Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds: The Judgement of the World

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

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The elevator was quiet, moving with a slow stead squishing effect to tell him he was going up at a steady pace. The walls were the same color as he saw earlier that day that he barely saw now as Yusei listlessly sat there. Lucid dreaming in full effect as he knew he was sleeping, since he had just been sitting on a chair between the twins beds. It wasn't as though he could just go to his own room, not with Ruka's heart seizing up unexpectedly.

Even if she settled down, Rua was still worried enough that unless Yusei was physically there? He doubted the child would sleep, Ruka had been unable to properly articulate what exactly caused the fit. Though Yusei couldn't believe that this was her 'normal' not when the Marks had reacted so violently. But he didn't know, and that was what ate away at him. Were it a machine he could logic it out, take it apart or put it together. Duel Spirits and Marks were a new dimension he knew nothing of. If something had happened that was powerful enough to evoke the Marks and hurt Ruka in the process...

So here he had sat down for the twins. Only now he went from twins bedroom to where ever 'here' was...

"You know, its not often that you've come to visit me here. But somehow every time you do, you're in the middle of either an emotional or a metaphysical train wreck. Funny that."

Yusei shot straight to his feet, whatever he had been sitting on didn't exist anymore apparently. Leaving him in a single elevator with, of all people to dream about, Yugi. The King of Games looked the same way as they had seen earlier, the same 20 something year old in black leather. Yugi was leaning against the back wall of the elevator, hands in his pockets and the very picture of laid back indifference.

"I've been here before?" Yusei repeated with a distrustful expression on his face as Yugi answered with a faint shrug.

"You're pretty guarded, so its rare that you show up. But not 'you', all of you, the you from all the other realities." Yugi explained in a gentle voice. "You're always so hurt when you get here..." He paused and then the corner of his mouth lifted up in amusement. "Yeah, I'm talking about alternate realities... Different time lines..."

Yusei frowned as he stared at Yugi, his mind grinding back to the sounds that were heard over the audio, the visual murder scenes. Everything at KaibaCorp tied back to Yugi and Yusei didn't know if he wanted to talk to Yugi or get out.

"Well I've had a difficult day after your stunt at KaibaCorp," he finally replied with his lips a thin line of little patience.

For which Yugi obliged him with a faint nod, "true, you kids don't always wind up at the office. So when I heard you wanted access I lured the twins onto the elevator. You 'did' get what you wanted after all. Carly is no longer being accused or threatened by Mokuba."

The mention of Carly made Yusei remember, finally, exactly 'why' they had all took that trip to the business in the first place. Making Yusei have to wonder just where Yugi actually 'was' if he wasn't anywhere that anyone would find him. He mentioned being in a place where 'his looks wouldn't stand out', but where did that place him?

"You have to go back though, you can't stay in the elevator with me," Yugi interrupted his thoughts nonchalantly. "This isn't a true elevator, its meant to help you comprehend what's going on and you really shouldn't be here."

"But you said that I've come here before," Yusei pointed out as Yugi pushed himself from the wall, though... was it Yusei's imagination or was Yugi's skin turning darker?

"Yes, like a child wandering into the kitchen while their parent works. And I'm shooing you back out," Yugi answered with a grin as he began making the 'shooing' gesture associated with mothers doing that very thing. As he noted Yusei's unimpressed, even sour reaction he sighed at yet another Yusei-centric trait that they all shared. The need for information overload. "Look, the longer you sleep the more of this is going to be lost to your subconscious, so you decide right now. I can tell you how to reach me, you wake up, and decide how to proceed with whatever you're up to. Or I can let you go without that information, but you must not reach the top floor of this elevator."

Yusei blinked, startled by the strange instruction, spoken with a quiet urgency. While it was true that dreams were forgotten once a person woke up. If he had done this repeatedly for various versions of himself, then it made sense. But did he want to reach Yugi? 'The twins still have those autograph books, if they take those to school its going to cause an uproar. Given just by how the twins reacted, if I can reach Yugi, he can hopefully do something like he did at KaibaCorp.' "Fine, how do I reach you."

Yugi blinked, almost seemingly taken aback by Yusei's answer before giving a rueful smile. "You know you're the first one to ask... And honestly I feel weird having to even say it. Mostly because even after all this time, I'm only comfortable with what I am. But not with the rest of the stuff..." For once Yugi looked awkward and innocent, his hands held out almost in apology.

"You have to pray to me and ask me. Not just 'me' though, that's not good enough, there are many versions of me. It has to be 'me', remember me as you saw me in the elevator, keep it fixed in your mind regarding my mannerisms. My speech patterns, my appearance, everything has to be remembered. Anything less, even for a moment can reach any alternate versions of myself and they might be able to help you, or not." Yugi explained earning an incredulous expression to cross Yusei's face. Which only brought a smile to his, "you may have been raised by a nun, but that doesn't have to make you overly spiritual."

Yusei wanted to say something, it was on the tip of his tongue, a scornful rebuttal to this whole dream. But his eyes kept doing that something funny shifting thing regarding Yugi, even for a dream.

Yugi stopped looking like Yugi.. Oh the wild triple hair color mane that he'd always had was there, still as long as it was in the pictures. But as Yusei looked at him, the person before him kept shifting more and more, in fact causing Yusei to rub his eyes. It was a morphing effect that he didn't expect, Yugi was literally shifting between various races and even genders as they stood there! "What's going on..."

"Remember the me you saw back then. I'll explain what you're experiencing now if you call me to you."

Yusei could feel Yugi brush past him, hear the sound of boots clicking on the elevator floor and followed by the hard click of an elevator button. He felt a hand drop firm on his shoulder and as he turned to look, all he saw was darkness. The light in the hallway illuminated Crow's frame as the redhead stood there, his hand on Yusei's shoulder. It was in that moment that Yusei realized he was back among the waking.

Crow didn't say anything, the light from the hallway illuminated the frown on Crow's face as he tugged on Yusei's shoulder. A silent instruction to leave his post and enter the lighted hallway. The duelists' grip was firm, confirmation that Yusei was in the real world. He pushed himself to his feet even as he struggled to remember what he dreamed to start with. 'Pray to Yugi? Seriously?'

He followed the red head into the hallway, yet Crow didn't stop until they were back in the living room of the condo. When he turned around, his eyes were as expressive with their seriousness as with their worry. "What's up Crow?"

"I think I figured out what caused Ruka's sudden flare up." Crow reached up and placed his hands on Yusei's shoulders, in part to hold the guy to the spot as much as to create a physical link between them. "A girl named 'Asuka' called, said they had been in China through some gates?" He took a deep breath and steeled himself to say the impossible. "Yusei, she said that Aki is dead."

"I don't even know you. Why should I believe anything you say?" Crow asked with a frown on his face as he stared down at the phone and the dirty girl staring back at him.

"Please just let me speak to Fudo, its my responsibility." The girl in front of him asked, but while she 'sounded' sincere.

"I don't care what's your responsibility, its late the kids and everyone else is asleep and Yusei doesn't need some prank caller!" Crow pointed out with a frown. 'Though is it a prank? I mean she looks very distraught and dirty...'

"Gods I wish it was a prank. She 'saved' our lives, she saved us when the volcano dropped down on us. We were confident that she had to have escaped, but no matter how long we waited she didn't show up. We had to escape because we were in China illegally, and took a portal that my brother found. The spirits went to seek out her spirits to make sure she was alright. They..." the girl closed her eyes and bit her lip despite the dust and streaks of dust and dirt ran down her already tear stained cheeks.

"Split up, half searching any area with a garden for Aki or her deck, the others went to find the Ancient Fairy Dragon. Deciding that as both their ruler and a fellow Signer dragon she would be able to give some clue about Aki. Ancient Fairy was near dead! Apparently she tried to protect 'something' and got rebuffed badly. She was exhausted and unable to talk to anyone and she's connected to Ruka, I know that much."

The video feed showed that this girl was still out side, haloed by a street lamp. But Crow didn't know the twins as well, while they 'were' opening up to him. They were still Yusei's little shadows... And like Yusei and even Jack, this whole 'spirit' thing was still an unknown territory for himself. But if 'that' had been the reason for Ruka's sudden flare up...

Crow shook his head and sighed, "and what do you want me to do? Wake Yusei up and tell him that one of our own was killed?" But even as he said it the words felt flat to his ears, Yusei would have to know sooner or later anyways... 'Damn it I don't want to do this, I saw how he reacted to Zero Reverse I don't need this...'

"I understand fully, that's why I want you to get him for me. So I can tell him, if not in... I should come over there huh? Apologize in person because its my fault this even happened. She was helping me..."

As she carried on he could hear other voices trying to talk her down. Various suggestions that they wash up, or that they should go together.

He felt Yusei stiffen under the thickness of both his gloves and the jacket the duelist wore and fought down his own distress. "They want to come here personally, to apologize but I think its better if I told you first... I... Yusei... Yusei listen to me." Crow knew that look and his heart starting sinking. He could feel Yusei shaking through the leather. Feeling like he'd rather gut himself than say this, Yusei was his brother after all! "I can't even begin to pretend that I know how any of this works, I just got a magic tat on my arm in less than a year." He shook Yusei just enough to get the guy to refix his eyes back onto the shorter duelist.

"I know you hate being the leader, but this is 'not your fault'. Aki's not stupid, she was helping a friend and things went south. That's not something you should blame yourself for." Crow continued and wished that Yusei would say something, anything. He hated that Yusei shut down when things got to him, internalizing it and ultimately. Blame himself for.

"You're right, we don't know but I have a duty to ensure they're safe. Something like this happens again, what stops it from killing Ruka. What stops..." Yusei's mind was whirling with thoughts, so many that he couldn't even settle on one. Aki was supposed to wait, but she didn't listen to him, and apparently things that hurt Duel Spirits could heart their partner, at least if they were a Signer? How does a normal guy with no ability to see Duel Spirits plan against 'that'?

"I can call the girl back, set up a time tomorrow so everyone can have a break," Crow offered as he still tried to break through that stoic facade. "Can you even hear me?"

"Yeah... Yeah I hear you... I'll be fine Crow. Thanks for telling me," Yusei finally answered, his voice firm, emotionless and confirming Crow's fear.

"You're not breaking into China Yusei, it won't be like going to Neo Domino," Crow warned.

"They figured out how to get to and from China without legal means," Yusei pointed out making Crow bash his head against the metaphorical wall in his mind. But if Crow thought that was the end of Yusei's planning. "Can you look after the twins for me for a while?"

"You are going 'nowhere' tonight or tomorrow Yusei! You're staying right here in Neo Domino even if it kills me!" Crow answered in a determined harsh whisper, earning a faintly bitter version of a smile from Yusei.

"No, the twins will get upset if I'm gone before they wake up."

"Yusei!" Crow sighed in mounting frustration. The gang never had female members and God only knew how Yusei processed the fact that they now had a female member. 'That's why Kiryu was such a good leader, he wanted the responsibility. Man I wish he didn't jump off the deep end cuz he would have held this together better. What do I say to get through to you?'

"She's the daughter of a senator Crow. A senator who entrusted me to look after his daughter and help her learn to control her powers. Instead she used those powers, ended up in China and..." Yusei's mouth clamped shut as did his eyes, obviously struggling to say 'died'.

"Yusei," Crow began feeling painfully alone at that moment. His Mark pulsed with this very soft type of numbness. A feeling he had never experienced and feared it was a sign for how Yusei decided to 'cope' with this situation.

The duelist pulled back from the redhead, he made his way back to the twins room, head tilted downward his shoulders just a touch lower. Leaving Crow standing alone in large empty room, surrounded by wealth and poor in presence. 'Call Jack. He needs to know what happened... He might need to come here cuz I know I sure can't outfight Yusei if it comes to that.' Crow decided as he turned towards the phone.

'Jack you better be awake...' Crow thought as he entered the room with the phone and settled down placing the call as he did so. It rang for awhile, but finally a sleepy, disheveled Carly showed up without her glasses. 'Oh, she's sleepy cute! No wonder Jack likes her!' he thought as they exchanged greetings and he got her to sleepily turn around to wake up Jack.

"This better be important," Jack growled half heartedly, dropping down in front of the phone in a deep blue tank top.

"You're grabbing a set of clothes and coming here, I'm stealing Yusei's duel disk and I'm going over there." Crow explained and watched as Jack tried to comprehend the instruction.

"What? Make sense!" Jack demanded at such an imperious order.

"Jack, that fit we had earlier? I think I found out what it is," Crow began, forcing a pained swallow as he watched Jack finally give him his growing attention. "Jack Aki died tonight, a volcano dropped on her and apparently something about Ruka's dragon trying to possibly protect her. Jack I'm scared for Yusei... We know how he can be and he's hurting bad so..." Crow began only to be imperiously interrupted by Jack.

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"You get that duel disk, I'll grab a bag and come over. Now stop wasting time and get to work!" Jack ordered as he stood up, his face whiplashing from sleepy disorientation to wide awake and pale. He hung up letting Crow do just that as he made his way towards his bedroom feeling sick to his stomach. He didn't need details, broad strokes were fine, let the others fuss with the details... He stepped out of the room and damn near ran into Carly who stood there with her face in her hands shaking. 'Shit...'

"Jack?" She whimpered. "Did he say that Aki was dead?"

"Go back to bed," Jack ordered, imperiously only to have her ignore him yet again and just repeat the question. Even with her glasses off and unable to see him in the darken hallway, Jack could feel her trusting eyes on him begging for reassurance. Something he was never good at giving.

"I don't know... Godwin had said a few things about Psychic's.. I refuse to believe that she could be... But I need to..." And the words died on his lips, he needed to go because Yusei was going to do something stupid apparently, given what Crow implied. But Aki had been Carly's friend, and while Jack would have liked to lie... He would have liked for someone to tell him what to do, because in that moment he didn't know what to say. Crow would be waiting, and Jack was pretty sure he was supposed to stay with Carly when she was upset.

Damn it.