FS93: Hello again! And thanks for coming back!

EK94: ...Even though it took her forever to post this chapter. We wrote this thing, like, literally a year ago.

FS93: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, I'm a horrible procrastinator. ...Which is why I still haven't finished writing Darkness Before Dawn... I need to do that.

EK94: Well, it's not like you won't have plenty time. You have a 9-hour flight tomorrow. I'm still jealous you get to go to New Orleans.

FS93: Writer's block is horrible... That's why I haven't written it yet... And, hey, I'm bringing you back a present.

EK94: *Sighs* Well, she's kept you waiting long enough, so we will argue about this while you read. I'm sure the story will be more entertaining than our conversation.

Both: Enjoy!^^

Chapter Two: Naomi Mori

"... And then she just... disappeared. I couldn't even feel her aura anymore!" Elodie finished. She, Crow, Jack, and Yusei were in the living room of Elodie's apartment; both her and Crow's nests were already asleep, so the four of them could speak freely about what had just happened. Elodie, her elbows on her knees, and Crow, his left arm around her shoulders, occupied the couch; Jack was sitting in an arm chair, arms and legs crossed; Yusei stood leaning against the wall, arms also crossed, one foot pressed flat to the wall.

"That seems strange to me," Crow commented. "What reason would she have to run away from you?"

Elodie just shook her head. "I have no idea; I've been asking myself the same question ever since I saw her turn that corner. It's not like she was afraid of me; I would have been able to sense it if she was. I don't understand though: I can sense her aura when she's standing near me, but not after she's left. All of this missing information is gonna drive me crazy!"

"Do you remember what she looked like?" Yusei asked. "It's a long-shot, but maybe one of us will recognize her, and then we'd at least have a name."

"Well..." Elodie furrowed her brow in thought as she gazed down at her hands, trying to remember. "She was a little shorter than I, with green eyes and light brown hair that went fell just past her shoulders. She was dressed entirely in black except for her hat, which was navy blue. Oh, and she must have grown up in Satellite since she didn't have a criminal mark."

"Her shoes were black too?"

"Well, they were black converse anyway..."

Yusei heaved a heavy sigh, ducking his head so that his raven bangs over-shadowed his sapphire eyes. "Now it makes a little more sense."

"Huh?" Elodie turned her head towards him in surprise.

"I think I missed something..." Crow scratched his head, perplexed.

"Our mystery rescuer has a name," Yusei responded, head still bowed. "I met Naomi Mori a few years ago. I was never really able to find out what was bothering her, but she reminded me of how Crow said you used to be, Elodie. Troubled. Untrusting. Completely closed to the world."

"When did that happen?" Crow asked.

"You know how I disappeared that day after Kalin was arrested? I went walking - just down random streets of Satellite - just to give myself some space to think. That's when I ran into her."

"So what happened, exactly? If you don't mind my asking..." Elodie inquired softly.

A sad smile appeared on the raven-haired boy's face. "I don't mind. It's quite a long story so I won't go into detail, though. She didn't want my help, but I refused to leave her alone. Eventually she challenged me to a duel; she told me that if she won, I had to leave her alone, but if I won, she would tell me anything I wanted to know. There's a lot of pain buried in her heart, and I have the feeling I only scratched the surface during that duel. The way she dueled told me more about her than she herself actually did; her deck is a mixture of Dark and Light attribute monsters - more specifically, a Chaosworn deck. About the only thing she actually said was how she'd never let anyone get the upper-hand on her ever again.

"I tried to help her during our duel, but either I didn't her through to her at all, or she refused to accept what I was trying to tell her. I'm not sure which. Whatever the case, she left, and I haven't seen of heard anything about her since."

Elodie recognized the behavior. "You think maybe someone betrayed her? Just like with me?"

He nodded. "She told me at least part of the story, as well as saying something about my not knowing how it felt to be betrayed. I got the impression that she hadn't always been that hard-hearted, so it's possible that maybe it even happened more that once." He sighed. "I just wish I could've found out more about her at the very least. She just seemed so... desperate, I guess. Desperate to get rid of me more than anything, like having me there hurt her in some way."

For a moment all was silent except for the continuous mournful cry of the early-summer crickets. Elodie was thinking about the girl. Yusei's story made sense; she had sensed how sad and angry Naomi was in her aura. She remembered how she had once been just like that... until Crow had shown her the light. She remembered how hard he had tried to help her, to be her friend, to convince her he was trustworthy. She also remembered what it had taken for her to believe him. It sounded like Yusei had tried to do the same thing for Naomi... but with opposite results.

Then Jack spoke for the first time that evening, breaking through Elodie's thoughts. "Well, nothing we can do about it now," the blonde murmured. "So how 'bout we get some sleep, eh? We've got more bridge to build tomorrow."

But Elodie couldn't sleep no matter how hard she tried. She lie awake in bed for hours, hands behind her head, until she finally decided she couldn't take it anymore. Glancing at the clock - it read just after 2 a.m. - she slid out of bed as quietly as a mouse and pulled on her shoes and coat. Grabbing her duel disk, she silently slid into the hallway, down the stairs, and out the door into the night.

'Crow helped me so much,' she thought to herself as she stole down the dark street. 'Now it's my turn to do the same for this girl!'

The hours seemed to stretch on for longer than their value as Elodie searched the lonely streets of Satellite. At long-last, the first red rays of the sun appeared along the eastern horizon. As it began to rise higher and higher into the blue sky above, the bright rays cast long shadows into the streets and allies, but they also illuminated the dark spaces. It was in one of these dark spaces between an old, rusted-out dumpster and the back wall of a dead-end that Elodie found the teen she was looking for.

The girl, Naomi, was sleeping lightly on a large pile of old, forgotten flour sacks. Elodie approached her a little hesitantly, not wanting to wake her up, unsure what to do now. But that problem was solved for her when Naomi suddenly stirred, rolled onto her back, and opened her eyes.

"Man, that was a crazy dream," the girl muttered, rubbing the sunlight out of her eyes. "Duel gangs, and psychics, and giant zebras..."

"Oh my," Elodie finished in her best Dorothy voice to announce her presence. Naomi, startled, quickly say up to see the psychic standing just a few yards away in the alley, a small smile on her lips, shadowed by the rising sun.

"Oh," was all Naomi could say as she stared at Elodie, blinking in surprise. "Guess it wasn't a dream after all."

"No, sorry." Elodie chuckled, moving towards the girl as she jumped lightly to her feet. This was the first time Elodie had seen her in full light. Naomi was a very petite girl, a few inches shorter than Elodie, with light brown, shoulder-length hair covered by a navy blue stocking cap, and bright green eyes that were wary and full of suspicion. She wore mostly black, with a short-sleeved shirt, dark jeans that were slightly ripped, and fingerless gloves. It wasn't just her appearance that was dark, Elodie observed as she stopped just a few feet away from her. Naomi's aura was shrouded with darkness, with cold, unfeeling distrust and suspicion; it was just as Yusei had described. But there was also a spark of light buried deep inside her, dying to come out and shine. All of this reminded Elodie so much of how she had once been back in her dark days; the similarities pained her.

"So what do you want?" Naomi asked coldly.

"Well," Elodie started, taking a step forward, "You never really gave me a chance to thank you for saving my butt last night. I would have been dog chow if you hadn't turned up when you did."

Naomi shrugged. "Like I said: whatever."

The awkward silence that followed made Elodie feel even more hurt for the girl. Had she herself really been that cold and unfeeling once?

"Well, anyway," she continued, trying to break the silence, "my name is Elodie - Elodie Kumari."

Naomi glanced critically at Elodie's outstretched hand for a moment, and her suspicious green eyes lifted to meet her piercing hazel ones. Elodie was smiling pleasantly, but Naomi saw in her eyes resolute determination, and she knew this girl wasn't going to leave her alone until she got at least a name (for she didn't know Elodie already knew her name). She gave a long, exasperated sigh.

"Naomi Mori," she grumbled, shaking Elodie's hand. The two girls locked eyes and held each other's gaze for a long moment, green into hazel, each girl trying to read the mind and emotions of the other. Elodie, who was a psychic, had an easier job at this, and she already felt a strong connection to the smaller girl. Naomi, however, was at a disadvantage, as Elodie had just as good of a poker face as she herself did. All she could tell was that this was not a girl to underestimate or take lightly, and she was already determined not to trust her.

Elodie frowned at the girl's coldness. "You're afraid of me?"

"What?" Naomi scoffed. "Why would I be afraid of you?"

Raising an eyebrow cynically, Elodie allowed her psychic powers to show, making her eyes blaze amber and her voice turn dark and warped. "Does this give you any reminders?"

Naomi felt a light shudder run down her spine at this unnerving display of power, but she stuck her chin out defiantly and declared, "So you're a psychic; why should I fear you?"

"Most people do when they see someone bring illustrations from a piece of paper to life."

"Well, I'm not 'most people,'" Naomi retorted. "I'm not afraid of you."

Elodie smiled, her eyes dimming back to hazel. "Good. I'm glad to hear it," she responded as her voice returned to normal. "I thought you would be different."

Naomi nodded once. "So is bringing monsters to life all you can do?" she asked. She couldn't help but feel curious, despite all the warnings going off in her brain.

"I wish sometimes," Elodie replied grimly. "I can also read auras and have visions about the past, present, and future."

"For real?"

"Yup. Believe me: it's no picnic."

"Why not?" Naomi asked.

Elodie smiled again, pleased by her curiosity. "It just makes things complicated. These powers do have their perks, as you saw last night, but seeing the future and seeing other people's auras the way I can also tends to a burden. It's been getting better, though, because I'm learning how to control them more."

Naomi frowned. She didn't like the sound of this girl being able to read people's hearts and emotions; that made her feel more vulnerable then she ever cared for. Elodie, sensing Naomi's uneasiness, quickly changed the subject.

"Did you really sleep on flour sacks all night?" she asked, looking to the pile in the corner.

"Yeah."

"Do you sleep here every night?"

"What's it to you?"

Elodie stared at Naomi for a moment before she understood. "Oh, I see. You're a wanderer."

"I repeat: What's it to you?" Naomi snapped.

"Nothing. It's just... haven't you ever tried to find a permanent home? Or at least a place with a decent bed?"

Naomi snorted. "Tell me where I can find a place like that, and I'll consider it."

"Actually," Elodie smiled, "I have plenty of room where I'm staying."

Naomi gave a start; that was the last thing she had expected. "Oh yeah? And where might that be?"

"There's an old, abandoned apartment complex a few miles from here. I'm living there with a few of my friends; we have some orphans staying with us, but there are still plenty of empty rooms you could choose from. We have electricity and everything."

Naomi's eyebrows traveled further and further up her brow with every word Elodie spoke. "You're seriously offering to let me live with you?"

"Why not?" Elodie asked, spreading her hands out. "Like I said: We've got lots of room. And besides, you did save my life; it's the least I can do."

Naomi stared at the psychic for the longest time, as if she was wondering just what planet the girl had come from. Then she shook her head and spoke coldly, "I think I'll pass."

Naomi stalked past Elodie and out into the open street. The sun had fully risen now, and the warmth seemed to embrace the girl as she stepped out of the shadows. She had only barely started walking, however, when Elodie appeared at her side.

"Will you just leave me alone?" Naomi snapped angrily.

"But why did you decline my invitation?" Elodie persisted.

"Oh, gee, I don't know," replied Naomi sarcastically. "What are your freaky soul-reading powers telling you?"

"I'll tell you if you answer my question."

"I just did."

"That wasn't an answer. That was you trying to get out of answering."

"That has to be the smartest thing you've said all morning."

Elodie sighed. Had she really given Crow as much trouble as Naomi was giving her? She was starting to feel sorry for what she had put Crow through. "Look, Naomi," she continued moving to block her path. "You don't trust people. I get that. But can't you at least give me a chance? I'm trying to help you."

"I don't need any help, thank you very much."

"Now that's a big lie."

"Ugh!" Naomi cried in frustration. "Why should I give you a chance at anything? I don't even know you!"

"That didn't stop you from saving me last night," Elodie returned.

Naomi was silent. She moved forward to walk around Elodie again, but the psychic merely started walking backwards in front of her, staying right in her path.

"I gotcha there, didn't I?" she pointed out smartly. "Why did you save me last night if you didn't even know me?"

"Ya really wanna know?" Naomi shot at her. "It was because you jumped right over my head while you were running last night. When I saw you were being chased, my conscience got the better of me. So if you want to thank someone, thank Jiminy Cricket!"

"Elodie couldn't help but smile at the Disney reference. "Sorry, Pinocchio, but that was all you. Despite everything you've been through, you really do have some goodness left in you."

Naomi came to an abrupt halt, staring at the girl in front of her. "What the deck is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I mean," Elodie replied grimly, folding her arms across her chest. "Your heart isn't completely stone-cold. After everything you've been through, you really do still know how to care. And that's why you saved me."

Naomi's eyes shot poisonous darts as she glared furiously at the psychic, her hands on her hips. "What do you know about my past?" she demanded.

"Absolutely nothing," Elodie answered simply. "And I'm not asking you to tell me your whole life story. But I can feel in your heart exactly what you have suffered, and that's enough to tell me that we both come from similar backgrounds. I just want you to know that I understand how you feel, and I want to help."

Naomi snarled fiercely, turned on her heel, and stalked away, yelling back over her shoulder, "Don't tell me you understand! I barely even know you! you have NO IDEA what I've been through!"

"Yes, actually I do!" Elodie called, jogging to keep up with the other girl. "You've been betrayed by people who were close to you; you've lost people you cared deeply about. You've been hunted and persecuted for things beyond your control; you know the pain of going hungry, of being left in the cold, of having no one by your side when everything goes wrong. You know how it feels to have the whole world against you."

Naomi stopped in her tracks. Every word Elodie had spoken felt like a punch in the gut. No one had ever pinpointed her feelings so accurately, let alone put them into words for her to hear. She turned and looked into Elodie's serene, resolute hazel eyes and saw the truth and emotion in them.

"But you want to know the difference between you and me?" Elodie continued. "You, Naomi, haven't had anyone to show you that there is still good in the world. You haven't had a friend bring you back to the light or teach you how to trust again. Believe me, Naomi, I know how it feels to be trapped in a world of cold suspicion and distrust. It's like a prison; you want to see the light, but you don't have anyone to guide you to it, and no matter how hard you try to escape, you can't do it on you own."

Elodie held up one of her fists to show Naomi the blackbird charm bracelet on her wrist. "This was given to me just a few months ago by someone who helped free me from that prison. He taught me how to fly again and let me tell you: There's no better feeling in the world. After all the betrayal and loss and cruelty I have suffered, I thought I was hopeless. I thought no one could be trusted and that I had to take on the world alone. But one person made a difference in my life and showed me the truth: Anything is possible when you have good friends by your side. You just have to be willing to believe that it's worth the risk of betrayal." Elodie smiled. "You've already seen how stubborn I am, Naomi. If I can learn to put my trust in others again, then hope for you is far from lost."

Naomi stared stonily at the girl before her. She could see the truth in her eyes and hear the sincerity in her voice, and part of her was dying to believe what she was saying. But another part of her reminded her of everything that had happened to her, everything she had lost, everything she couldn't get back...

"So what?" she asked bitterly. "Are you saying you're going to be the one to 'bring me to the light' and 'show me how to trust again?' Good luck with that!"

Elodie stared at her passively for a moment... then she headed back down the street, walking away from the smaller girl. Naomi watched her as she stopped a few yards away and turned back. "Come on," Elodie spoke, beckoning Naomi toward her. "There are some things I want to show you."

Naomi stayed rooted to the spot on the concrete. "What sort of things?"

"If you won't believe my story, then I'm going to show it to you. I want you to see it all for yourself."

Naomi snorted. "Give me one good reason why I should go anywhere with you!"

Elodie merely raised an eyebrow at her. "Why? You got something better to do?"

Naomi opened her mouth to retort, and then closed it again. Without another word, Elodie turned and kept walking.

Naomi stared after her, arguing with herself over what to do. Part of her wanted to turn around and forget everything that had just happened, but the Jiminy Cricket part of her was telling her to follow Elodie. What might she learn, what might she discover, if she went with her? Could everything she had said be true? Strangely enough, Naomi found herself thinking that Elodie was right. There was something about the light in her eyes and how confidently she had spoken to her that made the Satellite girl think that she might be different from everyone else she had met. It was obvious she knew what she was talking about; in fact, Elodie Kumari really reminded her of another teen, a boy with raven hair and shocking sapphire eyes, who had tried to convince her of the same thing Elodie was speaking of...

Making up her mind, Naomi took off at a jog to catch up to Elodie and fell in step beside her. "Fine," Naomi stated. "I'll come with you. But that doesn't mean I trust you."

Elodie nodded. "That's fine by me."

Naomi had no idea where they were going or what she would learn, but she did know that she would regret not taking this chance. She had to know for herself. She had to find the truth. And if Elodie believed she could give Naomi that, then she decided she could take the risk.

FS93: WOW. I'm glad I proofread this... So many typos! *Facepalms*

EK94: Okay, so we know we haven't quite gotten to the plot yet, but, hey, it's only the second chapter for one thing! For another, you have to get to know the charas in case you haven't read our other stories involving them.

FS93: Which also means that you're gonna have to hang with us for a bit to see any action. I promise it'll be worth it. The next few chapters aren't quite as interesting as when all the kidnapping, and blowing things *ahdfoiewkndkgiwei*

EK94: *Clamps hand over Star's mouth* WHAT ARE YOU DOING? ? YOU'RE GOING TO RUIN THE STORY FOR THEM! ! *Coughs* Ahem. Please review^^