Ida and I both had the brilliant idea of going to bed early since we were both fairly sleep deprived, so by the time a knock came around the next day, we were both ready to face the day and whoever was behind the door. Ida reacted first, heading over to the door and opening it. "So, you two are up today," Keisuke mused. I just rolled my eyes. You sleep in one time and apparently you're marked as the person who never wakes up on time.

"Of course! We got extra sleep last night to make up for it. What are you here for, though, Mr. Keisuke?" Ida asked, drawing the bartender's attention back to whatever his original intention was.

"Rose, I never got to thank you directly. My customer was quite pleased with your performance. As thanks, I've sent a bit of what he paid to you," Keisuke said. He was…. pleased with me almost killing the man? Just what kind of man did I face? Just what kind of man hired me? Keisuke didn't seem too liberal with the details, however, so I opted to pull out my PDA and check my DP count, quickly doing the mental math to see how much was added.

"3500 DP?" I asked for confirmation. Ida's eyes widened and she rushed to my side, peering over my shoulder to see the amount, not that it would help her much on seeing what was added since she had no idea what my original DP count was.

"3500 DP! That's like… that's like over 5 duels worth of winning flawlessly! That's like… That's 35 card packs and," Ida trailed off so I fixed my attention back on Keisuke.

"Yes, but the man gave much more than that, so don't worry about it," Keisuke brushed it off like it was nothing. This was only a fraction of what he gave…? Seriously, just who was this man? A big business head? As if he heard my thoughts, Keisuke continued, "My customer would actually like to meet up with you, if that's alright with you."

"He would?" I echoed. Why would he want to do that? With Keisuke, it wasn't as if I had much choice though. He probably already told his 'customer' that I was on my way. "Alright, that's fine. Where is he?" I asked.

"He is headed for the same spot you had your duel at. You can head up there now, if you'd like," the bartender suggested. That's when we heard some footsteps, causing us to pause.

"Is something up?" Kaze asked as he walked over to Keisuke's side.

"Huh? No, no, nothing is wrong, isn't that right?" Keisuke turned to face me, probably knowing my words would mean more than his.

"Nope! The guy from yesterday is going to thank Aki for dealing with the bad guy! Isn't that awesome?" Ida stepped in instead.

"Is that so? That's awfully kind of him," Kaze said but his expression suggested that kind wasn't the word he wanted to use. The way his eyes were fixed on Keisuke suggested that he would have rather said something more like strange or suspicious.

"So see, nothing wrong here. Would you mind taking Ida for some breakfast while Aki and the customer talk things over?" Keisuke suggested. Neither Kaze nor I were very surprised by it at all. He separated Kaze and I during the actual duel, so of course he would do his best to keep us separated in the follow-up part. No amount of arguing would change his mind.

"Sure. Come on, Ida, let's go," Kaze resigned. Ida cheerfully nodded, giving me a quick wave before heading out with Kaze. Keisuke trailed after them, not even bothering with a farewell. I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for whoever I was going to meet with. As I began heading out myself, I tried to organize my thoughts. This person was Keisuke's customer, so of course I'd have to act properly. Given by the amount of money they had, they were well-off, be it by underhanded means or social status. Another reason to play my cards carefully. What if things took a turn for the worse, however? If I ended up harming the customer in self-defense, what would happen? Would it be better to run?

I cut my thoughts off upon seeing an elegantly dressed man leaning against the wall. He wore a grey dress shirt with a green vest and white tie overtop. His auburn hair was swept to the side of his face, leaving his emerald eyes in clear view. From his appearance alone, it was obvious that he was some sort of big shot. Hearing my footsteps, the man turned to face me, a smile working its way onto his face. "You're the person who called me out?" I asked.

"That would be correct. My name is Divine. You must be the rumored Black Rose," the man commented as he pushed himself off of the wall. He then removed his right glove before holding his hand out to me. While a little apprehensive, I saw no reason to deny the friendly gesture, so I reached my own hand out and shook his. "I must say, you put on quite the show. Your opponent never had the chance," Divine said as he began putting his glove back on.

"You were there?" I asked, my suspicions rising once more. So he was spying on me…?

"Indeed I was. I hope you don't mind. I had to see the Black Rose in action. You are a Psychic, as they say," Divine said. So that was what this was about? Was he going to be like my father and try to punish me? Noticing my face harden, the man raised his hands as a gesture that he meant no harm. "Hold on there, I'm not your enemy. You see, I'm a Psychic too. I'm actually from the nearby organization called the Arcadia Movement. We gather and train Psychics," Divine paused to let the information sit in. He was a Psychic too…? Not only that, but this Arcadia Movement… There was a whole organization dedicated to training people with powers like mine. People with actual powers, not Keisuke's white lie version. This was just too much to take in at one time. "I was thinking you would make a great addition to our team, so I'm here to invite you to join the Arcadia Movement," Divine continued, leaving me even more stunned.

"I…. That sounds great, but I can't. I… I'm sort of signed on with Keisuke," I said. While I wasn't necessarily signed on like a professional or anything, the blackmail Keisuke had was essentially the same thing. So regardless of what Divine had to offer, there was no way I could leave.

"Ah, that's right. This," Divine pulled out a data chip as he spoke. "I spoke with Keisuke earlier, as I'm sure you know. This is the only copy of the video," Divine continued, now absent mindedly rubbing the device between his gloved fingers.

"So what? You're going to blackmail us into joining you now?" I accused. Instead of answering my question, Divine let go of the data chip, allowing it to clatter to the cement. I shot it a brief glance before looking back up at Divine. The man simply raised his foot before slamming it down on the chip. That… if that was the video, then… we were free…? Upon seeing that I just staring on in confusion, Divine decided to speak up, "Like I said, I'm not your enemy. I'm your friend. I want to help you. If you come with me, I can help you control your powers." Control my powers…? Could I really do that? Then I would never have to harm anyone again. Divine just got rid of Keisuke's blackmail, too, so shouldn't we return the favor somehow? Wait, we… It wasn't just me here.

"I can't go without talking to my friends," I said more for my own personal resolution than Divine's benefit. Divine's eyes narrowed at this.

"Friends…?"

"Oh, it's just Kaze and Ida. Kaze can talk to duel spirits too. I'm sure they'll fit right in," I explained. At the mention of Kaze's powers Divine's eyes sparkled with interest.

"Ah, is that so? I was worried that your friends were just like the rest of society, but that's fine. Go on and get your friends, they can come with too," Divine smiled.

"They're right inside, so I'll be right back," I informed Divine. When the red-haired man nodded, I headed off. This was our chance… We just had to go. If we could control my powers, then…

"Hey, Aki! How did it go?" Ida called out as soon as I entered. I quickly made to clear the space between us.

"Divine wants us to go with him to the Arcadia Movement. It's a place for Psychic duelists to train their powers," I summarized the situation briefly. Kaze stared at me for a few seconds, noticeably concerned.

"Aki," he began slowly, as if unsure of how to phrase his words, "you know about… why we didn't leave here earlier."

"Keisuke gave him the video and he just destroyed it." This took Kaze by surprise. I couldn't tell if it was because Keisuke actually gave away the video or the fact that it was gone permanently.

"Huh? Hey, hey, what video?" Ida asked as she looked back and forth between Kaze and I.

"It's nothing," I dismissed her concern, causing her to start pouting. "Look, I know you wanted to go to Duel Academy after this, but-" I started.

"No, it's fine," Kaze muttered. It… was…? But wasn't that what Kaze wanted to do? Didn't he want to get back to Rei and his other friends as soon as possible?

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Of course. We have all the time in the world. Nobody told me that there's a new threat or anything, so it's all good," Kaze brushed off my concern with a light shrug. Was that the truth? Something seemed off about his words but I couldn't put my finger on it. "Really, it'll be fine. Let's go get our stuff so we can head out." As soon as he finished saying this, Kaze stood up from his stool and headed for the stairs. I shot a glance at Ida, who was glaring at me slightly, probably for ignoring her earlier question.

"It's nothing, Ida, honestly. Just an embarrassing video of Kaze as a kid that Keisuke liked to tease us with," I tried to tone down the situation a bit. On one hand, Ida didn't need to know about what Kaze actually did in the past, and on the other, Ida's unwavering devotion to Keisuke and his heroics would make anything negative about him a blatant lie in her books.

"Really? Ooh, I wish I could have seen it! I bet it was a cute little baby Kaze," Ida began to pout again but for a whole different reason. I let out a sigh of relief. Well, that crisis was averted.

"Come on, let's go pack like Kaze said. We don't want to keep him waiting," I said. Ida instantly brightened at the mention of our brunette friend, as expected. She must have figured that present Kaze was much better than video Kaze, as she gave up pouting as left for our room as well. I trailed after her.

What exactly did I have to pack? I didn't keep many extra cards aside from my extra deck, so the only things I'd need to take with me were my old clothes, which Ida and I stored in the box Keisuke brought the new ones in. That being said, when we arrived, all we had to do was pull said box out from under my bed and we were ready to go. Since it was only a few days ago that Ida got injured, I carried the box of clothes. It was by no means heavy but the guilt of her injury was still there so I took the box in her stead. We then headed down the hallway to reunite with Kaze. That's when we heard voices in low whispers. I quickly held my free arm out, stopping Ida in her tracks right before she walked in front of the open door.

"Do you really know what you're doing, Demon?" Keisuke's voice growled.

"I… Of course I do. Everything is going to be all right," Kaze's voice responded confidently.

"And you believe that? Kaze, you know you don't belong there, with him," Keisuke said. Him? Was he talking about… Divine? I suppose they did have to talk to exchange the video, but still… his tone was…

"I belong with Aki and Ida, wherever that may be," Kaze said, causing me to blush lightly. Did he even realize what he was saying…?

"You don't understand, Demon! You're one of us!" Keisuke insisted.

"No, I'm not! I'm not…!" Kaze confidence seemed to drain a bit after that, and I considered stepping in, but then Keisuke spoke up again.

"Red, you're making a mistake. You aren't like them, and you don't want to be. You're safer here, you know that. We're the good guys."

"What would you know about that!? You're the worst one here! You've been blackmailing us!" Kaze snapped.

"Red, you're not thinking straight! You don't even know this guy! For all you know, that could have been a different disk that he crushed!" Keisuke tried to reason with Kaze. Was that… true? No, it couldn't be. Keisuke was just trying to get us to stay, and without the blackmail, he had to rely upon lies. Divine was just like us, after all. He understood.

"Aki trusts him, and so I do too," Kaze said after a pause.

"And look where's that's gotten you. She's the reason you got 'trapped' here in the first place," Keisuke pointed out, causing me to bit my lip lightly. I suppose that was true… This time was different though…!

"I… Like I said, I trust Aki and her judgement. You can't shake my faith in her," Kaze insisted, and both of the males went quiet after that. I felt my chest clench a little at what Kaze had said, however. He had his faith in me. He actually trusted me enough to follow me after I already lead him astray before… Eventually my concern and curiosity for what was happening over rid my sentimentality and caused me to take a step forward to see what was going on inside the room. The first thing I saw was Keisuke and Kaze standing in the middle of the room staring right at me. So our stealth wasn't so stealthy after all…

"Ah, it's you two! I was just saying good bye to my good ol' pal here!" Keisuke quickly put on a smile as he gave Kaze a light pat on the back. Kaze's expression begged to differ but he didn't argue. Ida seemed to quickly forget about what we just overheard as well.

"Oh, that's right! Don't worry, Mr. Keisuke! You'll see us again on the path of heroism!" Ida said enthusiastically as she clenched her hands in front of her. And here I thought I'd go a day without a heroism spiel… Keisuke just chuckled a bit.

"I don't know about that, but we'll see. Keep on going, Queen, no matter what. Stick with Rose and Demon, too. You'll need their help," Keisuke said. Another cryptic phrase from Keisuke too. Ida would need us? Was there some danger coming that were weren't aware of? No one else seemed to question it, however, as Ida took off and Kaze went after her. I shot one glance back at the bartender before continuing on my way. This would be the last time we saw him. That was a good thing, right? Of course it was.

When we got back to where Divine was waiting we found the man resting against the wall once more.

"So, you're this Divine guy?" Ida asked, drawing the man in question's attention.

"That's right. I take it you are Ida and the boy beside you is Kaze," Divine said as he once again removed his glove before holding a hand out to Ida, who eagerly shook it. Divine then extended his hand to Kaze who just continued to stare at him.

"You… suppress them… just like..." Kaze murmured distantly. Suppress…? What was he talking about? Divine shared my confusion as he raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me? Would you mind repeating that?" he asked. Kaze's eyes quickly widened and he waved his hands in front of himself dismissively.

"No, no, it's nothing. It's just… You just reminded me of someone that I know," Kaze said before reaching out and shaking Divine's hand.

"Ah, I see. We haven't met before though. I would have remembered a duelist who could talk to duel spirits," Divine smiled. Kaze seemed surprised that the man knew this fact and shot me a glance. I gave a small nod, confirming that I was the one who told him.

"Wait, what? As in, like, Brionac's duel spirit?" Ida pondered, hand to her chin in thought.

"Something like that. I can understand monsters and we can talk to each other. I'm not that good at it, though, so they usually need to channel me," Kaze explained to the gray-haired teen. Ida's eyes widened with that familiar sparkle that foretold a heroism-related speech.

"No way! That's super-duper awesome! You've got to tell me what my monsters say! No, wait! Even better! You've got to have them go out on like patrol and stuff so-" Ida started to gush.

"Why don't we continue this fascinating conversation at the Arcadia Movement headquarters? I have my car a little ways down the road. We can start driving there," Divine seemed a bit irritated by our friend's antics, not that I could blame him. I was the same way at first, after all. Now I'm learning to try and zone her out to cope with it.

"Oh, do you have a limo? You have lots of DP and you're in a suit, so you must have a limo, right?" Ida asked.

"No. I don't have a limo, I have a car, like I said," Divine said before starting to walk off to said car. He had probably hoped to escape from Ida but the gray-haired teen eagerly went after him, asking something about a limo again.

"Kaze, what did you mean earlier?" I asked as soon as they were gone.

"It's nothing. He really just reminded me of someone from Duel Academy and I got distracted," Kaze said as he began to walk off as well. I quickly matched his pace.

"Kaze, tell the truth," I insisted.

"That is the truth. Come on, let's go," Kaze smiled. I continued to stare at him but he didn't seem to be letting up any. Kaze certainly would have told me if something was wrong, so that meant that it really was nothing to worry about. With my thoughts slightly reassured, we continued on our way to save Divine from Ida's hero antics and enter a brand new chapter in our lives.

Reviews:

- Lion Heart Leon: . . . For some reason, you're tempting me to throw some more Ida X Kaze in places. Of course, it'll still be rooted in Aki X Kaze X Misty overall, but I don't know. The more drama, the more you guys seem to keep coming back sooo...

- Tyler Nator: Well, Divine has just entered the picture, so we'll see how interesting things really get pretty soon. As for your comment that Kaze and Aki should have kissed at that scene... You should have somehow stopped me mid writing and told me that xD Now you guys are going to have to wait like another ten chapters for the mood to go back for Kaze and Aki to be cozy with each other again.

- Anonymous: I'm glad you're enjoying the story and my little writing tidbit. The whole 'things going wrong when they can' will pop up a few more times in the story, but I'll try to throw a few times where things actually go right because I'm starting to feel bad for these poor kids.

-Studmanafier: I'm sorry that the time line left you a bit disoriented. For this story to make sense, meaning all Tag Forces are connected, the timelines have to be nearly happening at the same time, give or take a year or two. That being said, the description of the story does say Tag Force AU, so it does deviate from the anime timeline. There will be other tiny changes as well, so if anyone else hasn't noticed it and is concerned by it, this is just another warning that the timeline may get a bit wonky.

- quantumwhatever: This is probably going to sound really bad, but I don't watch YGOTAS, but I'm going to assume you mean the children's card game bit at the end. I suppose that was actually a bit of my own head cannon coming into play. I've always imagined that the Yu-Gi-Oh universe is just a few hundred years more advanced than our current society where they've developed holograms and whatnot. That being said, the games origins were in the children's card game that we all know and love, but one day a new corporation, the Kaiba Corporation, found it to be a worthy investment and made the duel disks/ect, starting the Yu-Gi-Oh anime arc and then Gx/5Ds. Much like how we learn about our history in school, students at DA would learn about their culture's history, which would include the origin of the card game; starting with the Egyptian version and working up to the children's card game. I suppose my head cannon might not be widely accepted, but it is the base of my Yu-Gi-Oh theories. I don't think it will show up any more, but just keep in mind that that is my head cannon background. Hopefully that makes sense. I'm sorry if it totally ruined your reading by referencing YGOTAS, though.