08/17/2016

Those Who Endure

Chapter 8: New Faces

The dark night in Neo Domino City was best throughout since, despite the tall buildings, the bright stars still shined like diamonds like a huge blanket that covered the Earth.

Among the people of this thinking was a certain Signer who pondered a lot of things while riding his Duel Runner.

"This speed isn't good enough." Yusei spoke after making his Runner go faster.

He was testing out the new engine that he, Jack and Crow had been working on for the past four months, but they had met with failure after each built one. "From what Naruto said and I saw during their Duel, Vizor reached a new level of speed that's never been done before except him. My Duel Runner must be faster. I need to build a new engine that'll surpass the limits no matter what!"

And his Duel Runner wasn't the only one that needed an upgrade.

Naruto had taken his Duel Runner to Yusei and asked him to fix the tires, body and most importantly, the engine. Five times had Naruto brought Kurama to Yusei for repairs and those repairs came after each of the blonde's Turbo Duels. Especially the last one had struck real damage to the Runner.

So for the time being, Yusei suggested that Kurama should be restrained from Turbo Duels for a while to relieve stress on the machine and Naruto himself.

"…" Yusei tightened his grip on the handlebar. "I want to duel him. I really want to." A growl emanated from above, causing him to look up with a fondly smile as Stardust Dragon hovered while Yusei turned to get off the Duel Lane. "And you want to face his Magicians. Perhaps when this is all over, the time will be right."

*Beep**Beep**Beep*

"Right now, I have to be somewhere."

With a subtle gesture and kick, Yusei accelerated to reach the destination where he and his friends were invited for dinner by two unsuspecting people.

TWExTWExTWE

Restaurante de Aphrodite

Yusei, Jack and Crow was sitting across from their hosts, Trudge and Mina who looked nervous about something. The awkward silence was broken by the arrival of delicious food by the waiters who apologized for the wait time.

Crow was the first to dig in with sparkling eyes. "Thank you for the food!" He took several bites before pausing, "I don't know what's this about but—" The Blackwing Duelist looked at his quiet friends. "—Hey come on, guys. Dig in!" He continued to stuff the delicious food. "Whoever made this is a god!"

"This is a bit strange." Jack spoke with folded arms as Mina and Trudge suddenly coughed. "Very strange."

After a cough, the slightly-on-edged Mina stuttered, "W-what do you mean?" Yusei answered her question.

"When growing up, Martha always told me 'Nothing in this world is free. Be thankful to those who speak strict words to you. Watch out for a person who talks too nicely'." Yusei politely answered.

"I agree with Yusei here." Jack supported, "You two wouldn't treat us like this unless there's a reason. And there's always a reason." The two Security officers grew more nervous, confirming his suspicions.

"I think you're a little paranoid there, Jack. Can't we just treat the people who saved our city to an outing?" Trudge asked, trying desperately to dodge the topic.

Jack gave an incredulous stare back at the Security member. "So there are no strings attached to this meal." He stated rather than asking.

After sharing a hesitant glance with Mina, Trudge reluctantly spoke, "The truth is I have a small favor to ask of you three."

"I knew it/Called it." Both Jack and Yusei answered.

Mina stepped in the conversation. "It's really nothing too difficult." She paused a little. "It's just that… we found a person with memory loss earlier in the week. Since we couldn't find any traces of anyone or a missing persons report, Trudge and I were wondering if you three can take care of him."

"And why should we do something like that?" asked Yusei curiously. Mina sighed a little before answering him.

"Right now, Neo Domino City is busy with the tourists and Turbo Duelists for the upcoming Grand Prix." Mina said before finishing with, "It'll just be for a little while."

Jack sighed as his response. "In case you haven't noticed, our garage isn't a hotel."

"Besides…" Crow spoke after he swallowed a big chunk of stew, "We can't take care of anyone right now, anyways."

"Then what about your friends? Akiza or Naruto?" Trudge asked for alternatives.

Crow paused his eating and sent a deadpanned look. "Oh I'm sure Akiza and her folks will be happy to have an amnesiac stranger in their home. As for Naruto, he's busy with school and helping his mom with the pregnancy. Sorry, Trudge and Mina, but no dice."

"Yusei, please." Trudge begged the Signer who shook his head 'no'.

Mina looked at her crush and begged as well. "Please, Jack. Will you—"

"Nope."

"This is unreal!" An angered Trudge stood from his seat after the refusals. "You three are being treated to a meal like this and you still plan to refuse our request."

Crow, after finally finishing his meal, blinked rapidly a few times as he thought about the amnesiac person. "Speaking of which, where is the guy?"

"*Sigh* We don't know. He should've been here a long time ago." Trudge answered honestly. Crow simply shrugged his shoulders as he put his plate away from him.

"Then there's nothing we can do since he's not here." Crow stated lowly as he and his friends got up from their seats. "Thanks for the meal though."

"Good bye, Trudge and Mina. Take care of yourselves." Yusei bid the duo as he left with his friends.

On the way out, Crow stopped one of the waiters and asked him, "What's the name of the chef who made our meal?"

"Ah! His name is Joichiro Yukihira." The waiter answered with a smile. "His cooking is amazing!"

"I can vouch for that." Crow patted his belly. "Tell him I'll come back again with all my friends."

"Crow!"

"Coming!" Crow bid farewell to the waiter.

That same waiter went into the kitchen where he found the chef making the next batch of the restaurant's meal and told him of their customer's satisfaction.

"WHERE IS HE?! I MUST HAVE HIM TASTE ONE OF MY NEW DISHES I JUST THOUGHT OF!"

"NO!" The entire staff, even the restaurant owner, came inside the kitchen and shouted at the downtrodden nomad chef.

TWExTWExTWE

Fountain Plaza

"Huh…"

"What is it, Naruto?"

The grinning blonde looked up at the sky with a sense of pride. "Feels like a group of people shut down someone I know and his ideas." He looked at Diana who was dressed in a long, pink skirt with a light blue long-sleeved shirt and high heels Akiza gave to her as a gift. "So how'd you enjoy your first concert, Diana?"

Naruto's music friends, Fuuka and her boyfriend Yuu, had given him tickets for their first official debut in the Neo Domino Stadium where the Grand Prix is going to be held in the upcoming weeks. Originally, his parents were supposed to go with him and Diana, but Misaki was way into her pregnancy so it was best to let her rest at home instead.

For Yusei and the others, they had other plans: Akiza was spending time with her relatives who were visiting from Hokkaido; Leo and Luna's parents were in town; Yusie, Jack and Crow had been invited to dinner by Mina and Trudge. So it was just him and Diana.

The Duel Spirit smiled at him as she hopped up and down while they trekked down the street. "It was so fun! I thought it would be so loud from TV, but it's not as loud. Plus, the merchandise is cool!" Diana happily responded while holding up the bags in her hands.

"Sure the merchandise is cool, but at the cost of my allowance!" Naruto turned his head to avoid showing Diana his crocodile tears. "Bye bye, Restaurant Yukihira. I'll come visit you next month then." He quickly regained his posture as Diana turned to him. "Anyway, ready to head back home?"

"Yep!"

The duo continued their way to the Ea Household ahead of them. Diana always returns to her home world when she visits him and his parents after school. Speaking of his parents…

"I WANT MORE ICE CREAM!"

"But honey, you already ate 6 buckets—"

"ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT?!"

"N-n-n-n-n-no! No! I mean it's just that you tend to eat more when you're rounding out—"

"WHAT!"

A sweat-dropped Naruto and Diana stared at the door while sounds of chairs breaking, glass shattering and curses rang from inside the family house. They then swiftly turned left to walk towards Yusei's garage and opened the front door after finding the key in one of the hiding places. Inside the garage was Kurama which was still being repaired by Yusei after that Turbo Duel with Lester.

After grabbing drinks from the mini-fridge, Naruto and Diana soon made themselves comfortable on the new Victorian-style couch in the second floor that Joshua had uncovered during one of the explorations he found while Naruto was eight.

"I love my mom and all, but I'm not going anywhere near her when she's that hungry. I wonder if she was like that when she was pregnant with me." Naruto wondered.

"She might've been worse."

An annoyed Naruto turned his head to Diana who stuck her tongue. "What does that mean?"

"You know."

"No I don't actually."

The clearly annoyed Naruto stared at the giggling Diana who winked at him for his reaction. Their little debate was soon interrupted by the engine of a Duel Runner followed by two more similar engines.

"Sounds like they're here." Naruto said. He and Diana walked downstairs where Jack, Crow and Yusei surrounded their new guest. "Who is he?"

The guy had a soft face and pretty much looked like a pacifist. He had unkempt blue hair and indigo eyes while wearing a white and blue jacket with a yellow trim and front pockets, a blue t-shirt with a large horizontal white stripe, blue jeans and a pair of blue-outlined white sneakers.

"His name's Bruno. Apparently he has amnesia. So Mina and Trudge decided to dump him on us until the Grand Prix is over." Crow answered before realizing he was there. "Naruto! How did you get in here?!" Naruto lifted his hand and showed the key. "Where'd you get a key?!"

"From one of the hiding spots around the building."

"Not the one at the top of the birdhouse on the roof?" Crow asked all flabbergasted and shocked.

"Yeah, that one!" Naruto answered happily, so proud of his accomplishment.

As for Yusei, Jack and Bruno, they oddly looked at the beaming Naruto holding back Crow at arms length…literally. "It took me three hours to reach and put that up there!"

"Then you must not be a good climber to begin with, huh?"

"You—"

"Back to the matter here…" Jack interrupted their little debate before turning to Bruno. "What did you do to my Duel Runner?"

"What did he do to Jack's Runner?" Diana asked Crow whom gave up trying to kill Naruto.

The annoyed and clearly angered Signer answered instead. "Suddenly my Duel Runner's power has increased after I caught him playing with it at the garage." Needless to say that Yusei and the others were surprised by this information.

"A-all I did was adjust the computer a bit." Bruno stuttered a little, still afraid of the tall blonde in front of him.

"How'd you do that? Yusei's been trying to boost our Runners' power for the past few months and you managed to do all of that in such a short amount of time." Crow mused loudly with his fingers under his chin.

The still scared Bruno was startled when Yusei grabbed his shoulders, focusing on him.

"Please, can you show how you did it?" Yusei politely asked, getting Bruno to smile.

"And we're going now. Bruno, I hope you really get your memories back." Naruto gave a salute to the amnesiac before leaving with Diana. "I have a feeling I met him before, but where?"

"You were thinking that too, huh?" Diana asked as they made their way to the Ea Household since the coast was clear of any screaming from within the house. "I too wonder where, but I feel really bad for him." Seeing Naruto look at her curiously, she elaborated, "It must've been really unfortunate to lose one's memories: your sense of self, the way a person thinks. I know someone who went through that."

And Naruto knew who she was talking about.

"Pharaoh Atem." Diana nodded solemnly before she felt a hand on her head. She looked at the grinning Naruto. "But he wasn't alone. Atem had Yugi and his friends to help him fight the evil that stood in their way. In the end, they persevered and helped him regain his memories." Naruto softly spoke while turning his head at the garage. "Being with Yusei and the others, they'll help him just like Yugi and his friends did for Atem."

The Duel Spirit couldn't help herself but smile at Naruto's words. She, her master and Spellcaster friends are really lucky to have him as their Duelists.

"By the way, why did we leave the garage?" Diana asked after realizing it.

"Because Yusei was about to enter Geek Mode. He and Bruno will probably start talking and building the new program Yusei's been developing for a long time now and I don't want to be around it." Naruto answered as if it was obvious.

"Oh… I heard Humans were chatty, but really?"

"Yep." Naruto answered quickly as they quietly entered the house and found it a mess: knocked-over tables and chairs, broken glass and pieces of plates, and a pair of boxers? "It's like a war zone here."

"Wait, do you hear that?" Diana stopped Naruto with her hand on his shoulder. The two stayed quiet, so they could hear what it is Diana heard. As soon as they obtained complete silence, the sounds of 'thumping' in the walls was rumbling through the walls… above them… where Naruto's parents' bedroom was located. "Isn't that where—"

"LETGETOUTHERE!" A horrified Naruto grabbed Diana's hand and they both ran out of the house back to Yusei's garage where they had asked to crash for the night. After heading to the couch and making sure Bruno was still downstairs with Yusei, Naruto bid farewell to Diana and slept while trying to forget what he heard at his home.

TWExTWExTWE

(Two Days Later)

Neo Domino Duel Academy

"EA!"

"FACE US!"

"COWARD!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE YOU BRUTES!"

"Naruto sure has it rough, huh." Akiza stated in fact rather than asking. A group of nods from her friends was her answer as they watched a chibi Naruto being chased by the usual comedic mass of challengers.

The group of Signers, non-Signer and a Duel Spirit were on their way to lunch at the usual spot when they encountered them on their way and the rest is history.

When Naruto made a U-turn around the fountain, he spotted a familiar face behind Akiza and the others. "Saeko, help me!"

"SAEKO?!" The challengers group shouted and suddenly stopped in their tracks while Naruto ran past his friends and hid behind the swordswoman for protection, his head poking out from the side with blinking eyes. "The Student Council member and captain of the women's Kendo Club?!"

"Oi." Saeko spoke before the trembling boys in front of her. "Why don't you get out of here before I send you to detention plus extra hours of cleaning duty?"

"H-hai!" The challengers ran while shouting vengeance against Naruto.

Akiza, Diana and the twins blinked slowly before looking at the pretty and prideful girl. "Amazing~" The group chorused in awe.

"Thanks for the save, Saeko." Naruto thanked the purple-haired beauty while he separated from her. "Those guys just won't take a hint." He then felt something poking against his chin. "Really? You want to do this now?" He groaned in annoyance while Leo and Luna were scared for him.

Saeko's lips curled into a small smile, her bokken's tip against Naruto's chin. "Today at the gym where my club practices… right now. I'm not taking no for an answer."

"How about an I.O.U? Just not today and I'm hungry right now." Naruto complained while his stomach growled to support his statement. Seeing that Saeko wasn't going to let this go, he sighed in resignation. "Fine, I'll do it. Let's go."

"Great."

"Uh… where are you guys going?" Akiza asked, stopping the duo for a moment.

"To the gym."

Diana asked while tilting her head, "What for?"

"A spar."

"Eh?!"

TWExTWExTWE

By the time Akiza, Leo, Luna and Diana followed and the entered the gym, they were surprised by how fast the setting for the spar between the Kendo Captain and their friend. In the middle of the gym was a large blue mat used for practice and tournaments as Naruto and Saeko stood on opposite sides from each other.

Saeko was wearing her Kendo Club's dojo uniform as she held her bokken close to her waist while Naruto took off his jacket and tied his orange headband around his forehead. He grabbed something from his backpack and put his deck box inside before giving it to Diana for safekeeping.

The cheery Diana smiled before walking to the bench on Naruto's side where Akiza, Leo and Luna were sitting as she took a seat herself.

"Who do you think will win?" Luna asked Akiza who was also lost as well. "Come to think of it, I've never seen Naruto fight before."

Leo nodded to agree with his sister.

"Neither of us have." The older twin spoke before stars replaced his eyes, startling his friends. "I want to see him fight! Win, Naruto!"

"Oh brother." Luna said exasperatedly, both figuratively and literally.

Diana chuckled at the twins' jovial reactions and expressions before looking at Naruto and Saeko atop the mat. This is the first time she or her master won't be helping Naruto in a battle. This is also the first battle she witnesses that is between Humans and their pure hand-to-hand combat alone.

"Same as last time?" Naruto asked after putting on a pair of black gauntlets, stretching out his legs and arms to loosen up.

"Yes."

"All right then."

The silence within the gym intensified when the two martial artists took their stances as Saeko held her bokken at the ready while Naruto held his arms up in front of him. The suddenly intense atmosphere had everyone solely focus on the two as silence took over the gym.

"…"

"Now!" Naruto and Saeko said to themselves as they dashed at each other. Their small audience gasped at the speed between the two as they clashed with gauntlet and bokken.

Their eyes stared into each other intensely before Saeko lost the clash due to pure strength as Naruto pushed her back and suddenly punched the air in front of him. Akiza and the twins were shocked when Saeko was pushed back by nothing but a breeze of wind.

"Whoa!"

Grinning to herself at having a strong opponent in front of her, Saeko looked forward and charged at Naruto with several swings. Naruto on the other hand watched, twisted, turned and redirected her attacks with his gauntlets albeit with difficulty. There was a great combination of speed and power in her strikes and that was scary.

"Flawless." Naruto muttered before he grabbed Saeko's wrist, stopping the bokken's tip from reaching his forehead. "Who taught you, Saeko?" He launched a punch with his free hand, but Saeko caught with her unoccupied hand as well. A stalemate then.

"I could ask you the same thing."

Sharing smirks with each other, both Naruto and Saeko had the same idea of kicking each other's face with their feet, but being experienced fighters, neither of them landed a hit although they freed themselves from the stalemate as they back-flipped several times to put some distance between them.

"Awesome!" Leo exclaimed, starry eyes threatening to blind his friends and sister. Then they and Naruto noticed Saeko was doing something with her stance.

Her left leg was back while her right leg bended slightly forward as Saeko held her bokken above her head with both hands. Her lips moved rapidly with her eyes closed, showing an intense show of focus.

Naruto stood there before he realized what she was trying to do. An ultimate technique. But here and now? What is she trying to prove by unleashing a potentially dangerous technique on him? Judging by the distance and the intensity around Saeko as she opened her eyes, raring to go, Naruto had one solution.

An ultimate technique of his own. One of the defensive nature.

The watching audience plus a couple of newcomers like Kuriboh and Magician's Valkryia—in their spirit forms—saw Naruto increase his breathing rhythm as he raised his right knife-hand above his head while his opposite hand was close to his waist, facing the ground. His eyes was lit with fire as they stared into Saeko's matching eyes.

The atmosphere was so intense and silent that no one could see what was above the two martial artists. Except for the Duel Spirits including Diana who stared in shock and awe at the apparitions. One of a dragon hovering above Saeko while a steel-like bull was rearing to battle behind Naruto.

Diana held her breath while holding a hand to cover her mouth followed by her counterpart, Magician's Valkyria, as Kuriboh hid behind the latter. They watched and prepared themselves for the upcoming clash just as it commenced with Saeko dashing towards Naruto with greater speed than before.

*Ding**Dong**Dong**Ding*

Everyone sat there, staring without blinking at Naruto and Saeko as their weapons stopped just inches from hitting their marks: Naruto's right knife-hand right above Saeko's forehead while the purple-haired beauty had her bokken's tip very close to the blonde's jugular area. Naruto's free hand was held back by Saeko's left hand from reaching her waist as a sneak attack.

"…"

"So we have a tie then."

"So it seems." Naruto answered back as he stepped away from Saeko and walked back to his friends while putting on his backpack and jacket. "Good spar, Saeko. It wasn't long but I enjoyed it. Let's do it again sometime!" He finally smiled at the beauty before leaving with his friends to go back to class. It wasn't until Diana pointed out that he noticed Kuriboh and Magician's Valkyria next to them.

Unbeknownst to them and since they didn't see Saeko grip her bokken tightly in both frustration and excitement.

"I must get stronger. Stronger than I have ever been." Saeko thought as she stared into the back of the retreating blonde that is her rival.

TWExTWExTWE

The Streets of Neo Domino City

"Hah~ I love riding my Duel Runner! Especially since it's been repaired!" Naruto revved Kurama's engine as he accelerated slightly to go faster than the passing cars, thanks to Yusei. "How are you doing you guys?" He whispered to avoid people looking at him like he was insane for talking to the air.

Diana, in her spirit form and costume, giggled as she, Kuriboh and Magician's Valkyria floated next to Naruto. "We're doing fine, Naruto. But…"

"But what?"

"You do remember that we can talk with our minds, right?" She got a face palm from the blonde, causing her to laugh at his misfortune. "Oh Naruto."

After coughing into his hand to rid of his embarrassing moment, Naruto spoke through his mind this time. "Anyway, what are you doing here, Magician's Valkyria?" He glanced at the Spellcaster, catching her off-guard when he spoke to her. A comedic sweat-drop slid on Naruto's head when she looked away from him. "Ookkaayy~" He drawled out aloud.

He couldn't blame for reacting that way. It was probably the first time she's ever had a Human talk to her directly and doesn't know what to do in this type of situation.

"Like Dark Magic—"

Diana interrupted cheerily with flailing arms. "It's Diana."

"Like Diana here, I too am very interested about your world." Magician's Valkyria said after calming her initial nerves. "And judging from the souvenirs Diana brings back home, it must be very fun."

"Yep, you betcha!" Naruto answered back, grinning as usual. "There's music, video games, movies, restaurants, manga—"

"Manga? What is manga?"

"Diana?" Naruto looked at her to explain for him.

"Manga are what comics is called in Japan. They have many genres like Shounen, Supernatural, Comedy, etc. They even have manga that have Magical Girl themes." Diana stated in fact while speaking like a professor in class. "I already bought the entire set of one manga!"

"With my money I must emphasize." Naruto grumbled through gritted teeth in annoyance. He then smiled when Diana apologized sheepishly. "Anyway, it was my suggestion and it's really good. Definitely worth it." Naruto grinned with Diana. Their grins were so bright that Kuriboh was used as a shield for Valkyria to protect her eyes. "Can you still believe the action scenes?!"

"It's so well paced and thorough, but the main character is really funny but strong too!"

The two entered their own little world, talking about their favorite character while Valkyria and Kuriboh shared deadpan glances before looking at the two blondes. Luckily, one of them knew the best way to knock them out of it.

Naruto blinked several times when Diana stared at him oddly while he felt something poke into his shoulder. He looked at his shoulder and saw a smug looking Kuriboh digging one of its claw into it. So he took one course of action in response to this.

"AAAAHHHHHH!"

The passing civilians barely glanced in the alley where the screaming took place and sweat-dropped when it was a teenager in a helmet repeatedly slamming himself into the walls of the two buildings. But all of them had one thing in common coursing through their minds right now.

"What is wrong with kids these days?"

The invisible Magician's Valkyria chuckled while an exasperated Diana face-palmed after Naruto tripped over Kurama, ending his screaming. Kuriboh nodded and floated away from him to his fellow monsters as it held itself with pride of his accomplishment.

" .Boh." Naruto paused between syllables, his sky blue eyes glowing in rage. He tackled the furry monster, but quickly remembered that Kuribon was in spirit form and regretted his current action. "Ofph!"

The Spellcasters and Kuriboh cringed when Naruto smashed face first against the wall and slowly slid down the wall.

"Oh Kuriboh." Diana scolded the little creature with her hands on her hips. Kuriboh looked down solemnly, obviously guilty of his actions. "Next time, just speak to us instead of doing that. Okay?" She got an approval growl. "Good!" She looked at Naruto who fell unconscious moments earlier, causing her to sigh exasperated. "Why don't you head back home? I'll stay and try to wake him up."

Sharing glances, Magician's Valkyria and Kuriboh nodded as the latter quickly left to avoid retaliation. When the Spellcaster was about to leave, Diana quickly stopped her when she raised her hand.

"Valkyria, why don't you come with me and Naruto the next time?" Diana offered, surprising her counterpart. "We can show you around the city together."

"W-will that be okay?" Magician's Valkyria asked to be sure. Diana nodded while she looked at Naruto. "Will he be okay with it?"

A bright smile suddenly captured Diana's lips as she nodded vigorously. "Of course he would!" Magician's Valkyria was elated by this and was about to leave when she stopped and looked at Diana once more. "What is it?"

"Do you think he would like it if I chose a name for myself like you did?"

Her answer didn't come from her more famous counterpart this time.

"Yeah I would." Naruto grunted when he stood up, shaking his head a few times as he looked at the surprised monsters. "Every monster should have a name of their own. Sure Pegasus gave you guys your Duel Monster names, but your personal name… that should be for every being whether it be Human, Duel Spirit, Yokai—"

"Yokai? Yokai don't exist."

Naruto deadpanned at Diana as he pointed at both her and Valkyria. "You two are Duel Monster Spirits which is considered supernatural. If you guys exist, then Yokai probably exists as well. I wouldn't be surprised if me or the others unknowingly run into a Yokai in the near future." He got a couple of nods from the Spellcasters. "Anyway, have you thought of a name?"

"Honestly no."

Naruto smiled as he placed a hand on Valkyria or tried to at least. "Take your time then. Let us know when you're ready. See you later unless there's something else you need to tell us about." He got a smile from her before she returned to their home as Diana bid her farewell as well. "Hopefully, Yusei and Bruno are done with their program today."

"I bet your Dragonball Z limited edition T-shirt that they aren't."

Naruto froze in a defensive pose, horrified of the proposed wager. His mind was telling him 'no', but his hear yielded the opposite of that word ferociously. It was the classic brain vs heart situation right now and he only has one choice to make: one that could change his life forever.

Unfortunately, he made the wrong choice.

"You're on."

TWExTWExTWE

Yusei's Garage, Fountain Plaza

"Is Naruto okay?"

Diana, in her physical form this time once they arrived, waved off their concerns of the pale blonde on his knees as if life was sucked out of him. "He's fine. Don't worry about it." She then gleefully held her newly—yet reluctantly—rewarded T-shirt from Naruto. "Thank you for the shirt, Naruto."

*Whimper*

"Should we ask?" asked Crow, out of his bored attitude moments ago.

"Nope."

"All right then."

Diana noticed the bored/annoyed expression Jack had as he watched Yusei and Bruno talk about the latter's Ener-D engine program for hours on end. He didn't like being ignored by anyone, especially by those close to him. He really didn't like it when one of his closest friends begins to ignore others entirely.

"Hey Yusei!" Leo shouted as he and Luna ran up the stairs, his Duel Disk attached to his left arm. "Come play with us!"

Luna nodded while saying, "Leo just came up with a good combo and he wants to test it out." They were soon joined in by Akiza with a book in her hands.

"Yusei, can I have some help with my Physics homework?" Akiza asked hopefully before she and the twins were shushed by Crow. "Why?" She followed Crow's pointing finger and saw Yusei talking to a stranger.

"Who's he?" asked Leo. Jack explained about Trudge and Mina entrusted Bruno as their refuge to them until he gets his memory and that he's a tech genius. "Really?! Then can he make a Duel Board like that Lester kid?"

"Me too!" Luna interjected as well. She too wanted a Duel Board and she wasn't going to let Leo get ahead of her.

Crow scoffed with a deadpan look. "Good luck trying to get Yusei away from him."

"How long have they been talking?" asked Akiza curiously. Crow let out a long sigh.

"The amount Yusei and Bruno talked to each other has surpassed how much I've talked to Yusei."

"Huh… They're like two ducks side by side." Leo comments while scratching his head.

Luna deadpanned a look at him. "That phrase is only used to describe a man and a woman together."

"Yeah." The twins were startled when Naruto was behind them, grinning at their reactions. "We should only use that for Yusie and Akiza when they're an official couple." He then flinched a moment later before getting a karate chop on the head as he fell on the ground unconscious again.

The annoyed Akiza clenched her steaming fist before turning around for the stairs. "I'm going home."

"Are you… jealous, Akiza?" Leo asked reluctantly, stopping Akiza in her steps. She turned around with an annoyed expression and puffed cheeks.

"Stop talking about other people's business. You're just children!"

A shaking finger slowly rose up, catching everyone's sans Yusei and Bruno attention. While laying on the floor with a fresh bump on the head, Naruto grinned at them and said, "Does anyone by any chance want to eat out?"

"HAI!" Everyone chorused with raised arms. Naruto looked at Yusei and Bruno who was still at the computers, trying to finish the program. An annoyed tick-mark appeared on Naruto's head as his left eye twitched rapidly.

"Okay I didn't want to do this, but…" Naruto inhaled a big amount of air before he exhaled it. A glint shined inside his eyes. "KARATE CHOPS!"

"Eh?" Yusei and Bruno managed to say out of their stupor before darkness overcame them after a blow on their necks.

Bulging shocked eyes were directed at the proud blonde who raised his fists before playing with the computers for a little bit. Moments later after putting something in his pocket, he dragged the two out of their chairs and down the stairs, ignoring the 'thumps' of their heads hitting each step on the way down.

"Are you guys going to stand there or are we going to eat?" Naruto shouted from the ground level.

"…"

"I'm glad we met him." Leo said with a smile. "He's fun." Luna gave her approval with a happy nod as well before she and Leo ran down the stairs with Diana, leaving behind the other Signers who were still shocked.

"I don't think I see us ever beating him in a fight." Crow mentioned with Jack's nod as support. Akiza shrugged her shoulders instead.

"He acts like a buffoon sometimes, but he's nice and gentle."

"LET'S GO, YOU THREE SLOWPOKES OR YOU'RE PAYING!"

And just like that, the the Signers ran as fast as possible to their Duel Runners like they've never run before in their lives.

TWExTWExTWE

Neo Domino Beach

"The beach?"

Naruto had decided that the beach was a great place for a change of scenery. He also had a solution for the transportation issue which included his father's antique 1967 Chevrolet Impala. It made it easier for everyone to travel to their destination. He took the unconscious Yusei and Bruno, Leo and Luna and Diana with him while Akiza, Crow and Jack rode on their Duel Runners.

"Yeah!" Naruto sniffed the ocean breeze and sighed loudly in relief. "I'd heard there was this killer restaurant that opened a couple months back and the food is to die for." He felt the annoyed glares daggers from Jack and Crow. "Aw come on! It's on me this time."

"Hai!"

Naruto grumbled at his friends' collaboration before noticing the slight glare from Yusei. "Everything okay, Yusei?"

"Just dandy."

Realizing that this might lead to somewhere negative, Bruno stepped in, "Thank you, Naruto, for taking us to dinner. Yusei and I really needed a break, although…"

"Although what?" Naruto asked, blinking his eyes.

"We were almost done completing the program." Yusei stated this time.

A chorus of hisses from the back of them didn't help Naruto feel any better about this. He awkwardly rubbed his head as he tried to find the words to apologize, but he couldn't do so at the end. So he chose the best alternative for this situation.

Yusei and Bruno watched Naruto bowed entirely with his body in a 90-degree angle and his arms straight as an oar.

"Please forgive me!"

"…You're forgiven." Yusei finally spoke, sheepishly scratching his cheek. "To be honest, I do get so driven into my work that I ignore everyone around me. So, thanks Naruto." The blonde straightened his body and shook hands with him before Yusei walked to his friends whom he neglected over the past few days. "I'm very sorry everyone."

"Just… pace yourself, man. We don't want to overexert yourself like you did back in Satellite a few years ago." Crow mentioned. Yusei had always have the tendency to push himself beyond his limits and he'd work on a Duel Runner or any mechanical parts for days without eating or sleeping.

"Yeah."

Suddenly, a loud rumbling trumpeted in their eardrums, causing everyone to look around for the source. Their eyes soon fell on the embarrassed Diana who held her stomach as she looked down to avoid looking into their eyes.

The Duel Spirit then felt a reassuring hand and looked to find Naruto at her side, smiling at her. "It's okay, Diana. That happens to everyone. Don't worry about it." He said before hearing a familiar sound growl from his stomach as well. "See?" A blush appeared on his face as everyone else including Diana laughed at him. "Now that we got that out of the way, let's go eat!"

"HAI!"

TWExTWExTWE

(Meanwhile)

Sapporo, Hokkaido

An elderly man around the age of his mid-fifties with short, brown hair that reached his shoulders stood in front of the panoramic view of his home. His onyx-colored eyes stared at the setting sun, the slow receding rays of light being overwhelmed by darkness. The black kimono he wore fluttered slightly due to the slight breeze that sneaked through the slight crack in the window.

He heard a knock on the door.

"Enter." The man spoke firmly. After the door creaked, he turned around to see one of his family's agents stand before him. "What do you have to report?"

"The tip was correct of the target's description, but we haven't seen him actually play the card." The agent's shaved head reflected cleanly of the moonlight that entered the room. "We had two men posted outside the home and they followed him and his friends to the beach, but so far he hasn't dueled yet."

"But it was accurate?"

"Yes, Lord Fugaku." The agent replied with respect.

"I see. You're dismissed." Fugaku waved him off. The agent bowed before leaving his employer alone in the room. "So the Dark Magician has returned after the death of the King of Games. What is the best course of action towards this threat?"

In his eyes along with his family and previous generations before him, the Uchiha, the Dark Magician is a symbol of resistance and determination for those who are not…in the same class as them. Since the legendary Spellcaster is a threat, its new owner is also a threat to them as well. For their symbol that had been beaten three times by the magician's original owner, Fugaku has no doubts that it wants vengeance.

Fugaku pressed the intercom button on his phone. "Mr. Tachibana, send in my son."

"Which one, sir?"

"Who do you think?"

"Of-of course, sir. Apologies."

Fugaku waited with his arms behind his back as he waited for the one who possesses their family's symbol of power and authority that is known across the entire globe. When he heard a knock, Fugaku spoke once more gruffly, "Enter." He then turned around with a stern look. "Hello, son."

TWExTWExTWE

"Tama no Ya?" Luna asked with a tilt of her head after she and everyone else followed the leading and hungry blonde down the beach.

"That's the name. let's go inside!" Naruto was the first to step inside and shouted, "Thank you for…having…us…" He muttered lowly with the last word as he stared in shock and awe.

Everyone was confused and annoyed by the blonde's blocking the front door, especially Jack. "Hey, Naruto! What are you doing?!" He pushed aside and stepped in further before noticing the goofy grin on Naruto's face. Curiosity taking the better of him, he followed Naruto's line of sight and soon took the same goofy grin like his fellow blonde.

"Naruto? Jack?" Crow asked as he snapped his fingers in the two blondes' faces but no response. He too followed their eye-line and the same goofy grin soon etched his face as well. "Oh not a bad view."

"Guys?" Both Leo and Luna asked with concern.

Yusei, Diana and Akiza entered too and followed the direction where their goofy faces were looking at. Instantly Diana covered the twins' eyes while Akiza was annoyed as Yusei stood there with a little blush before he turned away.

Diana stared at the person that caught three of her friends' attention. It was a very beautiful woman with long black hair that was tied up in a bun while two very long bangs framed her face and extended to reach her large bosom. She had golden eyes, flawless skin as she wore a black yukata with a red sash.

The woman was waitressing a group of awestruck men who stared at her curvaceous figure until she noticed the stares of her new customers. She bid the men farewell before walking over to them. "Hello there. Welcome to Tama no Ya. I am Tamamo, the manager of this restaurant. Table for… nine?"

"Y-yes." Bruno answered as he fought back the reddening of his cheeks.

The group—courtesy of Akiza and Diana's slapping the dazed boys—took their seats on a table large enough for the eight and waited for a waitress to take their orders. Surprisingly, it was Tamamo who was waitressing them as well.

"Anything you like to order?" The beauty asked with closed eyes as she smiled.

"I'll have the oyakodon please." Leo ordered with Luna doing the same.

Crow gave his order. "The spicy chicken Karaage."

"I will have the okonomiyaki please." Yusei said politely, getting a nod from the proprietress.

"The korokke please!" Both Diana and Bruno shouted excitedly before they realized of their ordering, smiling at each other.

Jack took a little longer than the others, but finally made his decision. "The tonkatsu and I'll have two servings."

"Oh my~ Two servings? You must have a big appetite then."

Jack took on a smug look as he held himself with pride. "Of course. There's nothing that Jack Atlas can do."

"Except win against Yusei apparently." Naruto muttered lowly but loud enough for the table to hear. He snickered when Jack suddenly deflated in his seat. "Just kidding. You'll beat him again someday. Oh, I'll have Miso Ramen with extra pork please!" Naruto ordered happily with his eyes closed as his head tilted, catching Tamamo's attention.

"Young man, have you ever been told that you look like a fox?"

"Eh?"

The Signers, Leo, Diana and Bruno took a closer look at the befuddled Naruto and exclaimed with surprise. "Wow, she's right! You do look like a fox!" Everyone chorused.

"How did we not notice this before?" Crow asked.

That's when something else hit Naruto as their waitress/manager left them to commence their orders to be cooked by the chefs.

"Have you guys noticed that this restaurant and the manager share the same name like the golden nine-tailed fox of legend?" Naruto asked his friends. They looked at him oddly. "You know that children's book?"

"Yeah, I've read it one before." Akiza replied with a small nod. "That's odd."

"She must've had a tough childhood growing with the same name as the yokai of great destruction." Jack mentioned.

Crow sent the taller blonde a deadpan look. "You do realize it's just a folktale, right?"

"It could be." Naruto added casually with a tilt of his head. Again, everyone's eyes were on him. "It could be not. If Yokai do exist and they're somewhere out there… I would like to meet at least one of them." He chuckled with a beaming grin. "No matter what species they belong to… I believe they have the right to live unless there's something irredeemable about them that says otherwise."

"Sure whatever you say, Naruto." Crow waved off the blonde. Naruto pouted at his nonchalance as everyone else laughed at the blonde's dejected attitude.

Unknown to the chattering patrons whose laugher were soon directed to Jack and Leo who accidently cut the cheese in their table, the proprietress had a smile as she glanced out of the kitchen with her eyes on the young headband-wearing blonde.

TWExTWExTWE

(Four Hours Later)

Uchiha Mansion, Sapporo, Hokkaido

Being one of the richest families across the lands of Japan and one of the board members of Kaibcorp, it certainly has the benefits like having access to the top-notch technology such as the latest Duel Disk and Duel Runner parts.

It certainly helps to be one recognized to hold one of most powerful creatures in Duel Monsters history.

Dressed in all black with a hoodie, he entered his family's garage and walked past by several antique cars and older Duel Runner models. However, he walked towards the one where he was working on by himself. It was a crimson-red and black Duel Runner that resembled a dragster. Alongside it was the successor to the original Battle City Duel Disk: Battle City Alpha Disk. Its main resembled the letter 'A' with a straight arm-blade unlike the previous model and it was colored black.

The Uchiha member put his Duel Disk onto his Duel Runner as it activated moments later. Upon getting on the Rider, he took out a certain card from his deck box and stared at it. "Soon we'll get our revenge…Soon." He said to the card before putting it back in the box as he revved the engine. "Time to find a magician."

The sound of screeching tires echoed inside the garage as its doors opened to reveal the driveway out of the mansion. The apparent Turbo Duelist punched the accelerator as soon as he was out of the perimeter, eager to get to the destination as soon as possible.

Atop inside his office/room, Fugaku watched with a confident smile, pleased at his son's eagerness. His eyes never left the rapidly disappearing figure of his son on his Duel Runner.

That was until another phone call interrupted him.

Fugaku pressed the answer button.

"Yes?"

"Sir, we found it."

His eyes widen in surprised before he smirked smugly. "Is everyone in position?" Fugaku asked firmly as if he was in the army during his younger days.

"Awaiting your orders, sir."

"You have it."

TWExTWExTWE

(Two Hours Later)

Ea Household

"Ah~ That food was good."

Naruto fell on his back atop the comfy bed with content while his television was on. After carefully defusing another of his mother's rampage with some ice cream from the restaurant and bidding farewell to Diana and the others, Naruto was about to turn in for the night as the skyline in his room let in all of the moonlight. A giant night light to say the most.

That was until he heard some scratching.

"Huh?"

Naruto blinked several times as he looked around, but there was no noise.

"Weird." He rested his head on his pillow once more in order to sleep peacefully, only to hear the scratching sound again. He snorted as he annoyingly sat up and looked around the room. "Where is that coming from?"

However, he was surprised when a different sound reached his eardrums. This time it was a creature whimpering in pain.

"Where?" Naruto stood up and looked around the room once more before looking up at the skylight on the ceiling. "Up there?" He quickly put up the rope ladder he uses to get up to the roof and slowly opened the connecting window as Naruto scanned the roof for the source. And he did. "What do we have here?" Naruto asked to himself as he stared.

It was a young fox, but it was clearly wounded. Blood-gauging wounds blanketed its white fur and limbs as it breathed rather rapidly, a sign of its exhaustion. The fox's ears twitched and its eyes fixated upon the watching Naruto as it sheepishly waved at it.

"How did you get here?" He then shook his head to rid that question. "Never mind that. It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." Naruto said softly but the fox was still cautious. "Do you want some food?" A shake of its furry head was his answer instead of a 'yes'. "Okay then."

The fox flinched when the boy went back inside his room and whimpered once more when another wave of pain washed over its body. It was about to go to sleep when the window's latch was undone and it directed its eyes as Naruto fully came out of his room with a medical bag in one hand.

After carefully closing the window, Naruto knelt in front of the fox and slowly held a closed fist. The fox watched at the fist as it slowly opened to revealed a pair of sliced apples. "Go on." Naruto gestured the fox to eat and it walked toward his hand cautiously with a limb in its paws. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

The fox sniffed his hand several times before it looked at Naruto who smiled assuredly. Finally, it ate the apple slices nimbly despite its injuries. When the slices were gone, the fox looked up at the blonde expectedly as if it was asking for more.

"Of course you'll have more, but…" Naruto raised a finger. "You'll have to let me treat your injuries." The fox tilted its head like it was contemplating its choices, but eventually relented. "Good."

Minutes after treating the fox of its injuries by cleaning and wrapping bandages around its inflicted wounds, Naruto watched the animal guest eat more apple slices, but he also added in orange slices as well. He smiled at the fox's happiness when it finished eating and yipped at him for more.

"All right then." Naruto said before he put another serving in front of the fox. As it was eating, Naruto slowly crawled back to the window and descended down the ladder until he felt his sleeve being tugged. "Huh?" He turned his head and saw that the fox was holding him back. "What is it? Do you not want to be alone?"

The fox shook its head while holding on his sleeve. Naruto then realized what it wants now and he was going to do it anyway. He'll just have to hide it from his parents, especially his mother.

"Do… do you perhaps want to stay here?" Naruto asked the little creature as he leaned closer to it. The fox nodded before licking his cheek in content. He smiled in response. "OK then. Come here." He carefully and gently carried the fox down the ladder to avoid aggravating its wounds.

The blonde walked to his bed and lay down in the supine position with the fox beside him. He stared at the furry creature and smiled at it. "Good night, little one." Naruto bid the fox a good sleep before closing his eyes.

As soon as a loud snort escaped from the blonde's nose, the fox opened its left eye. Its golden eye stared at the goofy-sleeping blonde who treated its wounds without hesitation. If Naruto had been awake, he would've seen the fox smiling at him before it went to sleep as well.

He would've seen the inside of his deck box glowing like the inside of a disco night club.

Or his television set showing the latest breaking news.

The news being that a beachside restaurant destroyed earlier in the night. The same beachside restaurant that Naruto went to for lunch with his friends.

END OF CHAPTER

Another chapter yet again. I believe that everyone knows who I'm talking about regarding Tamamo and her appearance will be from the Kanokon manga/anime. As for her abilities, they'll be from a series where a certain blonde-haired woman who wields a legendary sword also belongs to as well. The manga can be viewed on Mangahere website and the anime is actually on Youtube right now or if you feel better to watch it somewhere else, go to .

I know that there weren't any duels at all in this chapter and the fight scene between Naruto and Saeko was out of character or series and I apologize for that, but it'll be better later on. I thought it would be a nice change of pace, but please tell me if you think otherwise. There will be more Duels after this chapter.

Chapter 7 Q&A's:

Ivan0061509 (August 8): I'm happy you liked the new cards and previous chapter. How did you like this new chapter?

Lightningblade49 (August 8): Who knows? You'll have to wait and see how the story progresses from here. After much internal debate, there is a good chance that Naruto will have Red Eyes Black Dragon on his side.

Blackseal84 (August 8): Thank you for your support. To be honest, I didn't think this story would get a lot of support and followers. There is a possibility, but I can't make any guarantees until I really think about it for both cards: Black Luster Soldier and Dragon Master Knight.

NinjaFang1331 (August 8): Honestly, I thought I messed it up throughout the duel but thank you for telling me otherwise. It makes me feel better and more proud of my work.

Veesmaster (August 8): Really? I'm very touched to know that. Wow, that's amazing to know and as an author, I couldn't be happier. Yu-Gi-Oh is the best trading card game in the world and that is my personal opinion. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter.

Ito Uchiha (August 8): I didn't know there was a Lady of Dragons card. Thank you for telling me. After much requests about the Red Eyes, he will be on Naruto's side. I see and I actually read those stories: they weren't bad, but the authors didn't finish them. I hope they would someday though.

Jebest4781 (August 8): Oh Blue Eyes will make its return soon. I'm pleased that you liked the chapter.

RoyalTwinFangs (August 8): No, I won't make another one to be honest. I've always imagined Naruto having the Dark Magician in his deck and I just can't seem to do the same with other monsters/archetypes in the series. I mean if I make a sequel to this story, then yeah I could make another one. If you think it would be good to continue into the Arc V series, please tell me, but if not, let me have your reason. But with other monsters, I just can't imagine it at all. I'll try though. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter.

Megakdre100 (August 8): Oh! My bad. *chuckled sheepishly* The choices are Diana (Dark Magician Girl), Tamamo and a certain beauty of a certain dormitory in a certain culinary academy for Naruto. For Yusei, it will be Akiza. That's it unless you know of pairings for Crow and Jack, then please tell me and I could make it happen. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.

AnonGod (August 8): I'm very glad you liked the new chapter. I like those ideas very much regarding Sasuke. I know the Dark Magician is an archetype thanks to the release of the Eye of Timaeus in the Dragons of Legends Booster Pack back in 2014. It's where I researched all the cards that can support the archetype including the Dark Magician Girl and Magician Girl archetypes and more. The cameo appearances of Joichiro and Nakiri is for comedic relief plus there will be a mini-arc that will take place in Totsuki Academy. The idea of Erinia and Alice being Duelists doesn't really strike me very well. I think they're fine the way they are.

Jessiexjaden (August 8): That didn't come to mind actually. I don't think it will work out, but let me sit on it for a while.

GodX (August 9): I'm pleased you enjoyed the duel and the satisfaction of Lester's defeat. I know. That little twerp really irked me when he put Luna in danger and I wished Yusei, Jack or Crow could've intervene in the duel to help Leo and Luna, but in the end he got what he deserved. Really? My story made you read it twice? I see… I will do my best to keep the quality up. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.

Guest (August 9): Boruto? Why would he appear? Of course there will be new cards that'll support his Magicians and Spellcasters and Warriors. As for the Fusion Monsters, be prepared for more surprises that are on the way. I see and I hope you'll continue to stay with us as the story progresses.

R-king 93 (August 10): After reading your review, I got chills thinking about the paths where the story can take. When you mentioned the four worlds, are you talking about Naruto, Shokugeki no Soma, Fuuka and Yu-Gi-Oh? I'm just asking to make sure. I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter and I could only hope you feel the same about the new one.

Bennyf5302 (August 10): The plan was to keep this story to a single pairing, but after reading and watching more manga/anime, there are more ladies in wait but the maximum number is three. I'd mentioned the choices in one of the responses above the Q&A. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.