Big thanks to everyone for being so patient with me as I'm going through this rough time, your support and comments help keep my spirits up. Where do I begin… My Grammie passed away a few hours after I left the hospital. I'm glad I was able to spend that time with her. Sadly, we were in a very serious accident on our way home from her funeral. The car was totaled, and it was discovered that I've suffered a brain injury. We are still trying to figure out what all is going on but at least I can still move around and speak. You can probably tell in this chapter where my memory has slipped and I apologize ahead of time. If that wasn't enough, I've lost a close member of the family in her fight with nervical and brain cancer, so things have been pretty hard for me. Losing two people that I cared for immensely hurt my spirit and I'm so thankful that I have such loving people around me. A cousin on my side who has started high school was just diagnosed with latent TB and Crohn's Disease. Crohn's has no cure and the latent TB could become active at any time. Everything just seems to be doing downhill for my side of the family…

UPDATE: I've been undergoing multiple tests to understand what is happening and I will be letting you all know what we find.

Anyway, they are patient and extremely supportive, and I am so thankful for them and you all. Here we go, let's see what happens!

Tear Stained Petals

My grip on the package never slacked on the way home, keeping it tucked under my left arm as my duel runner slipped through traffic. The other two duel runners were gone when I returned, and I was silently thankful. This was the perfect opportunity. My relief dissipated as something grabbed me from behind as I made to ascend the staircase. "Martha, hello." I forced my lips to lift into a smile as she crossed her arms. She had a stern look on her face that was clear as day. "Don't worry, I had something to eat not too long ago."

"That is not what I was wanting to hear," she shook her head. A sympathetic softness entered her eyes as she mentioned that I had left before the sun had risen, something unlike myself. "Where on earth were you going at such an early hour?" It seemed as if a lightbulb lit up in her head as she looked into my eyes intensely. "Oh, Yusei, I'm sorry to have drilled you like that."

"It's alright." Although I was far taller than her, she flung her arms around me as I briefed her on my visit and I found my head resting against her shoulder. Her hand rubbed circles across my back, and I could help but find it soothing. That is, until they began working their way to my sides. My eyes shot open as I took a step away in time to see a mischievous glint in her eye before she had a chance to hide it. "Nice try, Martha. How about some pasta for lunch? Crab Alfredo with Angel Hair sounds good." Shaking her head, she waved me off stating that she would think about it as she disappeared into the kitchen. The breath I didn't know I was holding released in a sigh as I glanced down at the parcel in my hand.

It wasn't until I was settled at my desk that I finally removed its lid and placed it off to the side as I focused on the rose hued envelopes. There were a few with Jack and Crow's names, there were even a few for Martha and her parents, but most of them had my name. They were slightly faded and frayed on the edges but they were in fairy good condition. Hopefully the letters were in similar condition. With shaking fingers, I picked up one that had short script written on back flap: "Behold the key…and thee shall read". My eyes widened as I pulled out the letter and found it to be written incoherently. Reaching into one of my desk drawers, I pulled out an old leather-bound booklet and began flipping through the pages. We four had created a code that only we would know and I praised my younger self for writing everything about it down. I had nearly forgotten about our secret language and I couldn't help but mentally ridicule myself for it. After some time, I had it translated!

"Let me start out with a question, let's treat it like a confession. Can see that you be stressin'. Tell me, are you okay? Every day has been a lesson, been prayin' for a blessin', but nothing ever changes so you hope for better days. Ask me about where I been. Been at war, I been battlin'." (source: The Key, B Wise)

A little cheesy, I know, but I felt it was appropriate. I don't know how much time has passed, there's no way for us to know. Has it been a month, maybe a year? Have you gotten taller? I bet your hair still sticks up. I'm not sure when you will get this, but I just wanted you to know that I miss you terribly. I miss you so much it hurts. There are so few nights that I manage to fall asleep and I dream of seeing you again, but I always seem to wake up just as you're hugging me. I had a dream the other night. It was so real that I woke to find myself in tears. I was back home sitting in garden with mother while you, Jack, and Crow practiced your dueling near one of the fountains. The sun was so bright and there are petals falling everywhere. The roses were in full bloom, my bushes were beginning show some real progress. How are they, everyone?

A lump formed in my throat as it went on to ask about her parents and the other two. She was so worried about everyone else more than herself and that was pure Akiza. My hands holding the letter slightly shook my eyes fell on a paragraph that had been written in black ink unlike the rest of the letter.

I'm not sure where we are, it's always dark and there aren't any windows. The one with the mask brings us food, but it's not very much and sometimes it's not until right before light's out. They have me in a room with another girl, there was a third but she was taken away, she's a lot tougher than I am. She makes me think of Crow a little. We share a mattress and blanket, but it gets really cold when the lights go out. They gave us a small flashlight, which comes in handy but it's not very strong. We have to be quiet too. If we're too loud, they threaten to separate us.

Anger bubbled in me as a horrible scene began to come together in my mind's eye. Cold cement walls, bare lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, small stained mattress and blanket in a lone corner, bugs and rodents crawling over everything. I shivered at the thought of the arachnids crawling over her being, my own fear of bugs beginning to cause the hairs on my body to stand straight. Shaking the thoughts of the creepy crawlers away, I refocused on the letter as the writing returned to the red ink.

We are safe. Well, at least we have shelter. But…I'm scared. The other girl, Rōzu, tells me that they wouldn't hurt us without a reason. If that were true, then why did they drag that other girl out by her hair?

Yusei, what do they want with us? Why was I taken away from you?

"I wish I knew." My hand clenched into a fist on the desk surface, turning my knuckles white but I paid them no mind as she continued, the ink slightly smudged in a few places. It felt as though someone stabbed me through the heart as I realized that they were tear tracks. She had been crying while writing this letter! Helplessness washed over me as I clutched the letter to my chest, my eyes watering as I envisioned her crouching under a blanket with a tiny flashlight while crying silently to keep from getting caught.

A hand fell on my shoulder and pulled me away from the desk, my forehead resting upon something soft. I didn't question when Martha had come in and I couldn't help but feel thankful that she had as she began to rock back and forth. Not once did she say anything as my heart wept, the letter clenched tightly in my grasp and the silent tears I shed dampened her clothing. "She's a strong girl, Yusei, you have to have faith." I could only shake my head as I clung to her.

It wasn't until a few hours later that Crow and Jack returned and we were cleaning up after lunch that I distributed the letters. Martha offered to take the ones for the Izinski's and accepted her own with the smallest of smiles. The other two branched off and headed to their own homes, unsurprisingly, and I was left alone for the first time since this started. Everything around me within those short few weeks had turned gray, devoid of color and meaning. The decorations and wall hangings that I once admired for their color where now washed out in grayscale. My eyes fell on the box as I sat at the desk, my hands reaching out and bringing it closer, the only thing containing color in my faded world. I nearly flinched as a wave of rose flooded the room as I lifted the lid to reveal the letters that I had yet to read.

With each one I opened, the rosy hue grew in vibrance and soon filled the whole room. It wasn't until I had reached for another that I noticed the strange warmth that had filled my now rose-colored room. My eyes rose from the box towards the thermostat near the light switch and froze. At the foot of my bed stood a transparent figure with mahogany hair. "Akiza." I shifted so that I was sitting close to end of the bed so that I was closer, my eyes never leaving her caramel. She looked just like she did last time, as if she hadn't grown since the last time any of us had seen her.

Her image waivered as she smiled. "I see you got my letters." Sadness entered her eyes as I nodded. "I'm sorry it took so long for you to get them."

I shook my head. "No, it's alright. You had many other things to worry about."

"It looks like you still have a couple more," she glanced at the box where the remaining letters waited. "If you'd like, I can read them for you. Then again," her smile fell. "I'm not sure I can."

"How are you here?" The question slipped through my lips before I had a chance to stop it.

She didn't seem bothered by it one bit and smiled. "I had to practice a lot, but I finally managed to attach a little piece of me to each of the letters." Realization dawned on me as I recalled the smeared wording in some of the letters. "I found that if I left a trace of myself, I could project a version of myself."

"Wait, so when you appeared last time," I glanced across the room at the guitar case that I had rested against one of the armchairs. "it was because you left a trace of yourself on that?"

"It wasn't the easiest, that's for sure," she chuckled. "it was so faint I wasn't sure it would work."

"And the phone calls of piano music." My heart clenched tightly as she nodded. "You've been able to do all of that with your gift." Her eyes widened at my words. Never once had I referred to it as a curse like everyone else around her did. Every time they did, we witnessed her pain grow to the point where she would cry herself to sleep. We could always tell by the tear tracks the next morning.

Her gaze fell to the floor as she waivered before becoming the mature vision that I had seen last time. My eyes widened as her arms rose and wrapped them around herself, bringing my attention to her appearance and something that turned my stomach. Nearly black vines were entwining themselves around her wrists and worked their way up her arms until they disappeared beneath the cap sleeves of her dress lilac colored dress. There was a strange cylinder barrette in her hair that held back what I assumed were supposed to be bangs, a nearly similar circular choker around her throat and wrists. Her hair that reached her waist had a gradient effect that I could see now that we were closer, beginning with her natural mahogany hue and gradually turning black as they reached the tips. The hem of her dress reached past her knees, exposing thin calves that were covered in black stockings. "I've become this strong, and yet I'm powerless."

I raised a hand to reach out to her, but I let it fall beck down to the bed as I remembered what had happened the last time I had tried. Instead, I patted the bed in a silent invitation for her to sit and once she had, I picked up one of the letters. "Can you feel this?" I asked, gently running my fingers over some of the blurred ink. Confusion filled her features but she replied with a small nod. As gently as if I was holding a delicate flower, I brought it to my chest and pressed it against my heart. "I won't give up, Akiza, so please don't give up on yourself." Tears began pouring down her cheeks the longer I held the letter. My eyes met hers as she choked back a sob, silently telling her that it was okay to cry. As they fell from her face, they seemed to transform into petals that were soon blanketing the bed.

Let me know your thoughts! I can't wait to hear form you!