I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of it's characters.

Anna took a moment to look at me, then she sucked in her breath and launched into a frenzy of activity. She rushed back inside and came out with my old duel disk and helmet, still as shiny as the day I'd left them behind.

"Here's your duel disk and your helmet. I know that you like them in good working order so I did my best to dust them off the moment I'd heard you were still alive." she started off with.

"Princess…" I grinned.

"Hmm… It looks like you'll need a different set-up, given your current status of being in a wheelchair, no worry, I'm sure that I can think of something. For now, I'll just strap it to your arm and leave the helmet in your lap… like so…"
"Princess…" I was growing weary.

"And your collection of cards is still inside, I only gave your deck as it was to Yusei when he was last here. And your duel runner was stolen by Jack, though I'm sure you've already been told about all of that by now."

"Princess…"

"I'm afraid that after you left no one really had the skills to maintain your duel disk shop, so it died pretty quickly. The Steel Militia fizzled away pretty quickly too, finally ending when I got mad enough at Gushizawa's attempts to get in bed with me." Anna ran back inside quickly after she told me that.

I looked up at Trudge, "Thanks, Officer, but I think I'll be fine, now."

"Are you sure? You don't have anyone else to push you around." he raised an eyebrow.

"I'll ask Anna. I'm sure I'll be fine. Besides, she and I need a moment alone." I smiled.

"Then I'll leave you two to it. I'll be at the Sector Security Station if you need me." Trudge walked away. Anna came back outside pretty soon after that.

"I still work at the bike shop. Globe isn't interested in me anymore, thank goodness. He, Lagoon and Yusei helped me to fix up Charlotte. Yusei and Crow helped me to scrounge up the parts to make her a duel runner using your notes, but I never really wanted to, so they're just waiting inside if you want to take a look at them." Anna continued to rush through her explanation of events. She hadn't been looking me in the eye the entire time.

"Anna," I said. I stared her straight in the face and eventually she looked me in the eyes. Her beautiful gray eyes were marked red by the strain of tears.

"Yes?" she half asked, half answered.

"I missed you." was all that I could say.

She collapsed on top of me, practically. She was on her knees, her arms the only layer between my lap and her head as she cried. "You were gone! You left me and you were gone! I can be on my own but you don't get to come into my life, act all perfect, and leave!" she sobbed.

"I'm not perfect and you know it," I said. If I had been capable of moving my arms I would have tried to sooth her, pat her head or something.

She balled up her fist and hammered it into my leg, "But why? Why did you have to go away?"

"Because some sicko decided to take me. I didn't get a choice. I'm sorry." I lowered myself as far as I could, trying to bow and show her that I never wanted to leave. I wanted to give myself to her again and It hurt that she was weak, exposed.

Anna looked up at me, then she slowly got up and lifted my head. I saw her eyes again and I watched her wipe her tears away. I felt horrible, those eyes should never be marred by grief or pain.

"I know that you only ever agreed to give me one shot, but please, may I ask for another one?" I asked. She kissed me.

"You idiot," she whispered as she did her best to embrace me despite the wheelchair. "You're still on the first. Let me get you the sword. I've kept it inside."

"I love you." I practically choked through my own erupting tears.

"I know, you idiot. I know," she whispered.

Anna wheeled me over to Martha's orphanage that afternoon to meet up with the rest of the crew. We discussed all of the strange happenings in Satellite of late, up until Martha realized that I was in the room when she walked in with snacks.

"My, My…" she laughed a little through her tears. "First Yusei comes home with a girlfriend and now my daughter-in-law comes home with my son. What did I do to be accepted into heaven so quickly?" She embraced me and made me feel like the rest of my ribs were going to snap, lifting me out of my wheelchair. Anna seemed a bit nervous but everybody else just laughed. Thankfully she put me back down soon after that.

"I'm glad to see you too, Martha, but Anna and I aren't married. I haven't even proposed." I smiled.

"You may as well be engaged, she hasn't been seen with anyone else ever since you left, she's basically made your old wardrobe her own, and I see you wearing the sword again," Martha said.

"Not all of it. He needs some to wear now, too." Anna protested. It was true. When she saw me wearing what was basically my arcadia uniform without the weird tabard she helped me to get changed. I had been extremely embarrassed, but she didn't make a big deal out of it and helped me into jeans, a t-shirt, and an old black denim jacket that I'd never really worn. It seemed to have gotten quite a bit of wear from the years I was gone, however.

"And where is Wilhelm going to live, so as to have access to his old wardrobe?" Martha asked, amused.

"With me, of course," Anna said very matter-of-factly.

"Then you may as well already be married. Therefore, daughter-in-law." Martha turned her attention to Yusei and Akiza, who were blushing profusely despite being at opposite ends of the room. "And do you two have any protest? Try me, I'm on a roll." both Yusei and Akiza just turned their heads towards the floor as the boys and Luna were laughing their heads off.

Oddly enough, Crow was the one who brought us back under control, "It's nice to see you again, Wil, and you and I have a lot of catching up to do, but there have been a lot of people disappearing from Satellite. Some of the kids are gone, just gone in some purple fire that took everybody who wasn't inside down in the B.A.D. area. Anna's lucky to be alive."

I saw him for the first time since I'd walked in. He looked like he had seen a ghost or many ghosts. Regardless, he was steeled, and he wasn't going to drop this serious version of himself until the danger had passed.

"Who's been taken?" I asked.

"Itsuki, and three others. And they haven't been taken, they're gone. No blood, no body, just an outline left where their shadows were." Crow said. The entire room sobered pretty quickly after Crow and I exchanged words.

"Well if it isn't the remnants of the Steel Militia, ruminating in their dying glory." a voice blasted from a microphone outside, and it wasn't the words that sent a chill over our bones.

"Kalin," I whispered as Yusei, Jack and Crow rushed outside. Martha covered her mouth with her hands as the mint twins and Akiza just looked confused. Anna and I… we didn't even turn around.

"Long time no see, my friends." I heard Kalin say. It didn't sound like the old Kalin, though, it was even more twisted, demented.

"Kalin!" Yusei yelled.

"I heard that you didn't make it in the facility! That you…" Jack said.

"What, died? Ha! Well, it looks like I'm back… in order to settle our unfinished business… Isn't that right, Yusei?"

I didn't hear Yusei respond before Kalin continued, "Perfect timing, too… You're just the Signer that I need to defeat."

"Snap out of it Kalin! You don't have to be a Dark Signer! You can get back to being who you used to be, our friend!" Yusei cried. What an ignorant fool. Anna and I held our tongues.

"Yusei, I'm not here for a rosy reunion. I'm here as a Dark Signer to declare war on you! Of course, I haven't forgotten what you did to me either…" Kalin cackled.

"You're wrong! Please just listen, I was trying to…"

"I don't want to hear your stupid little excuses! Everyone had already turned against me and sided with that pathetic traitor, Jernigan, and then you betray me to Sector Security! Besides, it's our destiny to fight! You and I, then when I'm done with you I wipe the floor with Wilhelm. I know he's in there with his pathetic witch who isn't worthy of wearing the Enforcer Uniform." Kalin jeered.

Anna sat down next to me and reached out to my hand, squeezing it. I squeezed back as much as I could without hurting myself. Neither of us said a word.

"I'll be waiting at the place of our destiny… the control unit at the Old EnerD System. See you there, Yusei, because after the sun sets it will be too late and I really don't want to miss our chance." Kalin said.

"Sunset?" Crow asked.

"You haven't heard? You Signers sure are a slow bunch, aren't you? After the sun sets, the gate to the Underworld will open and the king will rise again! Then all will be lost!" I could hear him cackling as revved a motorcycle and sped away. The three of them walked back inside, and Jack looked like he had seen a ghost.

"She was there," I said to Jack.

"Yes. She's one of them. How did you know?" Jack asked me.

"Because she turned into that after I rescued her. I broke her out and she went after Sayer. When I was rescuing Yusei and Akiza I ran into Sayer again, and she got there after me. I only saw her for a moment, but she was darker."

"I don't like it." said Jack, clutching something in his hand.

"Hey, Jack, what is it that she handed you?" Crow asked. Jack finally looked down at the piece of paper he was holding, then he unfolded it to look at it.

"It looks like a map. It has markings for Luna, Akiza, Yusei and I." Jack said.

"The sites for our respective duels against the Dark Signers," Akiza said.

"We don't have the time for a plan other than to play along with their sick game," I said. I turned to Luna, "Take us inside the Spirit World, now. We have to rescue Ancient Fairy Dragon before we even have a hope of stopping the King from returning."

"Ok," Luna said.

"I'll keep watch over your bodies here, and I'll make sure that you two get where you need to be for when you wake up," Anna said.

"How do you know what to do?" I asked her.

"A dragon told me in my dreams, that and the stories of all of the duelists with spirit connections. Really, it couldn't be easier. Now get a move on." she said, wheeling me closer to Luna. Then she kissed my cheek, "Don't die in there, or I swear I'll kill you."

"I wouldn't dare keep you waiting any longer than you want to, Princess." I laughed.

"Then why aren't I fat from pregnancies and wearing a fat diamond on my finger, Willie?" Anna asked.

This shocked me enough that I should have been dumbfounded, but instead it was enough to snap, "Anna, I love you with everything I have, but there's a two year gap in my memory because of some sicko who tortured and brutalized me and who knows what else in some dark hole that I will never find! I have memories of about two months of being with you, and they are the happiest thing that I have, and they are the most recent things that I have, and I am not going to marry you after two months! Especially, not while I'm a bit busy helping a little girl to save the world!"

Anna seemed surprised, but she wore a smile for some reason. Leo and Luna had the same expression and no one else, it seemed, was even in the room.

"What are you all staring at?" I asked.

"You're, you're standing, Willie!" Anna laughed. While my arms were both in casts it was true, I'd practically jumped to my feet.

"Well, of course, I'm standing, I only had major bruising to my legs, I didn't shatter them like I did my shoulders. Now I need to sit back down before the adrenaline wears off and I realize how much pain I'm in. Luna, I'd prefer to be in the Spirit World by that time so that no one gets to hear me scream." I said.

Anna helped me back into my seat before she said, "It may only be two months for you, but I've stayed faithful to a pipe dream for two years. You'd better come up with a good way to reward me by the time you finish your business in there."

"Saving the world isn't enough?" I asked, still calming myself.

"Not nearly enough. I have a checklist of things that need to happen so you'd better heal fast." she smiled.

"I'll take it up with the duel spirit of the healing factor while I'm in there."

"Enough already! We have to save Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna said as she took hold of my hand. I immediately felt myself leave my body, holding hand with Luna as we traversed to… somewhere.