Arc of Eternity

by Tyler Nator

After recovering his memories at the hands of Zone and Infinity, Tyler Nochi resolves to throw his life away, and succeeds. But a chance encounter with a mysterious redheaded man will take him far beyond the world he thought he knew, force him to confront the darkness in his heart, and help him realize that not everyone gets a second chance.

18. Let You Love Me

It took longer than I'd like to admit for my brain to get into gear.

I would have probably stayed like that forever, my body as still as a statue, eyes half-open, if it were up to me. I didn't push Luna away, I didn't pull her close. The most I was doing was puckering my lips. Other than that, I wasn't giving any sort of indication or signal that I wanted this, or that I was forcing her. At least, not intentionally anyway.

Truthfully, I was still in shock from the fact she was kissing me at all.

I felt Luna's hands move from my face, slowly running down my shoulders to my arms. And as her fingers reached the gauntlet of my Duel Disk, she had a sudden intake of breath and broke the kiss with a gasp, pulling her hands to her chest.

She was still so close to me. She wasn't looking at me anymore, but her eyes were open, just looking away from me. Her cheeks were flushed red, her mouth was open, and she was breathing on me quite quickly.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that…" she said, shaking. "I know they used to hit you, your stepfather and stepbrother, a-and…" she trailed off.

I tried to tell her "It's okay-"

"I just got… so… and you… the ring…" she fumbled over her words.

"Luna, it's alright." I assured her. "We don't need to make out-" I stopped myself and started again, tongue-tied. "We don't need to make this out to be anything more than it is. Let's just… t-t-t-t-take a moment and… relax, okay?"

Luna nodded quickly, looking down at the ring in her hand, breathing audibly.

I furrowed my brows as I looked at Luna's tear-stricken face, trying to get a read on the girl.

I was certain that the kiss was just an emotionally-charged 'heat of the moment' kind of thing. This had all been a complete shock to her, after all. I was still barely processing being back.

Would it have been pathetic if I'd said that her kiss helped make it all real?

Luna inhaled sharply, looking back up at me as she opened her mouth to speak, only for Seria's cell phone to start ringing.

I glanced at Seria, who just stood facing us, a hand still hovering over her mouth, agape in shock. "Phone…" Seria whispered after a while. "Phone!" she said, a little louder. "I'll get it!" Seria moved back over to the couch where I'd left it. "I wasn't prepared for this week at all…" I heard her say, before answering "Akiza, hi~!" in her saccharine tone. "Sorry, now's not a very good time. Would I be able to call you back later? Mhm. Mhm… You're a peach! I'll talk to you later. Bye~!" Seria chirped. Her face fell immediately as she ended the call, sighing lengthily.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

Seria nodded, her mouth dropping open as she looked at Luna. "Luna, are you alright?"

I looked back at Luna to see she was scrunching her face, eyes shut tight. "I-I'm fine…!" she said, opening her eyes, continuing to breathe audibly.

"How 'bout you come sit down?" I offered, motioning to the couch.

"That's a good idea." Seria agreed. "And I'll get you a drink…" She cooed.

Luna just continued to stand there, hyperventilating, looking like she was miles away.

"Luna…?" I asked softly, the poor girl gasping and shivering.

"O-okay…" Luna mumbled, taking baby steps over to the couch.

I sighed, remembering what Ancient Fairy Dragon had said to me:

It's not a coincidence that once she met you, her overall health started to improve…

I wondered if Luna's health now was because of how I left her, or because I came back.

I closed the door to the apartment before walking over to the countertop, placing the card of Explosivo down onto it, then looking back at Luna, who sat on the couch, staring down at the ring I gave her in silence.

"Here you go, sweetie…" Seria cooed, coming back from the kitchen and handing Luna a glass of water.

"Thank you…" Luna said, taking a sip.

I took a deep breath, came over and sat down at the other end of the couch. "L-L-Luna-"

"Akiza called just then, didn't she…?" Luna interrupted, turning to look at me. "Does she know?"

"Know what?"

"That you're back."

My heart skipped a beat.

"She does." My head snapped to Seria as she answered for me. "'No secrets', right?" she glanced over at me.

I closed my eyes and nodded. "No secrets."

"I see…" Luna muttered, taking another sip.

I inhaled shakily as I attempted to explain myself. "I w-w-wanted to come and see you first, b-b-b-but-"

"How long have you been back?" Luna asked, her eyes keeping to her glass of water.

"Not t-too l-l-l-long… two days."

"Okay…" Luna once again looked down at the ring. "So…" she whispered. "Then… then where… where did you go…? A-and how did you… come back…?"

"It's a long s-s-story," I started, "a-and I don't know how long it's going t-to t-t-t-take me. You've…" I cleared my throat. "You've probably noticed I, um… I can't speak now… my brain, um…" I sighed. "I'm sorry, just… g-g-gimme a minute…"

Seria came over to me and gently squeezed my hand. "It's alright…" she cooed, facing Luna. "When we thought that something had happened to Tyler, and we organized that search for him, it… turned out something did happen to him." Seria turned to me. I nodded, and she turned back to Luna. "He decided to drown himself at the shoreline in the Satellite. We both agree that it was a stupid decision, and he is very lucky that he was able to meet someone who, from what I understand, brought him back to life. That's why he looks a bit different, and he has a bit of difficulty talking now." Seria turned to me. "Is that right?"

"More or less. Um… so, because of what I did, even though I was able to get brought back to life, my brain… I guess 'cause I was dead for however long it was, um…" I shrugged, relenting. "I got brain damage, so… now I can't speak very well. It s-s-s-s-seems worse when I'm nervous."

Luna's lips were moving, her eyes darting around like she wanted to say something, but no idea what.

Apprehensively, Seria reached over, gently placing a hand on Luna's shoulder. "There's a lot more to it, and we appreciate that you said you wanted to stay, but… you really don't look like you're up to this. So… if you really don't want to be here, I'm happy to take you home."

I nodded in agreement. "I n-never wanted to pressure you, L-Luna, I… I know you had someone over at your place. I'm sorry that I interrupted you before."

"I… I…" Luna stammered.

"It's up to you." I told her. "I just… I-I-I… I had to let you know that I was alive, and that I was sorry. That's… I'm not expecting…" I stopped, tripping over my words again. "I just want you to know that I'm sorry, and if there's anything I can do to even begin m-m-making it up to you, please… let me know."

"I know you must be feeling confused…" Seria cooed.

"I don't know how I'm feeling…" Luna admitted. "And I don't know how to feel…!" Luna groaned, looking into my eyes. "Tyler… this ring… you have no idea how much I… I wanted to see you over these past few months. When I… I needed you, and… you never called… and you went missing… and Leo… you, a-and now this ring… I… I…"

"Just… t-t-tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it." I said earnestly.

"I dunno…" Luna mumbled. "I… I never wanted you to go… with Yusei to that Momentum Express place, with Zone to destroy the City, or away when we got back from the Ark Cradle. I…"

"Well, I'm here now." I told her. "I know that d-d-doesn't make up for wh-what happened, or what I did. And I know I d-don't d-d-d-deserve a second chance. I was lucky I got one. I was lucky I got another one." I admitted. "But I fought like Hell to get back here." I sighed, relenting. "I'm… I'm just really glad I got to see you. Even if, y-you know, this is just a one-time thing and you don't want to see me again after t-today, just… g-getting to… see you now and… letting you know how sorry I am…"

"Is that what you want, to never see me again?" she asked.

"N-no! No! No, no, no!" I couldn't have said it enough. "Luna, I…" I sighed once more. "What I want is… for you to be happy, whatever that is."

"I was happy with you," Luna admitted, "but then…" she groaned, clutching the ring tightly in her hand. "I just don't understand! If you were alive or dead or whatever, why didn't you try to contact me? If someone was able to bring you back to life, wherever you were for a month, even if you've only been back here for two days, why did you wait until now to even talk to me?"

"Because I wasn't here! I was…" I stopped and took a breath, "I was in… an-an-another Dimension." I watched Luna's expression change, but I continued. "And I don't mean, like, another world, like the Spirit World or the weird subspace that the Ark Cradle came from. It was a whole other reality. It had its own version of this world, the Spirit World, everything. It had… there was a version of me there, was. There was a version of Jack, o-of Leo, of you."

Luna's lips quivered. "W-w-w-w-w… what…?"

"That's why I look like this as well." I said, putting a hand to my chest. "Before I went there, I was given, like, some kind of alien drug. That got rid of a lot of my… imperfections." I looked down at my Duel Disk. "And then, in that other Dimension, that's where I got this Duel Disk. It belonged to… the other me…" I shook my head. "Anyway-"

"Other… you…?" Luna groaned, putting a hand to her forehead. "I don't… what do you mean?"

"I know, it sounds crazy." Seria agreed. "But it's true. I've seen the photos. Of the other Tyler, the other you, the other Leo, the person that brought Tyler back to life. And Tyler told me everything he's been through. I also got acquainted with a few of the Spirits yesterday that helped him get back home." Seria smiled a half-smile. "But even if it was all made up, I don't care." Seria looked me in the eyes. "Because you're back, and that's all that matters to me."

"Seria…" I whispered.

"But we know it's not made up, don't we…?"

I jolted, turning from the couch towards the voice, the Spirit of Lemon Magician Girl smiling brightly and waving excitedly at me as she hovered about in the room. "Hi…" I said quietly.

"Hi~!" she beamed.

Luna gasped with fright, turning to the Spirit of Lemon Magician Girl, the lemon-haired beige-skinned Spellcaster putting her fingers to her mouth. "Ooh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! But if you can hear and see me, that means you must be the human called Luna! I'm Lemon Magician Girl! It's so nice to meet you!" she introduced herself. "We've-I've heard so much about you!"

I felt my face heat up. I really did go on about Luna so much in the other Dimension. In retrospect, I was surprised that no one told me to shut up.

"Um… hi…" Luna mumbled sheepishly.

"Hm?" Seria looked around.

"Oh, that's right! That human can't see me!" Lemon Magician Girl pouted.

I nodded. "Sorry, Seria, there's a Spirit here. Just a sec." I fished my Deck out from my Duel Disk, thumbed through it to find Lemon Magician Girl's card, before activating my Duel Disk once more and placing down her card.

"Oh!" Seria stood up straight, startled by Lemon Magician Girl's physical form suddenly appearing opposite her.

"Hello there!" Lemon Magician Girl greeted Seria with a wide smile. "And you must be the human that's been looking after Tyler in this world! Thanks so much~" she chirped, gliding forward and giving Seria a hug.

"Oh, um, you're welcome." Seria smiled back. "And you're one of the Spirits that kept him safe in the other Dimension?"

"I sure am!" she grinned, twirling as she moved away from Seria. "Lemon Magician Girl's the name!" Her perfect smile faded as she turned to me, bouncing back and forward on her feet. "Sorry that Kiwi and I had to leave you earlier. We had to, um… we had some stuff we needed to take care of."

"Th-that's okay." I said softly. "I appreciate everything that… all of you have done, and do, and…" I shook my head. "I know I keep saying it, but… thank you…"

"You're welcome~" Lemon Magician Girl's smile returned as she turned back to Luna. "So… your Tyler's got a bit of a talking problem now, so, if you have any questions for him, I can answer!" she said happily, looking at me. "That's okay, isn't it?"

"That would b-b-be a b-b-b-b-big help, thank you." I said, clasping my hands together in gratitude.

"No problem!" she chirped, once again focusing on Luna. "Well, ask away~! What do you want to know?"

I shivered, watching Luna just stare at the ring in her hand. She hadn't put it on, but she hadn't dropped it or thrown it away either. I wished I knew what was going through her head, what she wanted me to say, if she wanted me to say anything at all. Maybe I'd done too much, or maybe I hadn't done enough.

"If you want to… y-y-y-yell at me, Luna… you can." I spoke softly.

Luna's gaze snapped from the ring to me, her face still flushed.

She didn't say anything, and neither did I. We just looked at each other for I don't know how long, until Luna looked away, her eyes returning to the ring.

"Whenever you're ready, cutie~" Lemon Magician Girl continued to bounce on her feet, twirling her wand.

Luna's face suddenly twitched, and tears welled up in her eyes. "This is a beautiful ring~" she said aloud, her voice breaking.

"I'm… glad you like it." I said softly.

"I love it…" she whispered, shakily moving to put it on her ring finger on her left hand. It looked like it was a little loose.

"I c-can get it resized, if you want."

Luna shook her head. "It's fine like this…" She whispered, suddenly smiling. "A moonstone. I just realized!" she giggled.

"It was Seria's idea." I found myself smiling too. "The stone, not the ring." I corrected myself.

Luna looked over at Seria, a soft expression on her face. "Thanks…" she said softly.

"I thought you'd like it." Seria beamed.

Luna looked at the ring on her finger, and then back to me. "Can I…?"

"What is it?" I asked.

"Can I hug you?"

Her voice was so soft, her tone so inquisitive. It reminded me of when we'd first gotten together, the two of us sitting on her bed, and she'd said:

I'm gonna kiss you now, okay…?

I furrowed my brows for a moment and nodded.

Luna scooched closer to me, slowly turning and wrapping her arms around my waist, her head leaning on my chest for a moment. I looked down at her, and she up at me, her eyes glistening with tears, but a smile on her face nonetheless. I smiled back.

"Aww~" Lemon Magician Girl cooed, her gloved hands clasped together.

"I know. Aren't they adorable?" Seria teased, turning to the Spellcaster. "I love your earrings too, by the way. Very cool."

"Thank you~!" Lemon Magician Girl beamed, gently flicking one of them. "See how they look like the stars on the cards?" she giggled. "I didn't even notice until Kiwi pointed it out! Isn't that funny?" Lemon Magician Girl suddenly turned to me. "Oh, oh! I forgot to tell you! Ancient Fairy Dragon showed us her home. It's really cool! Have you been?"

"Uh…" I shook my head. "No, I haven't." I said softly.

Lemon Magician Girl clasped her hands together once more. "Then you should totally come with us next time! It's this gigantic castle in the clouds, but it also connects to this massive underwater palace! I can't even describe it! It's amazing! You have to come see it!"

Once again, it took me far too long for my brain to get into gear. But Luna, the bright young girl, pieced things together pretty much straight away. "Wait a minute…" she mumbled. "If you've been back for two days… and if you've spoken to Ancient Fairy Dragon, then… then she had to have known…" Luna's nostrils flared and she ripped herself away from me, turning her head to the ceiling and yelling "Ancient Fairy Dragon!" at the top of her lungs.

My heart leapt into my throat at how loud she yelled, the sudden harshness of Luna's voice. Both Seria and Lemon Magician Girl gasped, the Spellcaster's eyes going wide as she realized what she'd said.

The room was silent, aside from Luna's racing breaths, until eventually, Ancient Fairy Dragon's calm, soothing voice came to us. "I'm here, Luna…"

"Ah, Your Majesty!" I fumbled. My heartbeat rocked my body. I didn't know if she was speaking to us in our minds, or to the whole room, but Seria's head shot up to the ceiling as if in response to Ancient Fairy Dragon's voice, so I had to assume that she could hear her as well, like when Ancient Fairy Dragon projected herself to Yusei, Leo and Trudge after we'd defeated Devack.

I retreated from the couch, backing myself down onto the floor, pressing my head against it as I bowed to Ancient Fairy Dragon, even though she wasn't physically in the room.

"Please rise, Tyler." She said calmly.

"Yes, Your Majesty." I complied, standing upright but keeping my head down, mostly out of respect, but also because I didn't know where to look.

"This whole time, and you didn't tell me…" Luna said coldly. "You knew Tyler was alive, didn't you?"

"Luna-" Ancient Fairy Dragon spoke to Luna like a mother attempting to calm an angry child, but Luna immediately snapped at her.

"Didn't you~?!"

I was aghast. Her tone was honestly astonishing. Not only was it rare I saw Luna lose her temper with anybody, but Ancient Fairy Dragon, I mean, she was basically the Queen of the Spirit World. You don't snap at the Queen!

Nevertheless, Ancient Fairy Dragon kept her composure. Her tone remained calm and comforting, and she didn't back down. "I did know, yes. I knew from the very beginning."

Luna pushed out a defeated moan and an anguished sigh. "Why…? Why…?" she whispered, more tears falling from her eyes.

"Okay…" Seria took a deep breath, obviously trying to make sense of what was going on. "Big voice in the sky? Ancient Fairy Dragon?"

"Yes, I am Ancient Fairy Dragon," came her voice. "And you are… the human, Seria… For watching over Tyler at the Arcadia Movement, and for keeping him safe in your world here, you have my thanks…"

Seria suddenly blushed. "I-It was no trouble!" she insisted. "I'm sorry we almost touched off a war between Arcadia, Yliaster-"

"Don't ignore me!" Luna suddenly snapped, looking back up at the ceiling, forcing ragged breaths from her body. "Why… didn't… you… tell me…?" she asked in-between breaths.

"Luna-" I took a step toward her and she immediately backed away, putting the couch between us.

"Don't touch me! Nobody touch me!" she screeched.

"I-I-I-I wasn't-" I insisted. Luna brought her hands to her head, her whole body shaking violently as she hyperventilated. It was truly the angriest I had ever seen Luna. I didn't know what to do, but I knew it was my fault.

Luna exhaled sharply, returning to face the ceiling. "I saved you and the Spirit World from Devack and the Dark Signers…" she whispered sternly. "The least you can do is be honest with me… and tell me why you lied to me!"

I could hear Ancient Fairy Dragon take a long breath. "Luna, do you remember the day that Tyler disappeared?" she asked.

Luna visibly scoffed, her eyes bulging out for a moment. "'Do I remember how I felt'-"

"Not how you felt. What happened. Do you honestly think I would have let Tyler die? Luna, I wanted nothing more than to stop him from doing what he did. I saw how broken he was, and if I could have pulled him from your world to the safety of mine and stopped him, held him, told him how loved he was, how loved he is, I would have done it without a second thought. But the bond that Tyler and I had at that point was so weak, I couldn't reach out to him. And Tyler wasn't dead for very long. Before I could even feel his spirit start to cross over into the Underworld, another human arrived and brought him back to life, forcing his spirit back into your world, and all I could do was watch from the Spirit World as they disappeared together. I knew he'd left this Dimension, because I couldn't feel his spirit at all anywhere, and I didn't know if he'd make it to another Dimension alive."

It was surreal to hear Ancient Fairy Dragon talk about my death. Not just in general, but how she talked about it. She wasn't angry or attacking me for the stupid choice I made. She was angry at herself because she wasn't able to help me.

But it wasn't her fault.

It was my fault.

This is my life, I've had enough, and I'm ending it!

It was all my fault.

"So what?" Luna spat derisively. "You pretended that he died, or stayed dead, or whatever it was, and let me believe that."

"Luna, it broke my heart to see you so distraught, but it would have broken my heart even more if I had you clinging to a hope that Tyler would return if he never did." Ancient Fairy Dragon admitted. "I thought it would be better to allow you to grieve and come to terms with that… eventuality on your own."

"You didn't allow me to grieve. You made me. You lied to me."

"I didn't lie to you, Luna-"

"You let me believe a lie… and let me cry myself to sleep every night without saying anything, so…" Luna's eyes turned from the ceiling to the front door, her voice much quieter. "Maybe… maybe I have come to terms with his passing. Maybe this was a mistake." Luna said, moving toward the front door.

"Then why did you come here?" Ancient Fairy Dragon asked quickly.

Luna gasped, immediately stopping in her tracks.

"Luna, if you're truly over Tyler and what happened, and want nothing more to do with him, then you wouldn't have dropped everything to come here, and bring Explosivo with you as proof, so I know that's not true." Ancient Fairy Dragon's voice was stern and direct. "Luna, if I knew Tyler had made it to another Dimension alive and was actively trying to find his way home, of course I would have told you. My child, if it was within my power, I would have torn through the Dimensional Fabric itself to reunite the two of you. I only want what's best for you, Luna, truly, and you can be angry with me. Please, if that's the way you feel, and you have every right to feel that way, then be angry with me. But please, do not be angry with Tyler. He's endured enough suffering-"

"What about my suffering?!" Luna snapped. "Everything I went through with him, with Leo-"

"Luna, your suffering, while no less valid, is different to Tyler's. Tyler made a foolish choice, yes, but it was an understandable one: for him to have been given his memories back, the one thing he wanted, something that is beyond mine and even the Crimson Dragon's power, then it is perfectly understandable that he would follow the one who was able to give that back to him. You did the same with Tyler yourself, after all. You thought that everyone saw you as no more than Leo's twin sister, and when Tyler didn't, you-"

"That's got nothing to do with it!" Luna snapped.

"It has everything to do with it, Luna. It is all connected." Ancient Fairy Dragon's voice continued to be stern. "And you can't blame what Tyler did for Leo's actions and words. It was 'something you'd always known', you'd said that yourself when you-"

"Don't." Luna said with clenched teeth. "Don't you dare."

"Please, Luna…" Ancient Fairy Dragon urged. "I understand how you feel, I do. The 'shadow' that separates you from your family, but do you not think Tyler feels the same way about the shadow cast by his family? Do you not see how alike you both are? These connections you share? Not just with me, but with each other?"

"I don't want to share a connection with you! Not if you're going to do this to me!"

Ancient Fairy Dragon's voice felt closer. "Luna, why do you think it is, that even now, you love Tyler with all of your heart?"

"Don't tell me what I feel!" Luna snapped.

"I can feel it, in your heart-"

"Shut up! Just leave me alone! All of you, leave me alone!" Luna screamed vehemently, making a mad run for the door. But a yellow bubble suddenly appeared, blocking her, Luna harmlessly bouncing off of it.

I turned to see that Lemon Magician Girl had conjured it, her looking at me as if to ask if she'd done the right thing.

Luna looked back to us, a shocked expression on her face, before she turned and faced the bubble. "Let me go home~!" she cried, her voice breaking. "I want to go home~!"

Luna pounded on the bubble's surface, and it was like I was back in the other Dimension, watching powerlessly as Fizdis sacrificed herself for me.

No! No!

"I-I didn't know what to do! I just didn't want her to hurt herself!" Lemon Magician Girl insisted.

Beautiful! Your death is beautiful!

I could see Sergey laughing at me as he ordered Earthbound Immortal Allqu to kill me, like they were right here in the room with me.

Or I was right there with them.

Earthbound Immortal Allqu! Kill them!

"Please, please stop!" I begged, unable to stop myself from shaking. I dropped to my knees, head in my hands.

Someone called my name, and someone came over to me, putting their hands on my shoulders. I couldn't tell if it was the same person or not, but whoever it was, I physically recoiled from their touch, my body forcing itself down onto the floor.

Finally recognizing Seria's voice, I heard her say "I think he's having an episode."

"I'll do whatever anyone wants, please!" I insisted. "I don't want to die! I don't want anyone to die! I just want everyone to be okay!"

"Tyler, Tyler, look at me, honey." Seria cupped my head in her hands as I was finally able to focus on her face. "It's me. You're here. You're home. You're safe." She told me.

"I'm safe…" I whispered, gently overlapping her hands with mine.

Seria nodded reassuringly. "And I'm safe, and Luna's safe, and everything's okay."

"L-Luna!" I gasped, forcing myself to stand up. I wasn't sure if I could even trust my own eyes anymore, but Luna looked like she'd just seen me strangle a puppy.

"Let's all just… take a moment…" Seria exhaled, putting herself between all of us. "Ancient Fairy Dragon, are you still here?"

She didn't respond right away, but eventually, I heard her say "Yes, I'm here."

"Okay…" Seria turned to Lemon Magician Girl. "Hey, um… can you… put the bubble away?"

Lemon Magician Girl nodded feverishly, waving her wand as the bubble vanished. It was only then that I noticed her tear-stricken face, and realized she'd no doubt had a similar reaction to me. After all, she was closer to Fizdis than I was, and she and all the other Spirits had to watch her die just like I did.

Luna backed herself up against the door, looking at Seria. "I just want to go home." She told her.

"That's fine, Luna. I'll take you home." Seria said calmly, slowly edging closer to Luna. "Would you like to go now?"

"Yes, please." Luna sniffed.

"Okay, we'll go-" Seria whispered.

"But I don't want her talking to me!" Luna snapped, looking back up at the ceiling.

"Luna…" Ancient Fairy Dragon muttered, clearly pained.

"Luna-" and then it was my turn, as Luna turned to me.

"Please!" Luna begged. "Just stop talking. I need to think. I need to be alone."

"That's alright. It'll just be us." Seria assured her, turning back to Lemon Magician Girl. "Can you look after Tyler for me while I'm gone?"

"Absolutely."

"And Tyler," Seria looked back to me. "Deep breaths, okay?"

I nodded. I watched Seria reach down and slip on her heels. I wanted to say 'I'm sorry,' or 'Thank you for coming, Luna,' or just something, but I couldn't speak. My words were stuck in my throat, and by the time I was able to say anything, they'd already left.

I collapsed back onto the couch, head in my hands.

"I'm sorry…" Lemon Magician Girl whispered.

"Tyler… Are you alright…?" Ancient Fairy Dragon asked.

"I don't know…" I shook my head quickly, fighting back tears. "I don't know what happened, I-I'm so sorry…! I… I fucked up. Everything I do, I fuck up…" I mumbled. My filter was gone, and I wasn't bothered at all that I was swearing in the presence of Ancient Fairy Dragon. My pulse still rippled my body, and I threw my Duel Disk off in a huff, though it stayed powered on.

Everything had been almost going well. A few hiccups here and there, but it looked like I was at least going to get back on speaking terms with Luna, if nothing else.

But that probably wasn't going to happen anymore. I'd inadvertently strong-armed her into this whole thing, I was complicit in her unhappiness, and she saw me have a complete mental breakdown. There was no way she'd want anything to do with me after that.

"I think I just want to go to sleep~" I croaked.

"I can help with that!" Lemon Magician Girl insisted, pointing her wand at me, and I suddenly found myself sitting within a round yellow bubble, the smell of lemon filling my nose as it floated up from the couch, my vision tinted yellow.

"Ah! W-wait, wh-what are you-"

"I-it's just to help you relax! I used to do this for the other Tyler sometimes too, before he…" Lemon Magician Girl shook her head. "Apparently, you humans find the scent of lemon very relaxing." She walked toward me, gently placing a hand on the bubble's surface as she smiled. "I promise, you're safe. Take some deep breaths and close your eyes. Everything's going to be okay."

"That's a good idea…" Ancient Fairy Dragon agreed. "Just rest now… Close your eyes…"

I did as I was asked and closed my eyes, taking deep breaths in and out as I allowed myself to relax in the expanse of the bubble.

It was actually very soothing. The smell of lemon, the weightlessness of being in the bubble. I didn't feel trapped inside it. I felt protected, safe. But despite that, it didn't stop my heart from pounding, and I couldn't shake away the horrible negative thoughts I had in my head.

That I had ruined everything.

"I am sorry that this had to happen here, now…" Ancient Fairy Dragon apologized. "Perhaps I should have spoken to her in private before, as you had suggested, and told her everything then…" she exhaled. "Even now, I am still capable of making mistakes…"

"This wasn't your fault, Your Majesty. This was mine."

"No." Ancient Fairy Dragon said almost coldly. "None of this has been your fault. On the Ark Cradle, you had no one to help you make sense of your memories. Only the images and words of a God of Destruction. He made you see what he wanted you to see, and he made you feel what he wanted you to feel. If our bond was strong enough, if I had been powerful enough, you wouldn't have ended up there. I could have rescued you from the shuttle and none of this would have happened. It's my fault. After you succeeded in freeing me, and saving the Spirit World, I failed in keeping you safe. I allowed the bond between us to sever, and that is what caused all of this to happen."

"Your Majesty, back then I was on medication, my brain was a mess. There was no way you would have been able to get through to me."

"I could have been there for you earlier than that. After you and Luna defeated Devack, or after you had spoken to your mother. I should have used the time to nurture our relationship and strengthen the bond we have." Ancient Fairy Dragon sounded almost wistful. "But I promise you, I will make everything right. I will talk with Luna later on, privately, after she has had time to gather her thoughts. How she feels about what I did should not impact on the relationship between the two of you. And as for Explosivo, I shall be relinquishing him of his duties. Neither you nor Luna will have to deal with him anymore. But for now, my dear, sweet child, I will leave you to rest. Just know, however you feel, and whatever your thoughts of what happened…"

"Yes, Your Majesty…?" I asked softly.

"I love you… and I am so proud of you…"

My heart skipped a beat. "Thank you~" I mumbled.

I didn't hear Ancient Fairy Dragon's voice after that. Only the sound of my own breathing.

Several minutes passed, and the smell and feeling of being in the bubble had become amazing. Almost euphoric. It was like the warmest, gentlest hug, and a lovely early summer breeze, and I could finally feel my heartbeat starting to slow, my feelings of embarrassment and failure almost leaking out of my head.

"I think she's gone now…" Lemon Magician Girl whispered to me from outside the bubble. "I'll stay and wait for the other human to come back, but I'll be quiet so you can get some rest…"

"Mhm…" I mumbled back. Despite how nice the bubble felt, it did feel strange trying to fall asleep inside it. But I must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next time I opened my eyes, my vision was almost tinted green, and the room outside was much darker.

I looked around slowly. Lemon Magician Girl was sitting at the other end of the couch, fiddling with her wand. I knocked on the bubble gently to get her attention.

"Ooh!" she stood up and turned to me immediately, beaming. "You're awake! How do you feel? Did you have a good rest?"

"I think so…" I said softly. "I feel a little better."

"Good. Even if it's just a little, I'm glad it helped." She smiled.

"Is Seria still not back yet?" I asked.

Lemon Magician Girl shook her head. "No, it's just been the two of us for…" she looked around, scratching the back of her head, "Ooh, I'm not sure… I still don't really know how you humans tell time these days. We used to use obelisks and shadows, but I don't think you use obelisks over here, and it's kind of all shadows right now…" she trailed off. "Oh, sorry! I'll let you out!" she twirled her wand and the bubble popped.

My body plopped down onto the couch and Lemon Magician Girl giggled. I hadn't realized how warm the inside of the bubble was until I was released from it. The rest of the room felt freezing by comparison.

I figured I'd get up and turn the lights on, especially the outside light for Seria for when she came back. I walked over to the panel by the front door, flicking various switches to turn on some of the lights. "You could have turned these on if you wanted. You didn't have to sit in the dark." I said aloud, turning back to Lemon Magician Girl.

"Oh, it's not a problem for me, really. I can see in the dark just fine." She assured me.

"What about temperature? Weren't you cold sitting there?"

"No, I don't really feel temperature either, not unless it's really intense. But I know you humans do, which is why I made the bubble all nice and warm for you!" she beamed.

"Well, thanks…" I smiled, flinching as she suddenly grabbed my hands.

"Also," Lemon Magician Girl gently squeezed my hands, "I wanted to, um… explain myself, about what happened earlier."

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? You didn't do anything wrong."

"W-well, when Luna wanted to leave, and I stopped her… i-it was just because… when the other Tyler was younger, he'd, um… hurt himself." She explained. "Not intentionally or anything like that, but sometimes he'd trip and fall, and if me or the others were ever in a position that we could, we'd use our magic to give him a soft landing. And when Luna went to run, I don't know… it just made me think of that and… react." She looked away. "And then… it made me think of you, and Apple, when she…"

I nodded. "Me too." I gently squeezed her hands, drawing her attention back to me. "You really did look after him, hey? The other Tyler."

"We did our best." Lemon Magician Girl half-smiled.

"Thanks. And thanks for looking after me too." I said, taking my hands away. I looked over at the phone on the wall. It was just after eight o'clock. I turned back to Lemon Magician Girl. "I'm going to… t-t-t-try and cook dinner for me and Seria. Would you like me to make you anything?"

"That's sweet, but I don't need to eat."

"But would you like to eat?" I pressed.

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Alright," I shrugged, heading into the kitchen.

I'd only opened up the pantry when I heard the front door rattling, and the crinkling of paper bags.

"Hello~o~" Seria called as she came through the front door.

"Hiya!" Lemon Magician Girl greeted.

"Hey!" I called from the kitchen.

"Sorry I'm late. We had a bit of an accident on the road."

I immediately stopped rummaging through the pantry and raced back out into the living room. "An accident? Wh-what happened? Are you…? Is Luna-is she okay-"

"It's nothing. It's fine." Seria assured me quickly, setting the paper bags down onto the coffee table. "We… Luna, she…" She turned away. "She threw up in my car. That's all. So I went and got the car cleaned after I'd dropped her home. She's really shaken up."

"I know, I know. This is all my fault. Every fucking time-"

"Tyler, honey, stop…" Seria breathed, gently placing her hands on my shoulders. "She's not angry with you, Tyler. Not specifically anyway. She's angry with everyone and everything. You, me, Ancient Fairy Dragon, Leo, herself…" Seria sighed. "I know what you went through in that other Dimension had nothing to do with me, but… I told Luna what you told me, about what happened, because I thought it might help explain why…" she paused, "you reacted the way you did, but I guess it was all just too much too soon…"

"Right…" I looked over at the front door. Luna must have thought I was an absolute freak.

"She's trying for an Outstanding Academic Excellence Award at school this year, so she's been under a lot of stress from that as well. I think it was just… everything. The shock that you were alive, that she felt Ancient Fairy Dragon had lied to her, what her brother had said. I think it was all just a bit too much." Seria licked her lips. "But she got home safe. She put herself straight to bed, and I'm sure she'll feel better soon, once she's had time to make sense of it all."

"S-so then… wh-what should I do? When it comes to Luna, I mean."

"I think… the best thing to do now is wait. She knows you're alive. She's seen you. I've explained everything to her. I think she just needs some time to herself now. It's best not to push her."

"Okay…" I nodded.

"Anyway, how are you feeling…?" Seria asked softly, with probably the biggest look of pity I'd ever seen.

"Much better." I said honestly, glancing at Lemon Magician Girl, who winked back at me. "I'm really sorry about before. I don't know what happened. I just saw… it was like I was back there, and… I don't know… I just…"

Seria quickly shook her head. "Don't apologize. What you had to go through in that other Dimension… it's understandable that you're experiencing some form of post-traumatic stress, or survivor's guilt. That's not something that you should ever have to apologize for, okay?"

"O-okay…" I mumbled, adding "Sorry…" without even thinking.

"No-" Seria twitched. "C'mere…" she cooed, pulling me into a hug. "I know today's been… a very stressful day…" I heard her sigh. "Honestly, I wasn't even sure if you'd be awake when I got home, but then I saw the lights on outside."

"I made him have a little nap earlier." Lemon Magician Girl told her.

"Thank you… thank you for looking after him…" Seria said.

"No worries!" Lemon Magician Girl sweetly assured her. "Actually, I probably should be getting back to the Spirit World…" Lemon Magician Girl turned to me. "Would you be alright if I…?"

I nodded. "Of course. Thanks for… being here…"

"My pleasure…!" Lemon Magician Girl beamed. "It was really nice meeting you too." She said to Seria.

"Likewise." Seria smiled. I powered off my Duel Disk and returned Lemon Magician Girl's card to my Deck, her physical form disappearing. Her Spirit remained for a moment, waving at me before that too disappeared. "Your cards are really nice. The Spirits, I mean." Seria said.

"Yeah," I agreed, "the other Tyler was really lucky." My arm felt weirdly naked as I took my Duel Disk off. "I-I don't mean I'm not lucky to have you. I-"

"I know!" Seria giggled, her smile fading the longer she looked at me. "Yeah, um… as I said, I wasn't sure if you'd still be awake, or if you were, that you'd be hungry, but… I brought some McDonald's home. I know it's not… I just thought you hadn't eaten, and we'd planned to get lunch and… did you… did you still want to watch a movie? I don't blame you if you just want to go to bed."

There was no way I would have been able to go back to sleep. I would have just laid in bed, stewing. I had to do something to take my mind off things, and it was nice that Seria wanted to spend time with me after what I'd put her through today.

"That… that w-would be nice… w-w-watching a movie…" I admitted.

Seria's smile returned. "Alright. I'll let you pick, and I'll sort out what's what for dinner." She said, taking the bags with her into the kitchen as I sat back down on the couch, picking up the TV remote to turn it on, flipping over to the movies.

I shivered. The last movie she'd watched was one called Departures. It was, to be blunt, a movie about dead people. She'd supposedly watched it a week or so after I'd disappeared, and only for about twenty minutes before stopping.

I turned away from the TV and sighed, some of the lights in the apartment going off.

"You can delete that… I'm not going to finish watching it…"

I looked up, Seria reaching over and placing a plate of burgers in my lap as she sat down beside me on the couch, glass of red wine in hand, as she handed me a can of Coke.

"I'm really sorry…" I said.

"It was stupid. Not the movie, me trying to watch it. I thought it would help, but… I couldn't get through it so…" Seria shook her head. "Anyway, let's not get into that."

"Right, and let's not watch something serious." I said, flicking through the movies with the remote. "How about…?" I stopped, landing on a movie called Parfait Girls.

"Really?" Seria asked, very amused by my choice of movie.

I shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"

"You know what it's about, right?"

"Girls and… baking…?" I wasn't really a hundred percent sure. "I just thought we needed something light."

"You're funny!" Seria beamed, holding out her glass. "Cheers?"

I smiled, clinking her glass with my can. "Cheers."

---

I drifted in and out of sleep for most of the night, my brain struggling to cope with all the caffeine, sugar and fat I'd flooded my body with during the movie with Seria. Aside from the nap I'd taken earlier on in the day, I'd maybe managed to get an hour or two of sleep, tossing and turning in the darkness of my room the rest of the time.

I'd had short, bizarre flashes of dreams and nightmares – things like Joel suddenly strangling me in the back of the car one night during a family drive, a schoolgirl killing the rest of the students in her class (myself included, despite the fact I hadn't been to school in about a decade), and having a very intense conversation with someone I'd never met in a red and black room, draped by crimson curtains.

You know, weird things.

And then, in the throes of it all, as I once again felt myself start to slip away into unconsciousness, I heard a familiar voice in my head. A quick, yet hushed whisper.

"Tyler… Tyler… Can you hear me…?"

I stirred. Ancient Fairy Dragon. "Your Majesty…?"

"Luna is in danger… I need your help…"

It was so dark, I couldn't see anything around me, and with how I felt physically after eating so much garbage, and how Ancient Fairy Dragon's voice seemed to echo in my head, it was honestly a little frightening, though I'm sure that wasn't her intention.

Regardless, I forced myself awake, sitting up in bed. "Luna's in danger…?"

"She's been taken… It's my fault… I tried talking to her about what happened, but I think I just caused her more anguish… She stormed out of her home and quickly became ensnared in some sort of darkness… It is unfortunate that I must burden you with this, but I am unable to rescue Luna myself… my connection with her is weak enough as it is, but it feels as though there is a terrible miasma preventing me from pulling her from her current location."

"Miasma?" I asked, yawning.

"Yes… almost identical to the one that gripped the Spirit World before."

"You mean like the Dark Signers?"

"Yes." She said, worry woven into her voice.

I shivered, remembering Sergey.

I swiveled off the bed, reached over and grabbed my Duel Disk, slotting my arm into the gauntlet. "Well, are you able to take me there now, wherever she is?"

Ancient Fairy Dragon seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "I can't take you to the exact location, but I'll get you as close as I can manage. She's being held at the end of the boardwalk in New Domino Hill."

"I think I know the area." I told her, getting to my feet.

"Thank you so much, Tyler."

"It's no trouble, Your Majesty. I appreciate that you felt you could rely on me for this." I looked up at the ceiling. "Whenever you're ready." I said, and before I'd even realized it, the world around me had shifted, changed. I found myself standing in the middle of the New Domino Hill residential area, just south of the Tops.

"I'm afraid I can't take you any further than this, but if you head north from here, you'll find the boardwalk where Luna is being held." Ancient Fairy Dragon explained. "I will continue to attempt to penetrate the miasma from here in the Spirit World in the meantime."

"Right."

"Be careful, Tyler…"

I followed the streetlights until they ended, only slightly regretting that I didn't think to put on a pair of shoes before I left. It didn't take me too long to reach the boardwalk, a lone light illuminating the middle of it, holding back the shadows that obscured the rest of it.

"Luna?!" I called out. "Luna!"

"Tyler…?" I heard her voice in the distance.

I ran towards her voice, only stopping as I reached the middle of the boardwalk, hearing another voice. "Well, well, well! You were right! He did come!"

"W-who's there?" I asked.

The streetlight above me blew, shattered glass falling around me.

I was surrounded by cold, damp darkness. Until a bolt of cyan lightning at the end of the boardwalk revealed the path forward, and the person standing at the end of it.

Draped in a familiar black cloak, twisting one of Luna's arms behind her back.

Slade Burodi.

"Luna-" I stopped, cringing as I unknowingly drove my foot into a shard of glass.

"Glad you could make it." Slade smiled, throwing Luna to the side as he started walking toward me.

"Hey!" I picked up the pace again, despite the stabbing pain in my left foot. I went to run to Luna, but Slade rammed his Duel Disk-clad fist into my stomach, pushing me back.

"Nuh-uh. I have a bone to pick with you, emo-boy." He grimaced. I got a look at his face. His coal black scleras, his cleft lip a Criminal Mark-esk line of red across his face.

"Tyler…" Luna groaned.

"You're…"

"Surprised to see me?" Slade asked, cocking his head to the side. I glanced at Luna and Slade frowned. "She's fine. I just wanted to get you out here. I didn't know where you lived, but I knew where she lived. She told me you'd come. I was counting on it." He snickered. "Like the new look? Despite what you might think, this isn't something I did, no. This is something they did."

"'They'?"

"Come on. You know."

"How…?"

Slade laughed. "Actually, that's a good story. Your two little pallies from before, Mokuba and Declan? Remember them? How they ordered my execution? Well, it turned out that the Earthbound Immortals in that Dimension were lookin' for Duelists to help carry out their resurrection. And they offered me another chance to live if I was willin' to help, and I was gonna die otherwise, so I thought 'fuck it'."

I wiped at my face. "How did you get here?"

"Oh, I came with you. Not to the same place, obviously. But we came through the same portal. See, I'd already been revived by the time the Obelisk Force invaded Neo Domino, and I re~eally didn't want them to card you before I got the chance to kill you. It took me a while to find where you were, and by the time I caught up to you, a massive light ripped through KaibaCorp, and here I am." Slade licked his lips. "So, no~ow… I'm here to kill you~, 'cause, you know, you had your friend beat me up, you humiliated me in that tournament, and you had me executed, so I ki~inda hate you now." Slade activated his Duel Disk, similar in design to Sergey's. "This one doesn't have HST, but I don't want to card you anyway. Not anymore. I want you dead."

Slade clicked his fingers and a ring of purple fire rose up, surrounding Slade, Luna and I.

My eyes widened as Luna screamed in pain. I turned to her, her Signer Mark burning brightly, a protective bubble struggling to form itself around her.

"Luna!" I shouted.

"Yeah, she's not lookin' too good, is she?" Slade shrugged, turning back to me. "Hopefully, she'll live long enough so she can watch you die."

"You…!" I took another step back, activating my Duel Disk as I heard more voices behind me.

"Stay calm, Tyler. We're with you." Lemon Magician Girl said.

"We won't let anything happen to either of you." Chocolate Magician Girl added.

"Just focus on the Duel, and those of us that aren't assisting you here will be trying to help Ancient Fairy Dragon in dispelling the miasma. You'll have to hold him off until then." Kiwi Magician Girl instructed. "I'm sorry. I hadn't considered the Spirits of Shades when I told you we'd arrived here alone. Some Shades linger in the Human World. I hadn't considered that one of those would be a Quilla-bearer that followed us here."

"It's fine." I assured her, shaking my head as I heard Luna continue to cry out in pain. "Hang on, Luna!" I called to her.

Slade chuckled. "Look at you, talkin' to yourself, actin' all crazy."

"I'm crazy?!" I snapped. "You started this shit when you and your buddies were doing reconnaissance and decided out of the blue to try and kill Akiza. And if you think I'm gonna let you hurt Luna-"

"What, you mean like how she's hurting now, crying like a little bitch?" Slade sneered. I must have given a visible reaction because he suddenly burst out laughing. "God, you're such a simp!"

The Spirit of Dark Magician appeared to me at the edge of my periphery. "He's trying to get under your skin. Don't let him." He said simply.

I took a deep breath and nodded. He was right. I had to stay focused.

Slade frowned as I drew my starting hand in silence. "What? You're not going to say anything now?"

I sighed. "Actually, yeah, you know what? I'm curious." I fought through a stutter. "W-w-w-w-w-what do you think's going to happen now? If you beat me here in this Duel, then what? I become like you, then you Duel Yusei, and I Duel Akiza? You know Yusei w-w-would destroy you, right? Ditto Akiza against me."

Slade shook his head. "Why would I waste my time turning you into a Quilla-bearer? I'll just send you to the Underworld. That'll probably tip your little friend here over the edge anyway, so that'll square things with the Earthbound Immortals." Slade suddenly sighed. "I just can't believe she's even a Signer! She's fuckin' pathetic-"

"Can you shut the fuck up? Seriously?" I asked him. "Talking about who's pathetic, abducting a child, trying to kill a girl 'cause you couldn't get a fuckin' licence. I mean, the Earthbound Immortals from that Dimension, I almost feel sorry for them. They must have a really fucking low bar to clear if you were chosen to be one of their 'Quilla-bearer's. At least Sergey made sense – he was a prison kingpin. You're just some fucking post-groomed child soldier. And you died like a chump. I'd be a better Quilla-bearer than you! Oh, oh, and by the way~ you were lucky you ended up coming here with me. If you went with Tim, he would have annihilated you. Oh, and he's gonna absolutely destroy your buddies' whole operation, if he hasn't already!"

Slade licked his lips. "Tim couldn't do shit to me now, in a Duel or otherwise." He said simply. "It's a shame he's not here to watch you die, but we'll have to settle for your little girlfriend here."

I looked at Luna, her eyes glazed over, her body shivering.

I turned back to Slade. "I'm still waiting for you to draw your hand, by the way." I said. "Are you g-gonna draw your hand, or what?"

Slade seemed almost taken aback as he looked down at his Duel Disk and drew his starting hand. "I'm really gonna enjoy killing you…!"

"Duel!"

[Tyler: 4000 LP]
[Slade: 4000 LP]

"And since you wanna die that badly…" Slade drew. "I activate Mausoleum of the Emperor!" twin obelisks erupted from the ground either side of Slade, skewering through the boardwalk. "Next, I use the effect of Mausoleum of the Emperor: by paying two thousand Life Points, I can Summon this!"

[Slade: 2000 LP]

A familiar disembodied heart appeared above us, casting back the pitch-black sky, cyan lightning continuing to crackle around the area.

Slade slammed his hands together. "The hands of God take form in shadow, and I offer my soul to that God who resurrected me! Break free from your prison and join me here in this Dimension – Earthbound Immortal Maki!"

The purple flames burned even brighter as the disembodied heart started to beat, lines of cyan light dripping down and drawing themselves across the ground, before rising into the air again, joining into each other and solidifying into a grotesque monstrosity with two giant different-fingered hands [ATK: 3500].

My eyes shot down to my Duel Disk and I tapped on the screen to get a better look at Slade's Monster, the so-called Earthbound Immortal Maki. Aside from the effects it shared with the other Earthbound Immortals, it also had the effect of preventing me from adding cards to my hand outside of my Draw Phase, so Slade was actually right when he said that Tim wouldn't have been able to beat him, in a Duel at least.

I looked back up at the towering Monster and took a step back.

"I'll Set one card, and give you a minute to take it all in. Then you can have your turn."

I exhaled shakily, drawing Chocolate Magician Girl's card. "Summon me. I'll take him." She said without even skipping a beat.

"He doesn't need to attack you; he can go straight for me." I told her.

"You've got Magicians' Defense in your hand. Use it when he attacks if you're worried about Life Points, but I'm not letting you be out here on your own."

"Are you sure…?" I whispered.

"Do it." Again, she said it without skipping a beat.

"Alright. I Normal Summon Chocolate Magician Girl." I said, placing the card onto my Duel Disk as she took solid form, staring up at the Earthbound Immortal [ATK: 1600]. "Then, I activate her effect: I discard Palladium Oracle Mahad from my hand to draw a card." I slid Palladium Oracle Mahad into my Graveyard and Slade smirked.

"Earthbound Immortal Maki's effect stops you from drawing outside your Draw Phase." He said, almost gloating to me as if I'd made a major screw-up.

I hadn't. I didn't care about drawing a card, I just needed Mahad in my Graveyard.

But I'd let him think I screwed up. "In that case, I'll Set one card and end my turn."

Slade drew with his smirk etched into his face. "I activate Reinforcement of the Army. I get to add a low-Level Warrior to my hand." He said, taking out a card from his Deck. "I'm gonna add this guy – Elemental HERO Avian-"

"I activate Magicians' Defense!" I revealed my Trap and explained "Any damage I take while I control a Spellcaster is halved." Chocolate Magician Girl edged closer to me, turning back to me and nodding confidently.

"Anyway," Slade rolled his eyes. "Now I'm gonna activate Polymerization, fusing Avian with The Earth - Hex-Sealed Fusion!" both Monsters rose up out of their cards and into the air, joining together. "Fighting for the justice of Fusion, heroes join together! I Fusion Summon Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!" in a flash of purple light, a red and green dragonic Warrior descended down onto the field [ATK: 2100].

"That's…"

"What's with that look?" Slade chided. "I might be a Quilla-bearer now, but Fusion's my specialty. Now, Flame Wingman, attack Chocolate Magician Girl!"

Flame Wingman's right arm, the head of a dragon, opened its mouth to attack.

"I use Chocolate Magician Girl's effect – when she's targeted for an attack, she calls back a Spellcaster from our Graveyard and forces your Monster to battle it instead. So, please return, Palladium Oracle Mahad!"

The Pharaoh's Guardian Priest returned in a flash of yellow light [ATK: 2500] and Chocolate Magician Girl's effect forced Slade's Monster to battle him. Mahad twirled his staff, eviscerating the weakened Flame Wingman [ATK: 1050] from the field.

[Slade: 550 LP]

The dust hadn't even settled before Slade called his next attack. "Maki, attack directly!"

There was nothing I could do, backed up by purple fire as one of Maki's hands came for me, wrapping its fingers around me, lifting me up and squeezing.

I screamed for about half a second, and then gagged when my airflow was cut.

[Tyler: 2250 LP]

"You know," Slade called up to me, "the cool thing about Shadow Duels, and really about any of these kinda Duels… is as long as they're not zero, Life Points don't mean shit. It's the Duelist's body that feels the pain. Now, I don't feel anything like this, but you… you could die at any moment and still have Life Points left. And she gets to watch. Isn't that cute?"

Maki suddenly released me, and I fell from its grip, but I didn't fall very far, landing safely on a chocolate bubble.

"I've got you!" Chocolate Magician Girl shouted, the bubble slowly bringing me back down to the ground. Once it reached the ground, she flew over to me. "Here, let me help you." She said, helping me to my feet as the bubble disappeared, gently tapping me on the head with her wand as some of the pain from Maki's attack began to subside.

Slade grinned. "Aww, that's adorable! Your cards actually like you-"

"Kol khara!" Chocolate Magician Girl snapped at Slade before turning back to me. "There we go…" she whispered, cupping my head in her hands. "Are you alright?"

I nodded. "Thanks."

"We can do this. We're all behind you." She assured me. "Do you need me to help you stand like last time?"

"No, I should be fine."

"Okay." Chocolate Magician Girl let go of me and I stepped forward, drawing Magician Navigation.

I had to take control of the Duel. I'd faced Devack, Roman, Rex and Sergey, and they'd all used Earthbound Immortals. I'd beaten Devack's by preventing its Summon though Prohibition, Roman didn't have a chance to use Uru against me, Rex's I'd beaten using Dark Magician Knight's effect, and Sergey's I'd only defeated because…

Please… don't let the darkness into your heart…

I exhaled shakily. There had to be a strategy I could use that I wasn't seeing.

My eyes widened, and I remembered the exchange between Roman and Yusei:

You know that Uru can't be selected as an attack target, right?

I do. I also know that in this circumstance, the only other target I can select for an attack is you!

That was it!

"I Set a card." I said, beginning my turn. "Then, I'll switch Chocolate Magician Girl to Defense Position." Chocolate Magician Girl flew in front of me, crouching down before becoming adorned in a blue hue [DEF: 1000]. "And now… Palladium Oracle Mahad attacks you directly!"

Palladium Oracle Mahad raised his staff above his head, a fiery golden light bursting forth, sweeping under Earthbound Immortal Maki and heading for Slade. For a moment, I thought I'd won.

But Slade wasn't fazed at all. "I activate Draining Shield." He said, Mahad's attack hitting a barrier, negating it and increasing Slade's Life Points by Mahad's Attack Points.

[Slade: 3050 LP]

"What? Did you really think I'd let myself lose like that? Against you?"

I exhaled sharply. "I end my turn."

"Good." Slade drew. "I'll Set two cards," he said, before looking back up at his Monster, "and Maki? Let's try the other hand this time. Attack directly."

I took a step back. "I activate Magician Navigation! With this card I can Special Summon a Dark Magician, alongside another Dark Attribute Spellcaster. So, I Special Summon Dark Magician and Apprentice Illusion Magician!"

Both Spellcasters appeared on my field in a flash of blue and pink light [Dark Magician: DEF: 2100] [Apprentice Illusion Magician: ATK: 2000], but their presence on the field did nothing to stop Maki's attack. All my Monsters, bless them, tried to huddle together to protect me, but Maki simply used one of its hands to knock them aside, and the other to grab and squeeze me again, hoisting me up into the air.

[Tyler: 500 LP]

My shirt got caught on one of Maki's large digits when it grabbed me, so I didn't fall when it let go of me. My body jolted as I was held by my neck and started to asphyxiate.

"O~oh, here we go~o!" Slade jeered. "Is this it?"

I tore myself free with the blade of my Duel Disk and let myself plumet, more thankful than ever to find my fall had been cushioned once again.

I laid back against the soft, slightly squishy surface of the bubble as I was safely brought down to the ground. Chocolate Magician Girl hovered above me in the air. "Are you alright~?" she asked.

I nodded. I was still breathing, so I had to keep going. After all, Tim had done the same for me, fighting by my side in the other Dimension. If he could do that for me, someone he maybe kind of liked, probably, then I had to do the same for Luna. I could worry about myself later.

I slid down the front of the bubble, fighting through the pain as I stood up tall, tearing the remains of my shirt from my body with my Duel Disk.

"Damn, I really thought you were gonna bite it there." Slade shrugged. "Oh well. Next turn."

I hadn't even seen the card I'd drawn for my Draw Phase, and Slade had already thrown his hand out and activated a Trap. "I play DNA Attrition. I select an Attribute on the field that we both have a Monster of, and then all other Monsters of all other Attributes on the field are destroyed!" Slade smirked. "And the only one we've both got is Dark, so you can say goodbye to everything else!"

My eyes widened, waves of green and white ripping across the field, Chocolate Magician Girl and Palladium Oracle Mahad vanishing from my sight.

"Damn it…" I whispered, realizing too late that I'd waited too long for DNA Attrition to resolve – I could have used the second effect of Magician Navigation to negate it.

"Tyler…" Ancient Fairy Dragon's voice came from above me. I looked up to see her hovering in her spirit form. "You have done well. Though I am unable to dispel the miasma surrounding Luna from my location in the Spirit World, you've been able to weaken it enough from here, and I think I might be able to break through, if we work together."

"Of course." I nodded. "I'll do whatever I can to help you, Your Majesty."

"Then my power is in your hands, my child…"

I suddenly felt my body and heart warming up, my eyes going wide as my Duel Disk, Deck, and the cards in my hand all started to glow. When the light faded, and the warm, fuzzy feeling had subsided, I realized the cards in my hand had changed.

"Y-Your Majesty… th-this is…" I looked back up at her, and she down at me, smiling.

"It's your turn…" she said simply.

I nodded, turning back to Slade. "I activate the Spell Card, Cosmic Astral Code! This card lets me Special Summon a Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck!" the sky that had since returned to being pitch-black suddenly became awash with color and light. "So, I present Her Majesty, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" and from the Spirit World itself, the almighty blue dragon appeared, carrying moonlight through her wings and illuminating the field. She landed softly in front of me, roaring at Slade [ATK: 2100].

"A Signer Dragon?"

"That's right. I might not be a Signer, but I have a bond with Ancient Fairy Dragon as well. And with Her Majesty fighting with me, you're finished!"

Slade snickered. "I don't think so… I activate Light-Imprisoning Mirror!" a crystalline Eye of Horus appeared on Slade's side of the field. "This card negates the effects of all Light Monsters!"

The crystal iris unleased a light that ensnared Ancient Fairy Dragon, gripping her body as she howled in pain before the light released her, her body crashing down onto the boardwalk, causing it to shake.

"Your Majesty!" I rushed up to her. "Are you alright?!"

"I-I'm fine…!" Ancient Fairy Dragon groaned.

"Did you really think I'd let you use its effect to destroy my Field Spell?!" Slade called to me.

"I'm so sorry~" my voice broke as I spoke to her, Ancient Fairy Dragon's beautiful amber eyes gazing into my soul as I placed a hand on her.

"It's not over, Tyler… You know what to do…" Ancient Fairy Dragon whispered to me. "Keep your heart and your head strong…"

"Right…" I looked down at the cards in my hand and put all my faith in Ancient Fairy Dragon. "I activate Double Spell! I discard Illusion Magic to the Graveyard, then I get to use the effects of one of your Spell Cards! I'll choose Polymerization!"

It was the first time in the entire Duel that I saw Slade become unnerved. "What?!"

"I fuse Ancient Fairy Dragon together with Dark Magician!" I raised a hand into the air as both Ancient Fairy Dragon and Dark Magician took to the sky. "Holy white light and arcane black magic combine! Awaken the power to pierce the Earth's shadow! I Fusion Summon Dark Magician the Dragon Knight!"

In a flash of light, Dark Magician reappeared, wielding a sword and shield and clad in gold and silver armor atop Ancient Fairy Dragon, who too had become adorned in gold and silver armor [ATK: 3000].

"Hold on, w-wait-"

"This is it! Apprentice Illusion Magician, attack directly!"

"With pleasure!" she said, practically launching her wand in Slade's direction, light ripping from it and striking Slade in the chest.

[Slade: 1050 LP]

Slade slid across the boardwalk, tearing his robes as he skidded to a stop at the edge of the fire.

"If there's any part of you that survives this, in the afterlife or wherever the Hell you end up… don't come back again! Dark Magician the Dragon Knight, attack! Light up the night! Eternal Countershine!"

Dark Magician raised his sword above his head, and Ancient Fairy Dragon drew her wings back, before both started to glow purple and gold respectively. They threw their attacks together, gold and purple light swirling and amassing into a conjoined force that lashed itself against Slade's body, and all he could do was scream.

[Slade: 0 LP]

Slade kept screaming until his words, body, and Earthbound Immortal were carved away by the wind.

The ring of purple fire vanished quickly, without warning, and we would have found ourselves once again shrouded in darkness had it not been for the blue light from my Duel Disk, and the red light from Luna's flickering Signer Mark.

"Luna!" I rushed to her side, the young girl motionless in the cold, eyes closed. "Luna, c-c-can you hear me?"

There was no response.

And then, the light from her Signer Mark suddenly died.

Panicking, I gently grasped her shoulders as I knelt down and placed an ear to her chest, trying to listen for a heartbeat, but I was honestly so distraught that I couldn't even tell what was her heartbeat and what was me freaking out.

"Luna's soul still resides within her body. She is alive." Ancient Fairy Dragon's voice came from behind me. I turned to her and saw that she and Dark Magician had returned to their original forms, which meant that the fusion must have ended. "However…" she added.

"However…?" I asked.

"I am able to sense that she is okay physically, but… mentally and spiritually, Luna has closed herself off to me."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I am no longer able to bring her to the Spirit World like I can with you, nor do I have the power to send her home from here."

I turned back to Luna, startled by the blood on her shirt. It was only when I realized that it was my blood, that I became more aware of myself and the physical state I was in. "So… so what do we do…?" I asked softly.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon might not be able to teleport her, but we can still take her home." Apprentice Illusion Magician offered, a hand on her hip.

Dark Magician nodded. "You just have to tell us where that is."

Something clicked for Ancient Fairy Dragon, because her amber eyes suddenly seemed to twinkle. "Of course. We still have physical forms, even outside of a Shadow Duel because of your Duel Disk, don't we?" she said. "In that case, I can just carry you both home myself."

I twitched involuntarily as Ancient Fairy Dragon's hands reached down toward me, scooping Luna up with one hand and me with the other, drawing us against her body as she looked at us with wide amber eyes, evidently not at all minding the blood and sweat caked on my form.

I only squirmed a little as she held me, removing Apprentice Illusion Magician and Dark Magician's cards from my Duel Disk. The Spirits shrugged as Ancient Fairy Dragon flapped her wings.

"Alright, well… I guess we'll go and see how the Spirit World's holding up…?" Apprentice Illusion Magician asked, but Ancient Fairy Dragon didn't reply. I looked to them and nodded, both them and New Domino Hill quickly disappearing from sight as Ancient Fairy Dragon took to the sky, circling around before flying in the direction of Luna's penthouse.

We were there before I knew it, Ancient Fairy Dragon landing gracefully on the penthouse rooftop.

She set me down, and then gently placed Luna into my arms. I could see Luna physically breathing, her mouth slightly open, her chest slowly moving in and out.

I grimaced. She hadn't changed her shirt from when I came and interrupted her earlier, but it had since then become tattered, wrinkled, and stained with blood, sweat and tears.

I turned back to Ancient Fairy Dragon, her amber eyes gazing out at the New Domino City skyline. "Y-Y-Your Majesty?"

She gasped suddenly, as if she'd been lost in thought, looking back down at me. "Yes, my dear?"

"I'll take Luna inside…" I told her, going and getting the spare outside key to let myself into the penthouse from the patio.

I gently set Luna down on the couch before running over to the open front door and closing it. I surmized that she'd left the place unlocked when she stormed out, so I did a quick run around the place to make sure no one else had come up and nothing had been stolen, and that didn't seem to be the case, at least from what I could tell.

I took Luna up the stairs into her bedroom, easing her down onto the bed before slipping her body under the covers. I then went into the laundry and got her winter duvét, even though we were in the middle of spring, because I wanted to make sure she'd keep warm.

At least in comparison to how she'd been earlier, Luna was in a much better state. She was breathing normally, no faint or staggered breaths, and she occasionally made sounds. Nevertheless, I stayed for a few minutes to observe her breathing, just to be absolutely sure she was okay (relatively speaking), and when I was sure of that, I left Luna to get some sleep, heading back out to the outdoor patio.

Ancient Fairy Dragon had curled up beside the pool, and it was only then that I realized I still had her card active on my Duel Disk.

"Your Majesty…?" I whispered so incredibly softly.

Ancient Fairy Dragon's eyes opened halfway. "Yes, Tyler?"

"I put Luna to bed, but… I want to stay here tonight and, you know, make sure she's okay in the morning. If she isn't, I'll take her to the hospital."

Ancient Fairy Dragon nodded, closing her eyes. "I would like to stay too, Tyler. So, if you would not mind leaving your Duel Disk on so I may maintain my physical form here, I would like to check up on her in the morning as well."

"Of course, Your Majesty." I nodded in kind, detaching my Duel Disk (but still leaving it on) and placing it atop a glass table.

"One more thing, Tyler…"

I turned to her. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Would you… would you stay out here… with me…?"

"Of course."

Ancient Fairy Dragon seemed to take a relieved, unexpected breath. "Thank you, my child."

She took off from the ground suddenly, flapping her wings as she came close to me, coiling herself around me and folding her wings down.

"Y-Your Majesty-"

"It's alright. I used to do this for Luna when she was younger." She said simply, bathing me in a warm, comforting golden light. "Please…" her breath tickled. "You will let me hold you, won't you? I know you don't like being touched, but… please… please let me…"

It was the first time I'd noticed this kind of change in Ancient Fairy Dragon. The way she'd spoken, to me at least, had always been kind, soothing, and gentle. Only earlier with Luna had I heard her speak so bluntly, and that was the first time I'd ever heard her speak like that. Even then, she always physically appeared powerful, proud, and well-composed.

But I could see now as she looked at me, her amber eyes glistening, her voice cracking and wavering just a little bit as she spoke, how tired and defeated she was.

It was the first time I saw Ancient Fairy Dragon cry.

I inhaled shakily, softening within her serpentine embrace. "Your Majesty, I-I'm so sorry…!" I whispered to her. I couldn't even imagine how she must have felt. She told me she saw Luna and me like we were her children, so for that bond between her and Luna to be broken, well, the only thing I could equate it to was how I felt when my mom disowned me. Only this must have been much worse for her. What hurt for me the most, was that I had no idea how to help, if I could help at all.

Ancient Fairy Dragon was the first to welcome me back. She saved me from death, forgave me for all the horrible, despicable shit I did, and then offered to let me spend my afterlife with her in the Spirit World.

And I could do nothing for her!

"That's not true…" she whispered. I gasped as she'd obviously read my mind again. "When I came to you asking for help, you accepted without hesitation. You did what no one else could do. You risked your life to save Luna. And I can see in your heart and soul that you would do it again and again if it meant peace for this world and mine."

"Of course, I would~" my voice cracked. "You saved my life; I would do anything…!" I exhaled. "Is… is there anything I can do to help?"

Ancient Fairy Dragon shook her head. "No. This spiritual connection is between Luna and myself. I will do whatever I can to reclaim it, like I did with you…" She took a deep breath. "But, Tyler… if I am… unable to restore my connection with Luna, the Crimson Dragon may deem her… unfit to continue her role as Signer." Ancient Fairy Dragon took a deep breath. "Should that happen, as you are the only other human currently bonded with me, the Crimson Dragon may ask that you take her place."

"You mean… I would become a Signer?"

Ancient Fairy Dragon nodded, drawing her hands to my body, holding me so that I was practically an extension of her. "You would become my Signer." There was an almost desperate tone in Ancient Fairy Dragon's voice as she continued. "I do not wish to pressure you, force you into doing something you're not comfortable with, but it is a possibility that you may be asked-"

"I would be honored, Your Majesty. Absolutely honored." I told her, pressing myself against her. "But it won't come to that, I promise. I'll talk to Luna tomorrow. I won't let what you two had be messed up because of me. I'd rather everyone hate me forever than that."

Ancient Fairy Dragon smiled for the first time since we landed. "You're wrong… what you said before…"

"Huh?"

"That you would be a good Dark Signer… you're far too kind and selfless for that…" she cooed, coiling around me just a little bit tighter. "But I've kept you awake long enough, my child. It's time for you to rest. I will tend to your injuries and keep you warm while you sleep, and provide shade for you when the sun rises." She spoke matter-of-factly, smiling down at me.

"Thank you, Your Majesty…" I mumbled, completely surrendering myself to her coils.

"Sweet dreams, my child…"

---

"Wake up, Tyler, wake up…"

Ancient Fairy Dragon's voice was rushed, almost excited as she roused me from my sleep, blowing her breath in my face. I stirred, looking up at the face of the giant blue dragon, smiling unmistakably at me.

"Your Majesty…?" I whispered.

"It's faint, but my connection with Luna has returned…!" She told me.

"That's fantastic, Your Majesty…! I'm so glad…!" I smiled in kind.

"I…" Ancient Fairy Dragon seemed flustered. "I-I'm sorry for waking you so suddenly… I just had to tell you…" her smile returned as she gazed down at me.

"So… raincheck then, on the whole 'backup Signer' thing…?" I asked softly.

"Signer or not, you will always have my love and support." She leaned in close, nuzzling, almost kissing me. "And you're as brave and strong as one, even without a Mark." She said, making me feel all giddy. "And thank you…" she whispered. "Thank you for being here with me…"

"Thank you for… thank you for everything, Your Majesty…"

I felt naked as Ancient Fairy Dragon drew herself away from me, unwrapping her long, slender body from around mine. She unfolded her wings, morning light gently caressing my bare chest. I realized quickly all the bruises, gashes, scars, sweat and blood stains on my body had vanished.

"So, i-if your connection with Luna has returned, then-"

"I can feel her presence. Right now, she's still sleeping. I thought it best to wait until she wakes up, rather than intrude on her in her dreams." Ancient Fairy Dragon continued to smile at me. "I'm sure when she wakes up, realizing where she is, she'll look for us out here."

"Right…" I nodded. "Thank you for-"

Ancient Fairy Dragon shook her head. "You do not need to thank me for healing you, my child."

"I… I-I-I should, Y-Your Majesty…" I said, fighting through a stutter. I exhaled, taking a few steps toward the pool as I looked out from the penthouse to the rose-colored sky across the City. For a moment, I wondered about all the people. I could see some, walking around, driving in cars, already on the move in the early hours of the day.

"You didn't just fight for Luna, or for me…" Ancient Fairy Dragon whispered after a while. "You fought for everyone here. You protected everyone last night."

"Your Majesty… I'm sure the other Spirits told you about… some of the stuff that went down in the other Dimension. With… the other me, the other Kobi… For a while after I went through that, I thought 'Why does anything matter?'." I exhaled with resolve. "But this. This is why it matters. Waking up to this beautiful city, to spend your life with the people you love. But even if I had no one, I'm lucky to live here. I'm lucky to be alive." I turned back to Ancient Fairy Dragon. "Your Majesty, is there…"

"What's on your mind, my child?" Ancient Fairy Dragon asked. But she knew. She could read my mind, after all.

"My…" I hesitated. "My father, D-Daisuke… his soul… Is there a way I could… see him again?"

Ancient Fairy Dragon looked away for a moment. "I can't guarantee anything. His soul resides in the Underworld, which is governed by a different entity to myself or the Crimson Dragon."

"Right. The King of the Underworld. Xolotl, or whatever…"

"No, not them. When you, Luna and the others defeated the Dark Signers last time, Xolotl was banished to the deepest part of the Underworld." Ancient Fairy Dragon suddenly smiled. "The one currently filling in as Queen of the Underworld is Chimalma, the mother of the Crimson Dragon and the old King of the Underworld."

"Oh."

"She's very nice, don't worry. She's actually a Goddess of Fertility, among other things. She's just serving as a temporary Queen of the Underworld until either a new King or God of Destruction can be found." Ancient Fairy Dragon's eyes suddenly went wide, and she shook her head. "I am so sorry, my dear. This is nothing you need to worry about. Once I have a moment, I will talk with her and see if I can arrange something."

"Well, I-I don't want to trouble you. I-If it's too difficult-"

"I'll see what I can do-" Ancient Fairy Dragon stopped, her smile faltering. "Luna's waking up." She told me.

"Okay, s-so-"

"Let's move closer to the door so she can see us from inside better." Ancient Fairy Dragon said, scooping me up and gliding only a few feet, over to the door and setting me down.

I glanced at the door and turned away immediately, hearing movement from inside. Ancient Fairy Dragon moved back just a little bit, looking over at the pool.

It wasn't much longer until I heard the door slowly get pulled open.

"Hey…"

Luna's voice was so soft as she spoke.

I turned to face her, offering her the most gentle and reassuring smile as I could. "Hi…" I muttered. Neither of us said anything for a little while after that. Luna looked like she wanted to say something, so I waited, but she didn't. I sighed. "Luna, I, o-oh!" I stopped, feeling her rush into my arms, hugging me tight. "Luna…"

"Thank you for saving me…!" she whispered.

"That's okay…!" I assured her, gently wrapping my arms around her. It was nice to hug her. She felt so warm. "How are you feeling?" I asked her softly.

Luna looked up at me. "Tired, but fine." She said, only then seeming to recognize the state of my body, her eyes almost drawn to my pecs. "Oh…"

I realized it was the first time she'd seen me like this, with my new body.

"I look better with muscles, don't I?" I teased.

Luna looked back up at me, her face red. "Seria told me yesterday what you went through in that other Dimension. I-I didn't realize before, w-with your shirt on… " she shook her head. "Actually, I found it hard believing what Seria had said, but… hearing you and Slade talk about it last night…" she trailed off.

"Luna, I'm really sorry you got caught up in that. Slade was only here because of me." I admitted. "It's my fault you were targeted, and I'm sorry that my being here put you in danger." My tone was a little firmer than I'd intended. "I want you to be happy and healthy, Luna. We both do."

Luna's eyes widened, and she suddenly pulled away from me. "A-Ancient Fairy Dragon…!"

She'd sat comfortably, watching us in silence. "Hello, Luna…" she smiled warmly, her tone careful.

"Um… um…" Luna hesitated.

"I sense you're feeling better today. I'm so glad." Ancient Fairy Dragon beamed.

"Um… thank you…"

"I was very worried about you, Luna." Ancient Fairy Dragon cooed, slowly coming closer to us. "And very worried for Tyler, too. He risked his life for you." She told her.

Luna turned to me. "I-I know… I shouldn't have run away…"

I took a step back. "Like I said, Your Majesty, Slade only came back here because I came back here." I sighed, turning away. "I put you in danger, Luna. I put everybody in danger because I came back."

"N-No, I…" Luna shivered. "You didn't have to save me. You could have just… let me die…"

I stifled a laugh. "I said the same thing to Her Majesty when she saved me. I came back to this Dimension in really bad shape, and I would have died if it wasn't for her." I turned away once more, and then, with an almost harsh seriousness, I said "But I'd never let you die, Luna."

Ancient Fairy Dragon nodded. "Nor would I. We love you, Luna. In different ways, of course, but we love you all the same. And while you both might be unsure about how the other feels, I can tell that you both love each other the same way. Luna, I am terribly sorry I did this to you. I should never have pressured you to save my world, or withhold what happened to Tyler from you. I wrongly assumed I knew what was best for you, because I knew how you felt, without actually talking to you." Ancient Fairy Dragon exhaled shakily, drawing herself down onto the ground, bowing to Luna. "I do not wish to lose you, Luna. Can you forgive me?"

Luna twitched, and she turned away for a moment. When she turned back, the smallest of smiles had crept onto her face. "Better communication." She said, looking at me. "That's what you said yesterday, isn't it…?" she whispered before sighing, walking over to Ancient Fairy Dragon. "I forgive you." She said quietly. "But from now on… can you just talk and be honest with me, right from the start?"

"I will, Luna. I promise." Ancient Fairy Dragon assured her.

"And I'll be honest with you." Luna turned and walked over to me, looking away for a moment. "And I know it's… hard for you to talk now, so… I'll say… on the Ark Cradle, when I said that you were the same as Sly and Lester…" Luna sighed. "I was angry, and I… I-I didn't mean it, and I should never have said it." She admitted. "I wish I'd never said it."

I shivered. I didn't want to put too much stock in Luna's words back then, but at that time, I really did feel like that was what led me down that path, to kill myself. Joel and Kobi aside, Luna hating me and not wanting anything else to do with me, that was what destroyed me. I could deal with people hating me, but not people I loved hating me.

"I should have stayed." I admitted. "After the Ark Cradle, I should have stayed. Tried to explain myself, what happened, why I did what I did. Not… leave it to Akiza and Sherry to tell you. And I know it doesn't excuse what I-" I flinched as I felt Luna take one of my hands in hers.

"It doesn't, but I understand. You were coming to terms with what your brother had done. You thought one thing for the longest time, and then… you found out the truth…" she gently squeezed my hand. "I found my truth too…" she whispered, swallowing.

"Luna…" Ancient Fairy Dragon whispered.

"Please don't do that again~!" Luna suddenly said. "Please don't kill yourself, don't leave me… I don't want to be alone…" she mumbled. "I was alone for so long, and then I met you and Yusei and everyone else… and I was happy. And then you died, Akiza graduated, Yusei was busy with work, Jack and Leo left the City… and I was alone again… I don't want to be alone~"

She hugged me again, rushing back into my arms and burying her face in my chest. I could feel tears running down the front of me, but I didn't mind.

"I just want you to be happy, Luna." I told her for the umpteenth time. "However that is. If we're apart or together, as long as you're happy, that's what matters to me." I put a hand on her back and returned the hug. "But I put you in danger last night. And even though Slade was the only one who came back with me, there might still be others here."

"If there are, we'll fight them together." Ancient Fairy Dragon said, slowly coming towards us. "But you're not alone, Luna. I'm here… Tyler's here… and we both love you very much…"

I nodded, feeling Luna hold me tighter. I sighed, resting my head on top of hers.

We didn't have to say anything else. We just stood there, occasionally swaying in the light of the morning sun.

Ancient Fairy Dragon sidled close to us, gently reaching her hands around either side of mine and Luna's bodies.

Luna looked up at me, kissed me on the cheek, and I held her.

She was beautiful. Ancient Fairy Dragon was beautiful. New Domino City was beautiful. The sun was beautiful.

Life was beautiful.