It's been a few days since I last wrote here. I can't be writing all the time, after all. I'm a very busy girl after all!

But, I did go out on a search mission yesterday, and was it a good haul! I even managed to find some pants that were actually *too* long for my brother's legs! He'll be so happy that his ankles won't show anymore!

Yuiko even managed to find measuring tape, the kind that people used to use in stores to measure clothes, right? Her mother used to own a clothing boutique, so she knows how to measure people properly. Now everyone is getting measured for clothes, so that we know what to look for next time. Shun didn't look too happy about being measured, or it could be that Yuiko was the one doing it, especially when she kept commenting on his long 'stork' legs. He said she's one to talk, considering she just barely reaches his chin.

Yuiko fired back to him "At least she has some meat on her, unlike you who's nothing but skin and legs!"

Everyone laughed at that. Everyone except for Shun, who just glared at her. When it was my turn, she measured me in all the same places, save for one. She measured around my chest twice, taking note of the measurements there.

"You're still so tiny and cute, Ruri!" she said to me, pinching my cheek. "Here's to hoping that stork legs don't run in your family. You need to grow up into a hot buxom babe that has to chase all the boys off with a stick, after all!"

I know my face was really red based on how much everyone else was laughing or seconding Yuiko's comment with cheers of encouragement to keep all the boys off. My brother, however, was far from amused. His fist clenched and he bit down on his lip, but he didn't say anything. Instead he turned on his heel and walked outside, pulling out a map of Heartland.

Feeling bad about what Yuiko had said, I followed him outside, taking this notebook with me and sat down beside him. We didn't even have to say anything, just sitting down beside each other was enough. Probably more out of habit and not breaking his concentration, his arm came around my shoulders and pulled me in closer. He tended to do that often when we were alone, especially after that day, three years ago. It gave both of us a good scare, that day. Not knowing where he was, him not knowing where I was while both of the schools were in chaos and panicking.

I was with Yuuto at the time, running from Academia's soldiers that had invaded our school. Both of us had jumped out of a high window to get away and neither of us were spared injuries because of it. Yuuto's hand was still bleeding from breaking the window and I had twisted my ankle from the fall.

We couldn't sit still for long though. All around us, the buildings were being demolished by machine-like Duel Monsters, with the damage being very real. Fires breaking out everywhere, water pipes busting and shooting water into the sky, large chunks of stone and glass plunging to the ground and shattering into a million pieces.

We knew that we had to get out of there.

Despite his bloody hand, he still helped me onto his back, carrying me the best he could since I couldn't walk on my ankle, much less run. In the meantime, since I still had my D-Gazer, I tried to call anyone that could help us. I tried calling the police, my parents, even Shun. But, none of my calls were getting through. All I could get was static. Even setting it to Duel Mode to seek out an opponent, searching for Shun specifically, all I could get was loud, crackling static. I told Yuuto about it, that I couldn't get through on either network. He then said that the next best thing they could do was find her parents or the police if they couldn't be reached over the D-Gazer. My mom would have been at home, I remembered and my dad would have been at work. But, the more likely road would be to go to the police, the closest station being one transit stop away.

Having a direction to go, Yuuto got a better hold of me and began to run again, towards the middle school and across its lawn. It looked as though the soldiers had ransacked here too with parts of the building on fire and falling debris everywhere. I remember holding tighter onto Yuuto, hoping and praying that my brother was all right. Maybe he thought of the same thing, to go to the police for help and we could meet him.

But, fate had other plans for us. Of course it did.

We heard screaming again, causing Yuuto to immediately go against the wall, trying to conceal both of us. We saw middle school students running by, all of the classes mixing together in the chaos. There was no way that either of us could find Shun in all of that mess, and that purple light kept erupting in random directions, people dropping to the ground as cards. Both of us were frozen with fear. The purple light seemed to be coming from the direction of the school's entrance, the only way out of the area. Yuuto gently set me on my feet again, moving us to a nearby bush to hide. It couldn't hide both of us very well, but Yuuto stayed on the outside edge, shielding me the best he could. He was still bleeding heavily, glass shards were still deeply stuck inside his hand. I remember feeling so hopeless then. My closest friend was bleeding and bruised, I didn't know where my brother was, or if I would ever see him, my family, or anyone else again.

Even after everything that had happened before, this, I remember, is when I finally started breaking down and crying. Neither of us knew what to do, we were trapped in the open as two defenseless little kids.

It was then that a lone Academia soldier spotted us, a grin appearing on his face. "Looks like some little brats made it out of the first building after all," he said, slowly approaching us and lifting his Duel Disk into position. Both of us froze in fear, too stunned to even move.

"Well, we certainly can't have that, now can we?"

I braced myself behind Yuuto, closing my eyes tightly with tears streaming. I was so scared in that moment, even screaming would've be pointless.

Just as the light began to glow, the attacker gasped and choked in pain while falling to ground, along with a broken Duel Disk, unconscious.

Honestly, I was never more relieved to hear Yuuto call out 'Kurosaki-sempai' in my life, as there was only one person that Yuuto would call by that name. He seemed surprised to hear it too, recognizing Yuuto's voice. When Shun called out to him as he was removing the remains of his broken Duel Disk, Yuuto moved aside to let me stand again. When he realized that I was there, he called out my name too, much louder and full of desperation than for Yuuto and hurried over to us. I tried to meet him halfway, but my twisted ankle prevented me from moving very quickly. He didn't seem to care, only pulling me tightly into his arms once he was close enough, tighter than he had ever hugged me before. I was hugging him too, clinging so tightly I could feel my fingers going numb. I was crying too, telling him how scared I was and how I couldn't reach him or Mom and Dad through my D-Gazer and how everyone in my class was being turned into cards. He continued to hold onto me tightly for a few more moments, listening to me and trying to comfort the best he could. He was shaking too, I could feel it. He had to watch his friends and classmates being turned into cards left and right, helpless to stop any of it. Even when his teacher had challenged the attackers, his Duel Disk wouldn't register his opponent, or even did any real damage. They attacked in a group, so quickly that his teacher was rapidly overwhelmed, defeated, and turned into a card. Shun had been lucky to escape with his life, not knowing which of his classmates had escaped as well and which ones had been turned into cards.

Once we both had a chance to calm down, Yuuto told him of our previous plan, to go into the city and find the police. Shun had nodded, agreeing it was a good plan, but he didn't know how we were going to get past the goons at the gates, not to mention that me and Yuuto were still injured.

We came to a compromise for the time. We would find a place to hide, I remember, to wait out the onslaught until it was over since our main way of escaping was blocked. The only question was where we could hide. Hearing more distance screams moved all of us into action. Shun insisted on being the one to carry me this time. Yuuto was reluctant at first, but gave in, stepping aside to give us room. Shun did get me on his back, but I couldn't help but notice a large bruise starting to form on his arm, where his Duel Disk used to be. It gave him a little bit of trouble when he was supporting my legs, but he refused to acknowledge it, to either me or Yuuto. And Yuuto, noticing my brother's arm, though not saying anything, still gave him an incredulous look.

We travelled around for what felt like hours, everywhere we went, Academia soldiers were there, guarding various other gates to the schools, watching for anyone that was trying to escape. We were very lucky to get as far as we did, getting into the school's now abandoned cafeteria courtyard, piles of rubble, ash, and cards everywhere. It was a sad sight, a place that once teamed with so much life, whether it was with duels or with just other kids hanging around, to see it abandon and destroyed beyond compare…

Shun tightened his fist under my leg and clenched his teeth. It hurt him too, seeing the place that was filled with our memories, it was tough to look at. Yuuto looked especially pained, seeing the place where we first really talked to each other uprooted and ablaze.

Like the courtyard outside, when we went inside to the cafeteria proper, it was abandoned and in shambles, upturned tables, broken chairs, and more cards everywhere. Shun and Yuuto had to tread carefully, to make sure they didn't trip on anything. We finally settled into the kitchen area, locking and bracing the door against intruders. We then found the kitchen's first aid kit, so we immediately got to work on each other's injuries with many hisses and muffled groans ensuing. After a while, I tried to reach anyone I could on my D-Gazer again, both in Duel Mode and in Call Mode, to anyone at all, but to no avail. All that was there was the sharp crackling static again.

All three of us sat on the floor, looking lost. And, like now, Shun had his arm around my shoulders, holding me close while I sniffled quietly and wiped my eyes. I don't even remember how long we stayed in the kitchen, especially since there was only one small window and it was dark by the time the noises finally died down. It was darker than I ever remembered seeing it before.

We found out later that power had been cut out from the entire city, bringing it to a complete stand still. Transit trains couldn't run anymore, all calling and dueling networks were down, water and gas lines were all messed up beyond repair. The worst part about it was that it had happened so quickly. There were no signs, no warnings, no anything. Just, Heartland being plunged into chaos and terror. We couldn't even figure out why it was happening.

Where did Academia even come from? What did they even want with us? Or, worse yet, why did they want to destroy us?

Even now, three years later, those questions were still unanswered. The only thing we do know is that they wanted us all dead. No negotiation, not even a complete surrender. Just complete and utter annihilation. They want every single one of us dead, no questions asked.

Shun's hand just tightened on my shoulder. The others were calling us inside for dinner. I hadn't even realized it was that late already. Shun then removed his hand from my shoulder and put his map away and we both headed inside.

Academia may have greatly broken us, crippled us beyond repair, but we are never going to give up. We're going to get Heartland back. They can take all they want from us, but they can't break our spirit. Heartland will live on, forever! No Fusion scum bastard is going to take that away from us, ever!