Welcome back. I'm not going to say much today, but I will say I have been informed that Sidney doesn't have enough flaws. Well I do have one so far: She's a klutz. But, I'm sure I can think of some other ones, too. Also, I am still looking for an illustrator. Remember, it doesn't have to be a scene from a current chapter. That's all for today.

The sun was high in the sky , Leo, and Luna had gone back to the twin's apartment to eat lunch. They each sat at the small square table with everything set out and ready to go. Leo was very quiet; he barely even touched his food and seemed to be withdrawn in his mind. Luna knew this wasn't like him at all.

"What's wrong, Leo? You love food as much as you love dueling! You're not sick are you?" Leo twirled a piece of salad with his fork as he looked off in the distance.

"I guess I've been a little bothered lately, that's all." He admitted. Yusei also expressed concern for him. Luna put her hand on Leo's arm.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Leo looked at Luna. "Not really. But… You might want to hear it anyway."

Luna nodded.

"I've been having nightmares lately."

Luna was puzzled. Leo sighed. "No, it's not what you think."

"Ok then, what is it?"

"These dreams are so real, it's like it's actually happening…" He began, shaking. Luna reassured him. He continued.

"It always starts out the same. I dreamt that Jack Atlas, The Black Rose, Goodwin, you, and Yusei are all standing around an enormous statue of a dragon. But then, blood starts coming out of the Dragon's eyes. And…And…"

"It's ok, Leo, you don't have to…"

"And then, all of a sudden, you're all dead, lying on the ground in a pool of blood at the Dragon's feet. Except for Goodwin…He's standing on the dragon's head smiling. But, he's wearing weird clothes and has a symbol on his arm…sort of like what you and Yusei have… New Domino City is on fire and….the dragon statue is moving and it's going to kill everyone…to make the world anew in Goodwin's image."

Yusei noticed this was not the way Leo normally talked.

"Wait… there's was one more thing. The dragon started talking, and it was still crying blood… it said this is not what it was meant for... and there was whispering in the background…but it was in a different language I've never heard. But that's all I remember, I swear."

Luna whimpered. "That's pretty scary Leo. Do you have any idea why you are having the dream?"

Leo slammed his fists on the table. "I don't know!"

Yusei rested his hand on Leo's head. "Calm down, Leo. It's not a bad thing if you don't know. But, it seems so strange…"

Luna turned to Yusei. "What is?"

"It seems like the kind of dream one of us should be having. Leo doesn't have a mark that we've seen so far…all of those who do were all at the Fortune Cup…or at least knew something about it…except for him."

"What does it mean Yusei? Tell me!" Leo pleaded with him.

"I'm not entirely sure, but it sounds like a warning. Especially one about Goodwin."

"That makes sense." Leo sighed.

"So, are you going to eat your lunch or what?" Luna smiled cheerfully at him, trying to inject him with positive energy.

Leo looked at his food hungrily and started wolfing it down. "You bet I am!"

"So Yusei, have you gotten any word on your friends?" Luna asked. Yusei's friends from the satellite were taken and it was because of this that he participated in the Fortune Cup. He didn't know much at this point…only that he needed to confront Goodwin and Jack and find out where his friends were.

"Not yet…but I'm going to find out."

…

Sidney's new room was rather plain, but spacious and very comfortable. The walls were a pastel blue with orange trim running where the hardwood floor met the wall. There was a dresser and a nightstand, and a roomy closet in the back. A simple full-sized bed was in the left corner and had nice red-orange linen sheets. The movers had just finished helping her unpack and were now collecting the cardboard boxes.

She was now dressed in very simple attire consisting of a white t-shirt a pair of blue jeans, and red and white Nike tennis shoes.

The teenager picked up an old-fashioned black photo album she had left on her bed as the last box was carried away. On the front under the title was a photo of her mother and father and herself an infant. Her mother held her closely wrapped up in a pink blanket as she lay in her hospital bed, and her father was next to her with his hand stroking Sidney's forehead. She remembered her dad telling her the picture was taken a few hours after she was born, that it was one of the only moments when all of them were really together as a family, it was one of the few times he saw her mother happy before she left.

Her father was a somewhat skinny, pale man. He had worn contact lenses over his ruddy auburn eyes, whose color was much like hers. His wheat blonde hair was combed back. He had his goatee and he was wearing the business red suit he had also worn the last time Sidney had seen her father alive. Her mother had a darker brown color to her curly hair, and her eyes were more of a watery green. Her skin had a tan from working hard outside as an architect.

It was never known to her why her mother had disappeared a year later. But, it made her angry. Her mother had a wonderful life and she just threw it all away. Or at least, that is what she assumed. Her father was actually a very proud and happy man other than things that had regarded Sidney's mother. But, he was overconfident and cocky when facing those terrorists and that's what got him killed, she thought. Her parents had left her all alone in the world, and she often felt she had been abandoned after the death of her father. He was the rock. Whenever she was bullied in school, which was on a suspiciously regular basis (she was considered the queen of nerds, squares, and weirdoes, at least in her mind), he was there for her when a friend was nowhere to be found. She would still cry sometimes when she thought of him, and she was extremely sensitive whenever the subject of her family would come up.

The sound of footsteps could be heard and she assumed it was Goodwin coming to check in on her. She stashed the book in the drawer of her nightstand. The last thing she wanted him doing was getting her worked up and exposing that she was vulnerable. NOBODY should know she could be hurt.

Goodwin knocked on the door. "Sidney, are you comfortable?"

"I guess so." She mumbled. She had swapped her photo album for a beaten up issue of X-Men. The teen also had pulled out a stack of other comics, including Ouran Host Club, Wonder Woman, Spider Man, Pokemon, and Code Geass.

"I was going to send a servant to tell you that Dinner will be ready soon, but I thought it would be worth it to check in and tell you myself." He smiled coyly. Sidney didn't bother to look at him, but nodded to let him know she was listening.

As he left, he noticed her eyes were still, she was obviously hiding something and didn't want him to know. It didn't matter to Goodwin now, but it may be important to find out later. So far, everything was going smoothly, and he hoped to keep it that way.

"I'll be down in half an hour." She called after him.

…

In the dining room, Goodwin had just sat down at the table when Lazar had walked into the room with scheming thoughts running across his face. The director invited him to sit down next to him. The two of them often had meetings like this when nobody else was around, in order that the most secret of plans not fall into the wrong hands.

"So, has all the moving been completed?" Lazar inquired.

"Yes, all her things are here now and dinner is coming. You're welcome to stay if you like." Goodwin offered.

"I'm sorry to say this, but I can't stay long. I've been requested to oversee an event tonight, if you recall, Mr. Goodwin."

"Ah, it had slipped my mind, I apologize. Speaking of which, what is it you want to tell me, Lazar?"

The assistant got a wicked smile and chuckled.

"It's about Jack Atlas. I believe this information might be useful to our plans now that Miss Clay-Jacques is in the picture." Lazar eluded the point playfully. Goodwin was not impressed and gave Lazar a look the intimidated him. So, Lazar continued.

"It has been apparent from my observation and from the word of others that Mr. Atlas has an interest in her…you may think I suggest something sentimental but…I am thinking of something more carnal in nature." Lazar tried his best to put it as eloquently as possible, but Goodwin got the message.

"I see…but this sounds more like something that would hinder rather than help us." Goodwin hoped that Lazar had something more useful, but he wasn't finished.

"It may not seem like it would be helpful now, but perhaps we could use it as a mechanism to keep Sidney under control should she step out of line…"

"That hasn't been a problem yet, Lazar, and we don't know if it will be." Goodwin's tone was a bit irritated.

"I did some research. Apparently the girl was considered a very bright individual in school, although her P.E. grades I was informed were barely passing. Anyways, I spoke with some people who have known her and they say she has a rebellious streak in her and that she is very opinionated. She got it from her father, I am told."

"This is wasting my time, Lazar. However, I assure you if she does show resistance I will certainly take you up on any offers."

"Wait! I just had an idea, Mr. Goodwin. Sidney's powers haven't surfaced yet, but her marks were revealed again when she fell from the hospital window. But, Yusei was there to catch her. What if she wasn't sure anyone was going to come to her rescue? Perhaps by putting her in a stressful situation we can uncover more than that."

"I understand. But, we mustn't resort to such barbarity. If she is rebellious as you say, it won't take long for her to be in a situation all by herself. If this is so, I need someone to follow her and see if anything happens… or find someway to track her otherwise…I'll ask Zigzix what he has available in the morning."

Goodwin thanked Lazar for coming and had him escorted out.

It's true that unless the powers of the Star Princess are awakened, we cannot tap into them… Perhaps there is another way to use Jack in this now… Being his sponsor was a good cover to hide my plans for awhile… at least from the general public. But that won't last forever…

…

Akiza had been lying awake in her bed that night for hours. Her flowing rose hair had fallen over her blazing eyes. She pulled the blankets tighter around her body as she listened to the silence, the only companion in her room. Her eyes began to droop and sleep was welcoming her to her escape at last. A dream began.

Akiza was walking along a seemingly empty road, with walls of vines and thorns on either side. The sun burned hot above her head. Roses were wilted along the side of the road and petals floated and were carried away by occasional gusts of wind.

She looked at her shadow, and gasped. The shadow was not her own, but she recognized a female shape. The shadow however copied her as a shadow should. It was until she heard strange whispers in the wind in an unfamiliar language that she spoke.

"Who's there?" She demanded. The shadow detached itself from her and started running up the road. It slowly began to solidify and take a three dimensional shape. It looked like a regular person now, but they were still black and had only outline details as the shadow had before.

The woman opened her arms wide and spoke to Akiza. Her voice echoed like she was speaking into a microphone.

"You don't have to be afraid."

"What? What do you mean? Answer me!"

The girl walked closer to her, with her arms still open. "You don't have to listen to what they say about you…I know you're not a witch."

Akiza looked away. "Leave me alone! You don't know…"

When she looked back again, they were stand face to face and the girl had embraced her, giving her a gentle squeeze. She could see a giant red dragon made of flames hovering above them.

"This is my fault. If I had known this would happen I would have never chosen you. I know you want to use your power for good, but you have to really mean it, and you need to understand to causing other people pain won't make them understand you any better. I won't take your mark away because I know you can make things right… I know you can learn control." Her mark of the dragon's foreclaw appeared on her arm.

"All I ask is that you open your heart. There are people who want to be your friends and they can help you…no matter what has happened, there have been people who have loved you… and…I love you, Akiza."

Well, that's all we have for today folks. I guess we didn't get to see any Star Princess power in that episode either. But I PROMISE I will reveal at least one power in the next chapter. I will make it a lot longer than the other chapters so far if necessary to keep that promise. And NO, it will not be something that's OMG super-powerful mary-sue power. But, to be honest, I don't care. It will be awesome, though. Awesome is good. That was just a note for the fanfiction snobs. Also, still looking for an illustrator. Have a nice day.