The next operation to be carried out by our very own Arcadia Movement has been decided upon…! The Fortune Cup… Apparently, a large number of Duelists with amazing skills are set to participate in this tournament, with the winner being crowned the champion of New Domino City." Sayer explained. "Of course, the title has little interest to me. The main reason for going is that we suspect Sector Security to be plotting something behind the scenes… And I can't let them go about their business without any oversight now, can I…?" he snickered, turning to the young girl behind him. "Akiza, come!" he shouted.

I remembered then. Her voice was cold, dark and distant.

Yes, sir. Everything will be as you wish, Sayer.

Not anymore.

"Tyler…!" her voice was softer, gentler than it had perhaps ever been. If I hadn't have been looking at her as she spoke, I wouldn't have known it was her.

I continued to stare at the brown-eyed burgundy-haired girl-turned-woman in shock, my mouth hanging open as I struggled to stammer out her name. "A-Akiza…!" I stuttered, quickly getting to my feet. Number two for the day, I noted, though I knew it was pointless of me to try and count. I'd lose track at some point.

She was more beautiful than ever. I noticed immediately that she no longer had that large silver hairpin in her hair. Instead, she had a red headband covering the top of her head. Like Seria, she'd changed her hair as well. It was now longer, and her bangs had been cut. She was at least a foot taller as well and wasn't wearing her school uniform like I thought she would have been. Instead she wore a rose-pink shirt, long black form-fitting pants, and had been wearing a pair of white sneakers which she'd taken off as she'd entered the apartment. Her Signer Mark was on full display as well, no longer hidden by a pair of elbow-length gloves or anything like that.

Akiza's eyes widened as she all but leapt over to me and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a hug. "A-ah, hey!" I froze up, feeling her chest press against mine. "H-h-hi…! Hi…!" I shivered, unable not to notice that, with how she was hugging me, her breasts had gotten bigger. "Um… um… okay… um…" I stammered. Truthfully, I had no idea what to do or say. I hadn't planned on meeting her again so soon, especially without a gift or anything to give her.

I obviously must have looked like I was in distress because Seria quickly spoke up from behind her. "Hey, Akiza, he's… he's, um… we're working on physical contact."

"No, no, it's fine. This is fine~" I said, my voice cracking as I, for some reason, felt the need to try and make things worse for me by trying to speak. I closed my eyes and stammered out "I-it's good to see you again, A-A-Akiza…" as I gently placed my hands on her back. Akiza didn't seem to be in any rush to let go of me, and I was honestly a little bit surprised at her temperament.

It was, after all, a far cry from what happened at the end of the Ark Cradle incident seven months ago. I remembered hearing all of them shouting, Akiza, Jack, Leo, Luna, calling out Yusei's name as he came back from the Ark Cradle, and I was there with him, only just regaining consciousness. They all called for him. Not for me. Not one of them said my name. Not one of them sounded relieved or happy that I was alive. Only Yusei acknowledged me when I went to leave. For a little while after that I'd wondered if there was something I wasn't getting from that. I might have been reading too much into things, but as the days turned to weeks and then to months, it felt like that was the point that they'd all had enough of my shit and just let me go and do whatever I was going to do. That's why they didn't talk to me for six months.

I had to remind myself of that, that the last time Akiza saw me was right at the end of the Ark Cradle incident seven months ago. She'd been to my service, and supposedly presumed along with everyone else that I'd died, so of course she'd have some sort of reaction to the revelation that I was alive, even if she didn't care. Hell, she and Joel had done that on the Ark Cradle.

But there, even through all of that, even though she should have hated me, she didn't. In fact, she was the one who rescued me. She saved my life.

Leave me here… Just let me die…

That's not an option! Come on!

"It's really you…" Akiza whispered, tightening her hold on my body. "What happened to you, Tyler?"

"I… I… I…" I stammered like an idiot, exhaling in anger. "Sorry…" I muttered, doing my best to pace myself as I briefly looked over at Seria. "D-did you-"

"I didn't plan this, honest. Akiza was at Café la Geen when I went to get breakfast for us, and I couldn't get away with breakfast for two with just me. I figured in the moment I'd just tell her that you were here, you were alive, and you were okay. Next thing I knew, she was following me back home." Seria explained.

"I had to come…" Akiza moved her head from the left of mine, looking at me with her gorgeous brown eyes as I felt myself get even more flustered.

"I-I-I-I…" I repeated, turning my head as I sighed. "I'm sorry… y-you probably have a lot of questions… but… before that, I-I just want to say… I'm really sorry for everything I put you through. On, on, on the Ark Cradle when I hurt you in that Duel, a-and before that when you got your… Duel Runner Licence and I made that… stupid remark to Crow, and, just…" I sighed again, "I'm sorry for everything, fuck…!" I hated it. I was able to go pretty much toe to toe with my mom but became a stammering mess with Akiza. I couldn't be like that, I had to be strong like Tim.

I gently pushed away from Akiza, removing myself from her embrace. "Tyler, are you okay?" Seria asked me, undoubtably able to see the strain visible on my face.

"Yeah… yeah, no, I'm fine." I struggled out, focusing on Akiza. "Sorry, I… I wish I'd known you were coming. I'd have t-t-tried to get my thoughts together. M…aybe I wouldn't be such a mess."

"I actually did try to call earlier, but it said the number was in use." Seria told me.

"Oh, yeah, it-it-it-it-it was…!" I stuttered, telling myself to just take it easy, take deep breaths, and think about what I was going to say.

"Oh, did you call Luna?" Seria asked, sounding incredibly hopeful.

"No, I…" I sighed, "I called my mom. You were right, Seria. I… I had to let her know I was okay."

My tone, the way I'd said it seemed to belie a genuine want to reconnect with my mother, because Seria asked me "What did you do?" with a tone like a parent would use with their child if they knew they'd done something wrong and wanted them to own up to it.

I pushed some air out my nose. "I called her, said my piece and hung up. Probably shouldn't have done it, but she probably shouldn't have married Kobi, so yeah." I shrugged.

"Wh-what made you decide to call her?" Seria asked.

I turned away from the girls, straightening myself up as I closed my eyes. "I had an epiphany while taking a shower earlier. Why the Hell am I defining myself through other people? I've made plenty of mistakes, but I'm not the only one, so why should I pretend like anything and everything is my fault and just my fault, you know? Like, why the fuck do I have to bend my shit when I've made mistakes, and apparently other people haven't. Apparently, I'm… apparently, I'm the only one that's ever done anything bad ever in the history of anything, right? That's what I get from Dibana and Kobi and Joel. I just keep hearing that fucking voice in my head. 'I'm selfish', 'I'm selfish', but back then, I was anything but. Everything that I did, back then, was for her." I turned back around to face them. "If I was selfish, I would have let Kobi fuckin' have her, right? Let him do what he said he was going to do. Would I have been a bad son, a 'selfish child', then? Probably, right? So, you know, whatever, fuck her!" I huffed.

"Tyler…" Seria muttered.

"I know that's probably not what you had in mind when you said I should call her, and I admit I probably shouldn't have said anything. I p-p-p-probably should have waited, but… I've said it, and I don't care what she thinks, or what happens. It's done. Anyway, now that that's sorted," I turned to Akiza. "Sorry, Akiza, that you had to listen to that. I-I-I'm sorry that all of this has just happened, that… y-y-y-you thought I was dead and suddenly, I'm back. I wanted to do… I wanted to get you a present, I wanted to figure out what I was going to do because this is not, this was not how I planned things. I…" I exhaled sharply, cupping my hand over my eyelids. "I've screwed it up."

"You haven't." I heard Akiza say. I opened my eyes to find her looking at me, tears welling in her eyes but a warm smile on her face nonetheless. "This… this is a shock for me too, Tyler. I thought you were dead. I…" Akiza moved to me once more, hugging me again. "I'm glad you're not…"

"Aki…za…" I stumbled, wrapping my arms around her back.

"Aww…" Seria cooed, and it was only then that I realized she was holding a cardboard drink holder with three drinks and a brown paper bag. "Sorry, I don't want to be that girl," Seria interrupted, "but your breakfast is getting cold." She said, walking over to the kitchen table.

"You're an angel, Seria." I smiled at her, letting go of Akiza.

"I did say I'd get you breakfast." Seria smiled, getting some plates out from the cabinet. I watched her hesitate for a moment before she turned back to face me. "Listen, Tyler…" Seria started, her mouth open like there was something else she wanted to say, but she didn't say anything, instead just closing her eyes for a few seconds. "No, it's alright." She said aloud.

I licked my lips. "I-I know I shouldn't have called her-"

"It's okay." She assured me with a smile, getting back to putting things on plates.

I turned back to Akiza. "I've… p-p-p-p-probably made you late for school now, haven't I?"

Akiza hesitated, returning her arms to her sides and moving away from me. "Tyler… I graduated last month."

"Oh…" I muttered. "Oh, yeah… yeah… that… probably explains why you're not in your school uniform…" I mumbled sheepishly. Of course. While it had only been a month since I'd been away, it had been seven months since I'd last had contact with Akiza or the others. Of course things had changed since then. Why wouldn't they have?

Seven months is a long time, an especially long length of time to go without seeing people I supposedly considered my friends. I mean, I called them my friends, but if I hadn't spoken to any of them, was it really right of me to think of them as my friends, and for me to think that they'd still feel the same way, especially after everything I'd put them through?

I could have been sitting on my ass for a month and no one would have been able to tell the difference. The only reason people knew anything was because I was living with Seria, but if I'd been living alone, no one would have known anything. I'd have just been sitting at home all day watching YouTube videos and getting angry at insignificant things over the internet, suffering in silence.

But Akiza, Seria and everyone else had been moving on with their lives, while I was struggling to even get back here. Just because I hadn't seen them in a while didn't mean that things hadn't happened while I was gone. After all, both Jack and Leo had left New Domino City, Akiza had graduated and Yusei had gotten a job with the reformed M.I.D.S, fixed the Momentum problem that had supposedly plagued Zone's future, and was probably well on his way to getting a Nobel Prize for it and everything else he'd done.

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "Things have changed. You've ch-ch-changed. I've ch-changed-"

"I don't care if you've changed. You're alive, and that's all that matters." Akiza's smile returned and she moved in to hug me again. "Yusei and the others are going to be so happy you're back."

"You mean Yusei and Luna, and even then, maybe not even her. I wouldn't blame her, after everything I put her through…" I trailed off, eyes averting Akiza's for a moment before I returned to meet her gaze. "I… I know that Jack and Leo have left New Domino City."

"I'm sure they'll be glad to know you're okay even if they're not around anymore."

"But it was my fault that they left, wasn't it?"

Akiza seemed a little taken aback. "Wh-who told you that?"

"I-I," I stumbled over my words, "I mean, Ancient Fairy Dragon… before c-c-coming back here, I spent a bit of time in the Spirit World rec-recuperating, and she told me that-"

"Wait a minute," Seria interrupted, "you were in the Spirit World? For how long?"

"I-I don't know," I shook my head, "time's not the same there as it is here. Um, I, not for very long. I, only to rest, after-" I stopped myself and closed my eyes. "I wasn't supposed to come back here, not like this. You know that. It was an accident. I was supposed to come back with Tim, I was supposed to have gifts. Fizdis was…" I sighed, "oh, God, Fizdis…!" I groaned.

"I don't understand. Tim? Fizdis?" Akiza turned to Seria. "Seria, do you know-"

"Akiza, a lot of this, I'll tell you later, okay?" Seria had said this to Akiza but she was otherwise entirely focused on me. "I thought it was strange how you knew that Jack and Leo had gone…"

I sighed once more, rubbing my eyelids. "And it was my fault, right?" I pressed, "They left because of me."

"Well, not with Jack, no." Akiza told me. "I mean, well, you know him better than I do, but Yusei told me he always had ambitions bigger than this City."

"What about Leo?"

"That's…" Akiza hesitated. "That's between Leo and Luna. I'm sure Luna will tell you about it when you see her-"

"Which you can do later." Seria cut in. "But, I mean," Seria squirmed, "Come on, people, breakfast. I got you a mocha frappé, Tyler, and I don't want the cream to spoil."

I looked over at the kitchen table. "Yep, sorry, sorry." I apologized, heading over to the table with Akiza and taking a seat. Seria had put an egg muffin onto my plate and BLTs onto hers and Akiza's before sitting down herself with a smile and a feigned sigh.

"I know this is probably not what you had in mind, but, cheers!" Seria beamed, holding out her cappuccino. "To hanging tough, staying strong, and-"

"And for believing in me." I raised my drink.

"I was going to say, 'new beginnings'. Me believing in you isn't worthy of a cheer, 'cause you know you'll always have me in your corner." Seria continued to smile. "You don't need to keep anything from me either. I was just surprised that you were in the Spirit World. I'm still surprised you're here, actually."

I looked towards the door to the apartment. "Did you think I'd run off?" I asked.

"No, of course not. Just… that you're even here at all." Seria tapped my drink with hers. "So, cheers, Tyler."

"Cheers, Seria." I smiled. "Oh, and, uh… thanks for the food."

"Thank you for the food." Akiza nodded to Seria before turning to me. She didn't say anything, she didn't do anything, she just watched me as I took a bite of my food.

I took a sip of my drink, and I wanted to once again thank Seria for the meal, but I felt a block in my chest. Against my better judgment, I decided to try and push through it. "This is r…r-r-r…" I stammered.

"It's alright…" Seria cooed, reaching across from the table and putting a hand on my arm. "Take your time."

I sighed, closing my eyes, saying the words to myself in my head before working them into a rhythm. "This-is-really-good-Seria. Thank-you." It sounded awful and robotic, but at least I was able to get the words out.

"You're welcome." Seria once again smiled warmly at me. "Just take it easy, okay? We're not in any rush." Seria then turned to Akiza. "Sorry, I shouldn't speak for you. You probably have somewhere you need to be-"

"That can wait. What's… Tyler, are you alright? I mean, I still don't know what happened to you, you look really…" Akiza started to trail off, "but you sound…"

I nodded. "I have a… speech impediment now, be…cause of brain damage." I tensed my eyes closed and shook my head. "I-I-I-I-I d…on't know what Seria's told you, but… the short version is…" I could feel another major block coming and I stopped. "Sorry, gimme half an hour and I'll get this." I could say that, but not what I wanted to say. "I w-was dead for a little while, and that's why my brain's not…" I was starting to get pretty fed up, "not good. Sorry," I apologized. "It's worse when I'm n-n-nervous."

Seria leaned over to Akiza. "When we thought he'd, you know, gone and done it," Seria did her best, it seemed, to avoid using the word 'suicide' as she continued, "well, it turned out he had, but, well, someone brought him back to life. Total dreamboat who did it. Muscles, tall, actually makes Tyler look really short by comparison-I'm getting off-topic." Seria immediately caught herself. "He's got photos I can show you later, but the important part is, in spite of where he's been and what he's been through, Tyler's home now."

I nodded in agreement. There was more to it than that, but none of that mattered. I'd left that world behind. That Kobi, that Joel. I wasn't with the Lancers, and I had no way of getting in contact with them even if I wanted to. There was no way that I'd be able to help them, and then even if there was, I knew I wouldn't be much help anyway. I only got as far as I did in the tournament because of Tim, and I only survived against Sergey because of…

Fizdis.

I shivered. I couldn't forget her, I'd never forget her. I wouldn't let myself forget her. Her and Tim, but especially her. I wouldn't have made it home if it wasn't for her, back to the place that she…

Of course, I'll come back with you… I know your friend has already offered to help you with the rest of your friends, but I'd like to help you there as well, if you'd let me…

It all would have been so much easier with her at my side.

"Tyler, are you alright?" Seria asked, pulling me from my thoughts as she once again put a hand on mine.

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah…!" I said, grabbing a tissue and dabbing my eyes with it as I tried my best to give her a reassuring smile. At least I had Seria. Thank God for Seria. "Anyway," I cleared my throat, "um, how'd it go with Mina?"

"Oh, well, I've given her the USB. But, um, she wants to come over later today and talk with you. You know, verify that you're alright and everything, ask you some questions. Originally, she wanted you to come down to the station to do it, but I thought you might prefer to have that discussion here."

"Yeah," I nodded, "that would… I mean, I'm already barely coherent here, I can't imagine what I'd be like down at the station." I gently squeezed Seria's hand as I looked at her. "Thank you, Seria. I'm really sorry I'm making you go to all this t-t-t-t-trouble for me."

"It's no trouble, Tyler." Seria assured me with a smile, gently squeezing my hand in return. "With any luck, we'll be able to get this whole thing squared away by the end of the day. The good news is that the City didn't declare you legally deceased, since even with everything else, you would have had to have been missing for at least seven years. So, because you weren't legally declared as deceased, just missing, it's not going to be as much of a hassle sorting everything out. In retrospect, we probably jumped the gun a little bit in having your service so soon after you'd disappeared."

I shook my head. "No, y-you made the right call. I mean, I'd written those notes, I had intent. The writing was on the wall. And I did die after all. It's not like I failed. Well, I mean, technically, yeah, I'm alive now, but that's only thanks to… t-t-to Tim. He said I was well and truly dead by the time he found me, but he didn't know how long for or anything like that. The only reason he did it was because he could tell I committed suicide. And I mean, what, someone passes away, you have the funeral and the wake within a week or so, right?"

"Most of the time, I suppose…" Seria muttered. Again, it wasn't an appropriate conversation to be having at the breakfast table, but it was important. I'd been so focused on reconciling with my friends that it completely slipped my mind that I was in fact a missing person, and as much as I would have liked to have put everything else on the backburner and focus solely on my friends, it was probably more important that I sort out the whole 'missing person' thing first.

"Did M-M-M-Mina say when she wanted to see me today?" I asked.

"As soon as possible. Is that okay with you?"

I nodded quickly. "Of course. I'd-I'd-I'd… l-like to get this sorted out as soon as I can."

"That's very good of you, Tyler. I'll give Miss Simington a call after breakfast and see when she's available." Seria tapped the table. "Right now though, we should probably eat."

"Y-yes…" I agreed.

It was a quiet meal. It shouldn't have been, but it was. I didn't know what to say, and it was clear that Akiza didn't really know either. But at the very least, the fact that she stayed… well, she could have left at any time, but she didn't. That had to mean something. I wouldn't have blamed her either way. I just wished I was more prepared, but then again, she was probably just as surprised to see me as I was her. All throughout breakfast she looked like she had so many things she wanted to ask me.

After breakfast, as Seria had excused herself to go and call Mina, I moved to her seat to be close to Akiza as I spoke. "Akiza…" I exhaled softly, immediately feeling a block in my chest. "It's n-n-n-not that I don't want to tell you what's been going on, it's just that, w-w-with my speech-"

"I know. Don't worry. I get it." She said quickly, almost dismissively.

"It's a long story-"

"You said it's worse when you're nervous, right? Before, when you were talking about your mom, you were pretty much fine, but then, talking to me like this, you're…"

"A wr-wreck, yeah. It's just, I wanted things, I want things to be perfect. I didn't want it to happen like this, to be unprepared, to not have a gift, to not know what I was going to say-"

"Well that's not very fair, is it?" Akiza suddenly cut me off. "You said your mom had to know you were okay, but what about us? You were just going to wait, and not say anything?"

"A-Aki-Akiza, please-"

Akiza stopped, steadying herself as she exhaled. "Tyler, I'm… I'm not going to yell at you. I'm just… frustrated…! I'm trying to understand, I want to understand, but you're not giving me anything, you're not telling me anything! Where have you been? What happened to you? I thought you were dead and then I find Seria buying you breakfast! I mean, we're friends, aren't we? And more than that… I always thought that… out of everyone in Team 5D's, you and I…" Akiza exhaled once more, and I shivered.

It was sudden, unexpected, but just hearing that name 'Team 5D's', and everything that went down, I opened my mouth and started talking without even thinking. "I was never a part of Team 5D's." I told her, and that seemed to stop Akiza in her tracks. "Everyone else was." I continued once I was able to. "You were, Crow was, Bruno was, but I wasn't. Some… some guy was offered a spot on the pit crew, but I wasn't even considered, even before my accident. Like, I totally get, you know, having an accident, not being fit to be part of a team, I get it. But I mean… before then, it was just… Yusei, Jack and Crow. I wasn't asked to be on the pit crew. I didn't even know that that was a thing and then, suddenly, oh, random stranger Bruno gets on and I'm just brushed to the side-"

"How do you think I felt?!" Akiza snapped. "I was Jack's replacement while he was in The Facility, and then when Crow died, I became his replacement! You don't think that made me feel worthless? Like I wasn't good enough? I was practically just a benchwarmer!" Akiza sighed. "That's what I'm saying, Tyler, you and I, we were both in the Arcadia Movement, we both had similar upbringings with our parents. I… I just thought that if you felt like you couldn't talk to anyone about what happened because you thought they wouldn't understand or relate, that I… that you could talk to me…"

"I thought you d-d-d-didn't want anything to do with me." I stated. "I d-didn't hear from you after the b-b-b-business on the Ark Cradle, so I assumed that was it. Friendship over." I said simply. I felt like I might have come across a little too harshly in how I spoke, so I lowered my tone and told her, truthfully, "I'm not angry about that, by the way. You had every right to feel that way, and you still do."

Akiza's posture softened and her mouth dropped just a little as Seria came back into the room. "Miss Simington can come around in the evening." She said, before probably noticing how tense I was, because she then asked me "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Seria." I told her, closing my eyes. "Thank you…" I sighed, opening my eyes and looking to Seria. "So… this evening…?" I asked, Seria licking her lips as she nodded. "Am I… am I going to get in trouble? W-with the authorities, I mean."

Seria's eyes averted mine for a moment. "I don't know. I don't think so." She licked her lips again, cleared her throat, shook her head and put a hand on my shoulder. "Listen, if I can be pardoned for my work with the Arcadia Movement, and if Mr. Jaeger can be elected Mayor of the City after working with Yliaster for umpteen years, then I don't think you've got anything to worry about." Seria assured me.

"Right…" I nodded quickly. "Yeah, that's right, Lazar was with Yliaster for years, wasn't he?" I looked to Akiza just for a moment. "And he stopped us just outside Goodwin's Mansion to prepare us for that ritual. He must have known that his boss was a Dark Signer, right?" I sat back in my chair. "Yeah… noth… nothing to worry about…" I told myself, straightening up and looking to Seria once more. "So… what do I do now then?"

"Well," Seria's eyes once again averted mine, focusing behind me. "I saw that when we came in that you were looking through your cards. Were you rebuilding your Deck before?" Seria asked.

I turned back to the coffee table and the stacks of cards on top of it. "Yeah, I…" I cleared my throat. "It's not finished yet. I mean… I don't… I don't know if, if I'll even p-play again… I just thought I'd try and make something out of the c-cards that got me home."

Seria slowly swayed from side to side. "Do you want to Duel now~?"

"Um…" I turned to face Seria. "Not… really…" I said honestly.

"Aww, come on, what's the point of building a Deck if you're not going to Duel with it? Don't you want to test it out? Besides, it's been ages since we Dueled, and I want to see what cards you picked up while you were away. Plus, I'd like to see how that new Duel Disk of yours works too."

My eyes kept to my Duel Disk, resting on the coffee table. "I don't even know if it will work here." I told her. "The last time I used it was…"

I couldn't save the other Tyler… but… I can… I can save you…!

Seria put a hand to her lips, as she too recalled, from what I had told her, the last time I'd Dueled. "Oh, yes, of course, I'm so sorry…" She whispered. "I… I completely understand if you don't want to, but… Tyler, you're not in danger anymore. I'm not going to hurt you, you're not going to lose anybody, it's just us. You're perfectly safe." Seria quickly took my hands in hers and I fidgeted. "It's alright…" she cooed.

"I-I know…" I gently squeezed Seria's hands as I exhaled. "Someday I'll get that through my head." I closed my eyes.

It was alright. It was just one Duel. It didn't have to be this big thing, a life or death struggle. It was just unfortunate that that's what Dueling was for me. Most of my Duels in recent memory weren't casual games for fun. They were fights for survival, to protect someone I care about, or just for the right to get home. But even when I was younger, and it was just me and Joel, I didn't have fun, and I was always in danger then.

But I was safe. For the first time in a long time, I'd be able to play this game. And that's what it was: a game. Just because the game supposedly took inspiration from ancient Egyptian ceremonies and the monsters existed in a plane of existence parallel to our own, that didn't change the fact that Duel Monsters was a game, and it was something to be enjoyed and have fun doing.

I'm glad I'm able to make you smile. I want to make everyone here smile, and I'll do that by Dueling with you, and winning!

"Yuya…" I verbalized, opening my eyes at the realization that that's what he was talking about. Smiling and having fun with Dueling. I couldn't believe how long it took me to understand that.

"Y-Yuya?" Akiza turned to Seria, looking for an explanation.

"Tyler?" Seria asked.

I gently pulled my hands from Seria's as I moved from my chair and walked over to my Deck and grabbed my Duel Disk, slotting the former into the latter. "Okay, so… I still haven't completely figured out how this thing even works, but… um… if you want to give it a shot, I'm… I'm game." I smiled, fitting my hand into the Duel Disk.

Seria clasped her hands together. "I'll get my things!" she said with a smile, quickly heading into her room.

I turned to Akiza, who was still seated. "I understand if there are other things you n-need to be doing. You, uh, don't have to stay if you don't want to."

Akiza pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, looking down at the screen for a moment. "I have to be at work in a little bit, but…" she looked back up at me and smiled, "I'd like to stay, at least for a little bit longer. If… if you want me to stay, that is."

"Of course." I smiled back at her as Seria came back into the living room, Duel Disk attached to her arm.

"Alright!" Seria cheered. "Oh, first thing!" Seria walked over to the coffee table.

"Oh, yeah, right!" I moved over with her, helping her move the coffee table and then one of the couches back to give us some space to Duel. Akiza moved to another seat as she watched, silently observing Seria and me.

"You ready?" Seria asked, moving to one side of the room as she activated her Duel Disk.

I looked down at my Duel Disk for a moment, before looking back up at Seria and activating my Duel Disk, the blade of hard light materializing beside it. "Let's do it."

"Then may the best me win!" Seria said cheerfully, causing me to laugh.

[Tyler: 4000 LP]
[Seria: 4000 LP]

"Ladies first?" I offered, the two of us drawing our starting hands.

"Thank you, kind sir." Seria teased, drawing an additional card.

"Um…" I spoke up.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, and I was about to remind her that she shouldn't have drawn on her first turn when I remembered that that was no longer the case. I was home.

I shook my head. "Yeah, no, y-you're right."

"O~key-dokey! I'll Set a Monster in Defense Position and Set two other cards face-down as well. Your move, Tyler."

"Okay…" I drew. "I… I activate the effect of Apprentice Illusion Magician from my hand: I can Special Summon her to the field if I discard a card to the Graveyard." I discarded Magician's Robe as the blonde-haired dark-skinned Spellcaster appeared in front of me, wand poised toward Seria [ATK: 2000].

"Love those earrings." Seria said aloud, seemingly captivated by the pair of aqua crystal drops my Monster was wearing.

"Thanks," my Monster smiled, Seria almost doing a double take.

"W-wait, a-are you… are you real?" Seria asked, Apprentice Illusion Magician nodding as she lowered her wand.

"I don't understand…" Akiza muttered.

I looked down at my Duel Disk once more. "The setting must still be the same from before…" I thought aloud. "Apparently, this thing's got two settings: 'Real' and 'Duel Link', and for the tournament, it was defaulted to Real Solid Vision. In that tournament, and that Duel with Sergey, it was all real for everyone."

"What are you saying? That Duel Disk can make cards real, just like me, just like Seria?" Akiza asked.

Apprentice Illusion Magician turned to face me. "What do you want me to do?"

"Um… would you mind holding back?" I asked my Monster. "They're not like Sergey, I… I care about them very much and I don't want them to get hurt."

"Understood." Apprentice Illusion Magician nodded.

"That goes for everyone." I said to my Deck. "I don't know if you can hear me, but let's not make a mess of ourselves, each other, them, or this place."

"Tyler…" Seria mumbled.

I straightened up, clearing my throat. "Now, when… wh-when Apprentice Illusion Magician is Summoned, I get to add a… Dark Magician from my Deck to my hand." I explained my actions as I performed them. "F-for my… Normal Summon, I go with… Chocolate Magician Girl." The red-eyed aqua-haired fair-skinned Spellcaster appeared on my field with the pop of a chocolate bubble [ATK: 1600].

"Oh, wow…" Seria's mouth dropped open a little, chocolate staining the floor.

"Sorry, I'll get that." Chocolate Magician Girl twirled her wand above her head, leaving the floor once again spotless.

"Thanks." I nodded, my mouth hanging open for a moment. "How are you doing after, um… what Sergey did to you?" I asked her softly, recalling how Sergey's Solemn Strike had disintegrated her in our Shadow Duel.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine now. Thank you, but you don't need to worry." She smiled reassuringly.

"I know I probably don't need to, but, after… after what happened with Fizdis, I can't not worry, I… I'm… I'm d-d-done putting you all in harm's way…!" I told her.

"Tyler-"

"I'm serious." I said firmly, cutting Chocolate Magician Girl off. "This is fine, but… no more world-ending threats or anything like that. Once was enough for you guys, and I could barely handle the other two, even the one I almost had a hand in causing…" I ran my fingers through my hair and took a step back, refocusing on Seria. "Now, I activate Chocolate Magician Girl's effect: by discarding a card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can draw a card from my Deck." I discarded Dark Magician to the Graveyard as Chocolate Magician Girl raised her wand above her head. "Next, I play the Spell Card Dark Magic Veil, allowing me to Special Summon Dark Magician from the Graveyard by paying one thousand Life Points."

[Tyler: 3000 LP]

Just as the black magic circle appeared on the ceiling above me and Seria, she giggled and flipped over a card.

"I almost forgot this was a Duel for a second." She said, her voice light and peppy. "I activate one of my face-downs! Magic Drain, negating the effect of your Spell Card… unless you feel like discarding a Spell Card from your hand instead."

"I don't have any other Spells in my hand." I told her, the black magical circle fizzling out. I sighed. "Alright, in… that case, I'll Set one more card and enter my Battle Phase. I attack with Apprentice Illusion Magician!"

"You got it!" Apprentice Illusion Magician chirped, the tip of her wand glowing as Seria flipped over another card.

"Sorry, but I'm activating my other face-down now, Dimensional Prison, banishing your Apprentice Illusion Magician from the field before she can carry out her attack."

Seria's card rose up, a purple veil shimmering between herself and me as Apprentice Illusion Magician vanished from sight.

I flinched involuntarily and I took a step back, almost instinctively expecting for the veil to grow in size and swallow me. It didn't, of course, but for some reason I thought it would.

I shook my head and groaned as the veil disappeared. "Okay, then I'll attack your Set Monster with Chocolate Magician Girl!"

Seria's Monster revealed itself [Warm Worm: DEF: 1400] and I exhaled, Chocolate Magician Girl splitting Seria's insect in half with a wave of light from her wand.

"When Warm Worm is destroyed, I get to send the top three cards of your Deck to the Graveyard." Seria explained.

I picked up the top three cards of my Deck – Magicians' Defense, Prohibition and Solemn Warning – and slid them into the Graveyard.

"Well then, I guess I end my turn."

"Alrighty!" Seria drew. "I'll Set another Monster in Defense Position, Set one more card, and then activate The Shallow Grave, letting us both Special Summon a Monster from our Graveyard's face-down! I'll bring back my Warm Worm."

"…I'll Special Summon Magician's Robe." I told her, Setting my Monster.

"I end my turn~" Seria continued to smile.

I drew. "I Normal Summon Magician's Rod." Dark Magician's staff hovered out in front of me as I placed the card down [ATK: 1600]. "When the Rod is Normal Summoned, I'm allowed to add a Spell or Trap to my hand from the Deck that lists 'Dark Magician' in its text. I'll add the Trap Card Eternal Soul." I quickly fished the card out of my Deck, my Duel Disk reshuffling my Deck as I continued. "Next, I'll Set one card face-down and enter my Battle Phase. I'll have Chocolate Magician Girl attack your center Monster, but b-b-b-before that, I'm activating Magician's Circle, letting us both Special Summon a Spellcaster from our Deck with two thousand or less Attack Points." I explained, going through my Deck once again, "I Special Summon Dark Magician Girl! And since there's a Dark Magician in the Graveyard, she's stronger too!" Dark Magician Girl appeared with a wink and a smile, turning and nodding at Chocolate Magician Girl [ATK: 2300]. "Now, Chocolate Magician Girl continues her attack!"

Chocolate Magician Girl twirled her wand as she once again tore through one of Seria's Monsters [Hiro's Shadow Scout: DEF: 500].

"The effect of Hiro's Shadow Scout activates! You get to draw three cards, and we both look at them, and if there are any Spell Cards among them, they go to the Graveyard." Seria explained. I drew Magician Navigation, Monster Reborn, and Palladium Oracle Mahad, cringing as I discarded Monster Reborn, unfortunately missing the timing to activate Palladium's effect.

"Magician's Rod attacks your Set Warm Worm." Once again, I said goodbye to another three cards in my Deck as my Magician's Rod impaled Seria's Monster. I didn't even look at the cards as I discarded them to the Graveyard. "Now, Dark Magician Girl attacks you directly!"

Dark Magician Girl raised her wand above her head with a smile, pink light charging at the tip, before throwing her arm out, a blast of light hurtling toward Seria.

"I activate my Trap Card, Begone, Knave!" Seria flipped her card up, and then changed her stance to mimic the image on the card. I couldn't help but chuckle. It was just so light, and she was just so happy. Despite me having a minor freak out with the veil and Chocolate Magician Girl and everything, I was having fun. And to me, that was how a Duel was supposed to be. Fun. No pressure. "Whenever a Monster inflicts Battle Damage, it gets returned to the owner's hand." Seria explained, taking Dark Magician Girl's Black Burning Attack with a smile.

[Seria: 1700 LP]

I recalled Dark Magician Girl. "Then I'll end my turn."

Seria drew. "I'll Set one Monster face-down and end my turn."

"At your End Phase, I'm activating my Trap, Eternal Soul. And I'll use its effect right now, Special Summoning Dark Magician from the Graveyard." A stone tablet rose up from the floor, a carving of a magician etched into it. It glistened for a moment, before breaking apart to reveal the black-armored blue-skinned Spellcaster [ATK: 2500]. "Now for my draw." I drew, Seria beaming at me all the while. "I activate Dark Magical Circle! When I activate this card, I'm allowed to look at the top three cards of my Deck, and if there's a Dark Magician or a card that l-lis-sts… lists its name in its text, I can add it to my hand, then, I can set the order of the other cards and p-put them back on top of my Deck." The black magic seal spread out across the floor from my feet as I picked up the top three cards of my Deck. I smiled.

"Get anything good?" Seria asked.

"Oh yeah! I'll add Sage's Stone to my hand," I told her, placing Sorcerer of Dark Magic on top of my Deck. "Next, I'll Tribute Magician's Robe and Magician's Rod to Normal Summon Palladium Oracle Mahad." The protector adorned in gold appeared beside his other self [ATK: 2500]. "Next, I activate the effect of Chocolate Magician Girl, discarding Dark Magician Girl from my hand to draw a card."

Seria raised an eyebrow as I drew. "Wait, but why would you discard her if you added Sage's Stone to your hand?"

"'Cause I want the card I put underneath." I grinned. "I Tribute Dark Magician and Palladium Oracle Mahad to Special Summon the Sorcerer of Dark Magic!"

Both my Monsters disappeared between pillars of purple light, and when the light faded, a regal, and quite frankly even more badass-looking Magician had taken their place, bolts of blue electricity crackling around his form [ATK: 3200].

Seria's mouth dropped. "Oh,"

"Now I enter my Battle Phase, and attack your Set Monster with Chocolate Magician Girl, but just in case, I'll activate Eternal Soul's effect once more, letting me once again Special Summon Dark Magician from the Graveyard!" I called back the Dark Magician I'd just Tributed, the blue-skinned Spellcaster returning with his arms folded [ATK: 2500]. "Now, Dark Magical Circle's other effect activates: whenever Dark Magician is Summoned to my field, I can Banish a card on your field, so I'll target your Set Monster."

Dark Magician raised his staff into the air, the seal on the floor pulsing as Seria's Monster, Morphing Jar #2, was revealed before it vanished from sight.

"Yeah, okay, you can just… you can just go ahead and do that, I guess…" Seria grumbled, but I could tell by her tone that she was just teasing.

"Sorry," I apologized, with a big stupid grin on my face. "A-a-a-anyway, now your field is empty, so I'll c-continue my attack with Chocolate Magician Girl!"

"Oh, you can do that too?" Seria asked as Chocolate Magician Girl's attack harmlessly passed through her.

[Seria: 100 LP]

"I think so?" I told her, my tone phrasing it like a question. "I'm sure my Duel Disk would l-let me know if I couldn't do something." I returned Chocolate Magician Girl to my hand per the effect of Seria's Trap, but it didn't really matter. I'd won anyway. "Now, I attack with Sorcerer of Dark Magic! Celestial Dark Blast!"

The awesome Spellcaster raised his scepter above his head before pointing it forward as an orange wave burst from the crystal ball at its tip, sweeping across the room but thankfully leaving everything and everyone unharmed.

[Seria: 0 LP]

Seria giggled. "Oh well! Sometimes, things don't go as you think they will. But in any case, that was fun. Good game, Tyler."

I once again felt myself smiling like an idiot. "Good game, Seria."

It was a good game. I didn't mind playing her, I didn't mind winning or losing, but having had the fate of the world – or my chance to get home – resting on the outcome of a Duel for so long, it didn't make it fun. This was much better, and I'd forgotten just how much fun Dueling, or really anything could be, with friends by my side. Friends like Seria and Akiza, that I was so grateful to have.

"Really, I didn't know what to expect! You picked up some awesome cards while you were away." Seria deactivated her Duel Disk as she walked over to me.

"You can thank the other Tyler for that." I told her, looking down at my Deck. "And you g-guys as well, th-thank you." I smiled, the physical presence of my Monsters vanishing as I removed their cards from my Duel Disk.

"And see? You made it through in one piece. No danger or anything." Seria beamed at me, playfully flicking the bottom of my face. "Come on, chin up!" she continued to smile.

My smiled widened, and I reached up and around, pulling her into a hug. "Thanks, Seria…" I whispered, flinching just a little as she hugged me back. I moved my hands to her arms and pulled away, turning to Akiza. "Akiza, listen, I…" I started to talk, but I really didn't know where to begin. I exhaled. "W-w-with how my speech is now, and having already explained everything to Seria, I d-didn't want to… g-go over it again and waste your time, because it took literally me all night with Seria, but… y-you deserve an explanation-"

"Tyler, it's okay." Seria assured me as I felt her place her hands on my shoulders. "I'll explain everything to you later, Akiza, I promise."

"That's alright. I should be getting to work anyway." She said, getting up from her seat.

"That's right. You said you're… you're working now. Where are you working?" I asked, though it probably wasn't even my place to ask.

Akiza averted my eyes for a moment, glancing at Seria before looking back to me. "Down at the Rehabilitation Center in the Satellite."

"S-Satellite?" I shivered.

That was the place, the exact place that I'd ended it. The former B.A.D. Area, where I'd spent my adolescence, where I'd looked after Annie, Itsuki and the rest of those kids with Crow. Where I fought alongside him and the rest of Team Satisfaction to make Satellite a better place to live. The place that changed more in the six months after the defeat of the Dark Signers than it ever did in all the years that I'd lived there fighting for it.

It must have seemed so out of the blue to them, because when I turned to Akiza and asked, "Can I come with you?", Akiza looked completely taken aback.

"I-I, um…"

"I don't think that's a good idea." Seria interjected, popping her head to my side. "At least until you've spoken with Miss Simington."

"Right, but I just…" I sighed, turning to look at Seria. "The Satellite was my home for almost half my life, and I… I went back there to end it… I know it sounds weird, but that Rehabilitation Center, th-that block of land, I mean… that's where I used to live. Me and Crow used to look after the kids there. That's… I know it's changed since then, but… I'd like to see that place again w-w-w-without all the… the negative mindset I had. The… b-building that's there now… stands as a… a t-t-testament to the fact that… things can change… things can get fixed, get better."

"Tyler…" Seria muttered.

"I know you p-p-p-probably think it's stupid-"

"I don't think it's stupid, I just think right now it's probably not the best thing for you. And I don't think it's fair to Akiza to make her…" Seria paused hesitantly, "have to keep an eye on you."

I frowned. "Keep an eye on me? You left me here alone-"

"Well that was different. Leaving you here in the apartment by yourself is nothing like you going back to the place you killed yourself." Seria turned and cupped my head in her hands. "Look, Tyler, it's not that I don't trust you, but I think all of us here know how emotions can make us do things in the spur of the moment that we'd never do with a clear head. And I would be happy to come with you so that Akiza wouldn't have to worry, but I'm… I'm expecting a call from someone, and if they call the landline, I need to be here."

I put my hands to Seria's. "Seria, I… I p-promise, I won't cause a scene or do anything stupid." I then turned to Akiza. "And I promise I won't… stop you from doing what you need to do at work either." I looked back at Seria. "You can wait to hear back from Yusei. I'll be fine."

Seria fidgeted. "Y-you heard me…?"

"I mean, I assumed that's who you were calling. Doctor Fudo?"

"Why were you calling Yusei?" Akiza asked.

"I w-w-w-was p-planning on seeing him too. Y-you don't-"

"It wasn't about you seeing him." Seria cut me off. "Well, it was, but not…" Seria sighed, "the circumstances, I mean… how you disappeared, came back, and where you were all this time. I thought maybe he'd be able to help, since he developed Fortune." She explained. "I thought there might be a way to get into contact with Tim or somebody."

I pushed through the word "Tim," with a big breath of air, "probably doesn't even know I made it back here. He's n-n-n-n-not gonna come looking for me. He's got other things to worry about. As do I."

Akiza looked between Seria and me as Seria sighed once more. "I'm sorry. I know it's not really my business. If you're happy leaving things as they are, I am too." Seria smiled. "Anyway, I shouldn't keep you any longer. You two should get going."

I turned to Akiza. "Is that alright with you, Akiza?"

Akiza's eyes met mine, but even as she said "Sure," I could tell her mind was elsewhere.

"If at any time you feel overwhelmed or anything, call me, okay? And I'll come and get you." Seria assured me.

I nodded. "Of course."

"Is that a promise?"

I smiled. "It's a promise."

It felt surreal coming back to the Satellite again. Though it hadn't really been that long since I was there last, the atmosphere was completely different to that of the Commons in Neo Domino City. It was hard to believe I hadn't noticed it at the time when I first 'arrived back' with Tim, but now it was all the more obvious. Daedalus Bridge or no, the drones and the fact that the B.A.D. Area still looked, well, bad, should have been the tipoff that something was amiss. I was glad to be back home, even though the Satellite of now was barely recognizable as the Satellite as I remembered it.

We pulled up across the street from the Rehabilitation Center, Akiza putting her Duel Runner into park. Akiza removed her helmet as she looked at herself in the front display, putting her headband back on. I removed my helmet and placed it in my lap as Akiza pressed a button, the wings of her Duel Runner shifting out and up.

Akiza got off of her Duel Runner, glancing back at me and gasping, acknowledging my presence for the first time since we'd left Seria's apartment, as though she'd forgotten I was with her. Neither of us had said anything on the ride over. I did want to say something, of course, but it was the whole issue of not knowing what to say, saying too much, saying too little, the wrong thing, and that wasn't even taking into account my stutter, which made the prospect of just saying single words and my own name to people, an uphill battle.

I quickly got off Akiza's Duel Runner as I set my helmet down, fiddling with my hair as Akiza made sure her Duel Runner was properly parked and secure.

I licked my lips, forcing myself to speak as Akiza turned to face the entrance to the Rehabilitation Center. "Th-th-th-thanks for letting me come with you." I told her.

"Of course, Tyler! I… sorry if I'm a little… if I seem a little unsure, it's just… honestly, it's because I'm still trying to wrap my head around you being back." She said, looking away for a moment. "It just… it doesn't feel real yet…" she muttered, the two of us making our way toward the Rehabilitation Center.

"I get it. Y-y-you go to someone's funeral, b-body or no, and you expect them not to be around again." I sighed. "In some ways, it probably would have been better if I had have just stuck with T-T-T-T-T-Tim and helped fight in the Interdimensional War, but that was outside of my control. I… I did want to come back here… home, I… I had to, I… I got… I got to see you again, after all…"

"Interdimensional War?" Akiza asked.

"It's nothing. I'm sure Tim can handle it." I quickly dismissed myself. It wasn't something that Akiza or anyone else needed to concern themselves with. "No, no, I'm definitely sure Tim's got it covered." I cleared my throat, changing the subject. "So, wh-wh-wh-wh-when did you get a job at the Rehabilitation Center?"

"Not too long ago."

I nodded. "Wh-wh-why did you get a job there… here?" I asked, and when I realized that me trying to force myself through the speech block of saying 'why' might have made my question sound almost accusatory, I added "S-sorry, I don't mean to sound so, um…" I shook my head. "I-I-I-I'm genuinely interested, I mean."

Akiza turned away from me, looking up at the roof of the building as we stood right outside its doors. "Well, two things… people, actually. The first was… Misty."

"Misty?" I asked softly.

Akiza kept her eyes on the building. "After everything that happened with her involving her brother, I mean… I might not have killed Misty's brother, but… there were others, there had to be. I did so much in the time I was the Black Rose Witch, there had to have been at least one person I hurt, or worse. I'm really lucky that I never really had to deal with the fallout for that, thanks to my dad, but Toby only got involved with the Arcadia Movement in the first place because of me, so even if Sayer was the one who killed him, he died because of me. So, I spoke to the people at the Rehabilitation Center about starting a Youth Outreach program to help others struggling to find their place in the world and give them some stability, like what the Arcadia Movement should have been in the first place – a haven not just for Psychics, but anyone in need of help, and they wouldn't be misguided or mistreated like we were."

"Wow, Akiza… th-that's amazing…!"

"The other person," Akiza breathed, "was… you…"

"M-me?"

Akiza nodded, still keeping her eyes on the building. "After you… after we thought you died, I blamed myself. That state you were in on the Ark Cradle, how you tried to throw yourself off the platform, that was so obviously a cry for help, and when Zone killed you and brought you back," Akiza shook her head, "there was a lot going on, and I'd just gotten Yusei back, but I should have taken the time to help you. I should have just said something, anything, but I didn't. I meant to contact you after what happened on the Ark Cradle, but I was busy with school and Yusei. Nevertheless, I should have made time. You're a friend, and I turned my back on you. Because of you and Yusei and everyone, I learned to love myself. Thinking back, you were my first real friend, and I ended up turning my back on you when you needed me the most. I didn't want that to happen to anyone else, especially the kids I work with. I wanted to make sure that… no one else ended up like you did, thinking there was no way out."

"Akiza…" I whimpered.

Akiza turned to me, her brown eyes filling with tears. "Tyler, I… I want you to know… I love you. Not in a… in a romantic way, but… from one person to another, I love you, and I'm so glad you're back~" Akiza's voice broke.

She hugged me again, and I wrapped my arms around her. "I love you too, A-Akiza. Thank you… thank you s-so much for… for just being so accepting and everything, I…" I felt tears start to well in my eyes, "I was so worried. I thought you hated me… I wouldn't have blamed you if you did."

"I never hated you, Tyler. Ever." Akiza stated, hugging me tighter. "I just… I wish I'd known you were alive… I… I…"

I buried my head in the nape of her neck. "Akiza, I-I-I-I-I'm really sorry about everything, th-the Ark Cradle especially."

"Stop!" Akiza moved her head from mine. "If you keep going on about what you did on the Ark Cradle, I'll go on about what I almost did to you at the hospital. I think we've moved past all that, haven't we?" she asked. I nodded feverishly. "You're back now, and I understand if it's hard or you don't want to talk about what happened. I know better than anyone what that's like, but I know it helped you before. It helped me too." Akiza looked down. "Luna told me that you'd planned to go back to therapy before you… disappeared. W-would you… have you thought about going back to see Dr. Wertz?"

My eyes widened. Akiza, of course, knew by now that I'd been seeing a psychiatrist back then, but I'd never mentioned, to her or to anyone, specifically who it was I'd been seeing. "H-how did you…?"

Akiza's face broke a warm, reassuring and nonjudgmental smile. "I went there once. After the whole thing with the Dark Signers and Misty. I saw you waiting for an appointment. I didn't say anything to you then. You looked so deep in thought."

"I didn't know you'd gone to see a psychiatrist…"

"Are you kidding?" Akiza suddenly took my hands into her own and I flinched, trying to fight back the panic that Kobi and Joel had instilled in me. "Tyler, the Black Rose Witch wasn't just a name that people called me. She was… she was like a split personality, this other side of me that… that fought and lashed out because I was afraid and angry at the world. Yusei helped me to break through and realize who she was, but that didn't stop her from being there. I went and saw so many different people. Psychiatrists, grief counsellors, hypnotherapists, and it took me a while to find someone who could help. But eventually, I met this great hypnotherapist, and we just clicked, and thanks to her, and my parents, and Yusei… and you, us, this… I was able to start putting everything that happened behind me. I know I didn't kill Toby, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have killed other people during my time as the Black Rose Witch. I had to face up to that, the person I was and the persona I'd created."

"A-Akiza…" my eyes moved from Akiza's. I was absolutely taken aback by… all of it. The lengths that Akiza went through to better herself through her own rehabilitation and self-care. I was so focused on my pissy little attempt back then, that I hadn't even realized what enormous strides she'd made in those six months. And then again, now, she'd moved from that to bettering the people around her. "You're perfect…" I muttered.

Akiza shook her head. "I'm not, and that's the point. We all have demons we need to face. When you said to Seria that you wanted to come here as a way of facing up to your demons, I just… I thought back to how you were then." Akiza shook her head once more. "What I'm trying to say is, everyone needs a little help sometimes."

I gently squeezed Akiza's hands with mine. "I'll do whatever it takes, Akiza. And I have every intention of going back to therapy. But last time I went and did that, I didn't talk to you guys for half a year, and I don't… I don't want to do that again, so… my main concern is sorting things out with everyone else first."

Akiza smiled warmly, wiping away her tears. "Well we all love you to bits, so you won't have to worry about that." Akiza leaned forward and gave me another hug. "Anyway, I really need to get inside." She told me, running her fingers across my shoulders as she turned, walking briskly as I followed her inside, the doors opening to welcome us.

The inside of the Rehabilitation Center was as pristine as the outside. The spaces were shiny, reflective, and open. Akiza walked over to her colleague at reception and started talking to them while I stood back, just taking it all in. There were plenty of people around, not that that was necessarily a good or bad thing in and of itself. It was just an observation, and it meant that people were getting treatment, and everyone seemed happy at the very least.

In general, the whole place just had a really positive atmosphere, which was a welcome change from not only the Satellite of old, but the Commons as well.

I wondered to myself, if my counterpart had had access to a facility like this, if he had the opportunity for support, would he have reached out and grabbed it? Or would he have ignored it like I did? Granted, I had been living in the Daimon Area for a good while by the time the center had finished being built, and I had already started seeing my psychiatrist, so back then I didn't really think there was any point in me commuting back and forth to the Satellite for rehabilitation, but if I'd had had it back then, before Team Satisfaction, before the Arcadia Movement, then… maybe.

I pursed my lips together. There was no sense in thinking like that now, for me, but I did feel for my counterpart, and having this place here, at the very least, I'm sure was a comfort and a relief to those that needed support.

Akiza was right. Everyone needs a little help sometimes.

"Guess who~o~o…" a voice whispered in my ear as a pair of hands gently came down over my eyes. I would have freaked out if I didn't recognize her voice almost immediately. "That's a real nice vest ya got on…"

"No way…" I muttered, feeling her hands move away from mine as I turned around to face her.

She had the same long unkempt black hair and wore the same pale pink tank top, Team Satisfaction vest and denim shorts she used to wear back then.

"Never thought I'd catch ol' 'Merciful' down here again." She smiled that same smile that was somehow both dripping with overconfidence and endearingly cute at the same time.

"I'm not that anymore." I told her. There was no way I could be called that anymore, but my tone with her could have been better, especially since it had been about three years since we'd last spoken. I forced a smile to my face. It really was great to see her, just unexpected. Honestly, I'd kind of forgotten about her. Amnesia aside, if I hadn't have met up with Kalin again when he was a Dark Signer, I probably would have forgotten about him too. I sighed and shook my head. "S-s-sorry, I've just had a… my head's not with it at the moment…"

"Was it ever really though?" she teased.

"No, not really." I agreed, a smile slowly forming on my face. "How've you been?" I asked.

"Oh, ya know," she shrugged, "stayin' outta trouble, takin' it a day at a time. The usual. But what about you? Whatchu been up to? 'Cause I heard you went missin' or somethin'. Not like before with that cult. I mean recently."

"Ah," I took a step back. I'd wrongly assumed she hadn't heard anything, but she must have spoken to either Yusei, or Jack before he left New Domino City. I sort of wasn't worried because I thought she didn't know, so there wasn't as much pressure talking to her as there was compared to me talking to Seria or Akiza, but, well she did know, she knew something, at least. So, it was another person I felt lesser to, like I owed for screwing up. "How m-m-m-m-m…" I sighed, closing my eyes. 'How much have you heard?' is what I wanted to ask! "Sorry, I've got a… speech impediment now…" I verbalized like it wasn't obvious.

"Oof, that's rough! Stroke?" she asked.

"N-no, I… well, it's a long story." I told her. "How m-m-much have you heard, who did you hear it from, and when d-d-d-d-d-did you hear it?"

"Well, I mean, Yusei came by, like, a year or so ago to catch up with Rally and ev'ryone, an' he filled us in on what's been going on with you guys. Then just the other week I got a message from 'im sayin' he wan'ed to meet up an' tell me somethin' aboutcha in person. I just got back from a trip to Crash Town, so, you know…"

I exhaled. I'll admit it. For a moment, just one moment, I thought about asking her not to tell either Yusei or Jack that she'd seen me, maybe even asking her to ghost Yusei for a little while until I was able to get my act together. But, dragging her into the problem I'd made for myself, and remembering what Akiza had said, about facing up to my demons, I knew it wasn't right, and I came clean.

"I… I…" I stammered, screwing my eyes shut. "God damn it! Y-Yusei, what Yusei probably wanted to tell you was I… I died." I told her. "About a month ago."

"What?"

"My stutter is from brain damage. Bungled suicide attempt." I opened my eyes. "W-w-w-well, successful suicide and forced resurrection to be specific. Yusei was p-probably trying to get into c-contact with you to let you know what had happened. He doesn't know that I'm alive or b-b-back or anything, um… but apparently, they held a service for me a little while ago, so that's… yeah, that's probably it."

"Wait, are you serious?" she asked. I nodded. "You… died?!" she looked at me with furrowed brows, crossing her arms. "So… what? Are you like Kalin then? 'Cause Yusei told me about how he came back as something called a 'Dark Signer'-"

"N-no, I'm… I'm not like that. Just… just brain damaged…" I muttered. Then, to try and lessen some of the tension, I added "Though to be fair, I think Kalin must have been a little brain damaged for breaking things off the way he did."

Her face broke a smile and she laughed. "Yeah…"

"Everything okay over here?" Akiza asked from behind me.

I quickly turned to face her. "Oh, Akiza, sorry, hi, this is Zenaida." I introduced.

"Call me Zena." She smiled. "I'm an ol' teammate o' Tyler's from back in the day."

"T-Team Satisfaction." I explained, and I probably should have stopped there, but I elaborated. "She was Kalin's girlfr…" I trailed, foot-in-mouth, "um… ex… sorry…"

"It's not your fault he went nuts." Zena brushed my faux pas aside with little offense.

"Well, technically," I started to argue with her, but as I thought more about it, I realized it was probably one of the few things I wasn't responsible for. I might not have told Kalin or Zena or anyone from back then what I'd gone through, Hell, Yusei and Jack only found out about all that on the Ark Cradle seven months ago. But if any of them had known, I don't think that would have changed any of their attitudes at all. And in any case, what Kalin almost did to that kid Kadoi was inexcusable, and I think that my reaction to that was completely justified. "No, yeah, you're right." I said bluntly. "I'm just sorry things ended how they did. You…" I closed my eyes, feeling a block in my throat. "Y-you were really good to him."

"I thought so too." Zena shrugged. "Anyway, how do you know Tyler?" she asked Akiza.

"Um…" Akiza paused for a moment. "Arcadia Movement."

It took a little while for it to click, but when it clicked, it clicked, and Zena was obviously privy to much more information than I thought she was. "Oh, oh, right! You were, um, you were the… the Black Rose Witch, right? Oh, shit, you're Yusei's girlfriend, right?!"

"Y-yeah, that's right…" Akiza muttered.

Zena cupped her own head in her hands. "Yeah, yeah, yeah! 'Cause Yusei was… he was tellin' me last time that he met up with Jack and Tyler and Crow and Kalin and that there was this girl, um… little rough around the edges, but 'a good heart' he said. Oh man, this is fillin' in so many gaps for me!"

"Yusei's told you about me?" Akiza asked softly. "He's… he's, um… he's never mentioned you to me before." She admitted.

"What, really? Like, never? Never ever?!" Zena asked, Akiza shaking her head. "Oh, well," Zena turned to me, "Tyler, you-"

"I had amnesia until, like, partway through last year." I interjected.

Zena's eyes widened. "Wait, what?! When was this?"

"Um… that was the whole Arcadia Movement thing. You know, abducted by 'that cult'?" I said flippantly.

"Oh… Yusei never mentioned that."

"Really?"

"No, he said you got abducted, but then you broke out, and he was really glad that you were okay."

Yusei.

He never cared that I had amnesia, he was just happy that I was alive and back in his life.

Back in his life.

I would have been back in his life if I hadn't have been so caught up in all of my own bullshit. That's not to say that I was entirely at fault, of course. Back when Bruno first came onto the scene, Yusei was so intently focused on him, that it did damage some of his relationships, at least in the short-term. And as I'd told Akiza before, when it came to me and Bruno and all of that, I never thought of myself as a part of Team 5D's. And that wasn't a vindictive power play sort of thing from my perspective. It was just how I felt. Me, and then everyone else.

I was never told; I was never welcomed. I just was.

"I'm sorry, I really have to get back." Akiza said, making me turn to her. "I just came over to see if you were okay."

"No, yeah, I'm good." I told her. "You go do what you need to do. I'll… h-h-hang out with Zena for a bit." I turned to Zena. "I-i-i-if that's okay with you."

"O'course! We've got a lot o' catchin' up to do." She said with a wink and a smile.

"Okay, well, if you need me, come to the front desk and ask for me, okay?" Akiza's hand grazed my shoulder. "I'll be done with my shift in a few hours."

"Okay…" I spoke softly, Zena and I watching as Akiza walked away.

Warm red light bled across the corridor, both mine and Akiza's shadows twisting as we walked.

I ended up spending most of the afternoon chatting with Zena while Akiza worked her shift. Okay, I spent most of my time stuttering and stammering. Zena was the one who was able to actually speak and, you know, be an actual coherent human being.

Other than that, the only other little bit of time I had, I spent watching Akiza. Not in a creepy way. I literally got to see how she interacted with people and how people interacted with her. She was so happy and joyful, as was everyone that she interacted with. I could have never imagined the old Akiza doing what she did. It was yet another reminder of just how far she'd come. And how I hadn't realized until now.

"Th-thanks for taking me home, Akiza." I told her, the two of us coming to a stop outside Seria's apartment, Akiza's left hand intertwined with my right. "I know today's probably been a little… weird, but, um… n-n-n-n-not spending," I sighed, "spend-spending the time with you, but like, um…" I pinched the bridge of my nose. Neither my brain nor my mouth knew what I was trying to say. "Sorry, I'm just…"

"That's alright." Akiza assured me, gently squeezing my hand for a moment before she turned away. "Tyler… I know I said we should move on from what happened before, but you need to know… if any of us knew what Joel and his dad did to you, there's no way we would have… would have even associated ourselves with him."

"I know." I squeezed her hand back. "It's okay-"

"No, it's not okay!" Akiza insisted.

"Well it could have been worse." I said simply, letting go of Akiza's hand. "But it doesn't matter anyway. What happened happened, and what's done is done. I… I m-m-made the wrong choices, I r-reacted poorly, and I have to live with the choices I made. And every time I see someone, I'm gonna have to explain what happened." I sighed. "S-Seria, you, Zena, and now Mina. Sh-she's probably already inside. Either that or she's on her way here."

"Tyler," Akiza grabbed my hand again, "I think telling Mina's the right thing to do, and Yusei, Luna and everyone else, they deserve to know too… but if you're not ready to let them know you're back yet, then I won't tell anyone."

"No, I…" I sighed once more. "You were right that… it's not fair that I show up out of the blue, unannounced with no warning. It's not right that they don't know. Like Seria said, I'll square things away with Mina first, make sure it's all above board and everything. Tell her whatever she wants to know. A-and… I w-will tell Luna, a-and Yusei, I promise, but… I put a lot of pressure on Luna before, back when I almost…" I trailed off, shaking my head. "I can't do that to you, so if you want to t-tell Yusei or Luna that I'm back before I do, y-you can."

"It's not for me to tell them. As much as I don't like keeping secrets, it's not my secret to tell, and I understand why you feel like you might need to wait and think things through. But… I told you before, we all love you, so… you don't have to worry." Akiza sighed. "And I know you said before that you never felt like a part of Team 5D's, but trust me, you were always a part of the team. Yusei even…" Akiza stopped and shook her head. "That's not my secret to tell either. I'm sure Yusei will tell you when you see him."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Nothing. You'd… you'd better get inside." Akiza sighed once more. "Just… tell me one thing… in that letter you left me, did you mean what you said?"

I nodded. "All of it."

Akiza released my hand before gently pressing her body against mine, easing me into a hug. "I'll call you tomorrow. Good luck in there…" She whispered, her breath tickling my ear before she pulled away.

"Thanks." I smiled. Akiza made a sound that I couldn't discern, before she closed her eyes and turned away. I watched Akiza head back down the corridor, rounding the corner as she left my sight. I straightened myself up and took a deep breath, before letting myself into the apartment.

Seria, who looked to have been sitting on the couch in the living room, shot up from it immediately as the door opened and I removed my shoes. She beamed at me, infecting me with her boundless positivity. "Tyler~! Did you have a good afternoon?" she asked.

"Y-yeah," I breathed. "All things considered; it went great. I actually ran into an old friend." I told her.

"Luna?" Seria asked, her tone making her sound like she was incredibly hopeful for that to be the case.

"No, um… i-it was s-someone from my Team Satisfaction days. N-not Yusei or Jack, o-of course, someone else. That r-reminds me, d-d-d-did Y-Yusei end up calling you back?"

Seria shook her head. "No, not yet. But Miss Simington's here."

"Sh-she is?"

"Mhm." Seria nodded. "She just arrived a few minutes ago. She's waiting for you in your room." She explained, closing the space between us and placing her hands gently on my shoulders. "Unfortunately, it's standard protocol for these sorts of interviews to be private, so I'm not allowed to listen in or, you know, help if you get stuck on a word or anything like that." Seria quickly licked her lips. "So, I'll be out here cooking dinner. Crumbed chicken okay?" she asked, tilting her head as she tapped my chin.

I placed my hands on hers. "Seria, I appreciate anything and everything you do for me. I'm happy with anything."

"Alrighty!" Seria ruffled my hair for a moment before she stopped and looked into my eyes, furrowing her brows. "Oh, don't be nervous, Tyler! You'll be fine! I know you will!" Seria assured me with a warm smile and a hug.

"Is it that obvious I'm freaking out?" I thought I'd done a decent job hiding my anxiety from Seria, but that clearly wasn't the case.

"You don't need to freak out!" Seria assured me. "I'm no expert on speech impediments, but just take some deep breaths and think about what you're going to say, and everything'll be fine. Miss Simington is super nice, and I'm going to be just out here, so there's no pressure, okay?"

"Yeah…" I agreed. No pressure. "Yeah, okay."

"Okay…" Seria said breathily, giving me another quick hug before I headed into the hallway.

There was so pressure. There was all the pressure!

Truthfully, I didn't think I was even fit to be interviewed, and even though I hated talking, hated it more than anything else, I had to sort it out, the mess I'd made for myself.

I'd been missing before, technically. When I ran away from my home in New Domino City and fled to the Satellite, and then again when I was abducted by the Arcadia Movement, but I was positive that I hadn't been officially listed as a missing person back then. Kobi wouldn't have allowed it and Dibana wouldn't have cared, and since I'd never gotten a Criminal Mark in the Satellite, Sector Security wouldn't have been able to track me when Sayer abducted me.

The interview was, if absolutely nothing else, a chance for me to come clean about everything to the authorities, and give them a crystal clear account about not just where I'd been for the last month, but everything with Kobi and Joel as well. I remembered that text message from Taze about how Kobi had been arrested and taken to The Facility back when I'd escaped from the Arcadia Movement, and Mina had supposedly helped Seria discover that Joel had stolen the money I'd left for her, so there was already plenty of evidence that neither Kobi or Joel were good people without me really needing to say anything on the subject.

I knocked on the door to the guest room before I opened it, Mina sitting on the edge of the bed with a tablet resting on her thighs, artificial light spilling out into the hallway.

"H-hi, Mina…" I bowed.

"Tyler," Mina quickly got to her feet, hugging the tablet to her chest. "It's good to see you again." She told me, bowing in kind.

I fidgeted, stepping inside as I closed the door behind me.

"I appreciate you coming down to see me. I know it's, um, it's Friday today, isn't it?" I shook my head. I still couldn't believe it. I started the week in another Dimension, waking up from a nightmare with Fizdis consoling me, before battling in the first round of the Friendship Tag Cup with Tim. And now I was home. "And, just for coming down in the first place, I… I appreciate it."

"It's no trouble, Tyler. When Miss Dale came to me and told me, well… I wanted to come and talk to you. Normally, this sort of thing would be considered a conflict of interest, but given everything that's gone on, I thought it best that I handle the interview procedure myself." Mina explained.

"Of course. I ap…preciate that. Thank you for b-b-b… be…" I closed my eyes and sighed, "being… so ac… accommodating…"

"Like I said, it's no trouble." Mina smiled. "Miss Dale told me before that you were concerned that you might be charged, and I want to assure you that that won't be happening."

"Really?" I exhaled. "Oh, thank you, thank you!" I was so happy I could have kissed her! "That really is a load off my mind."

"It isn't a crime to be a missing person, Tyler." Mina offered a reassuring smile. "And as for the contents of the USB, we're combing through it, but you're not going to be held accountable for anything found on there either." Mina hesitated for a moment, like she could sense the last of my apprehension. "Now, as for your, um… stutter, just take your time. We can begin whenever you're ready, and we'll take as long as you need." Mina slinked back down into a seated position on the bed, placing the tablet next to her.

"I'm-I'm ready." I told her.

I sat down beside Mina, the tablet between the two of us.

"Then let's begin." Mina said, tapping on the tablet as it started recording. "Where have you been?" she asked.

I pushed a breath of air out, smiling unintentionally. "Wh-where do I start?"