They stared out at the sea of buildings, the pristine streets illuminated from within the darkness. Lively shadows shrouded them easily, the blinding horizon from far away creating a procession of colors filled with fluorescence. Unlit light posts grazed the sides of the old Daedalus Bridge, giving it an air of abandonment, rather than the majesty it usually carried during the day. It seems even night could change magnificent aspects as that, though of course, even that magnificence was incredibly ephemeral, however glorious the bridge appeared. The raging, abysmal waters from down below served to emphasize the gracelessness the bridge exuded.

Jack bit the inside of his cheek, as he stared down at his own, wavering shadow. His white trench coat contrasted sharply to the dark azure, the bleak skies giving little way to the purity upon his frame. His sharp, blond hair clung to his neck through the humid air, though his amethyst eyes took no notice of it. Standing just a few feet away, was Crow, who had the same, anxious expression on his face. And just behind them, were their duel runners, sitting patiently for their mysterious visitor to show up.

Jack clenched his fists, fighting the urge to ponder on what trouble Yusei had gotten into. First the hostage situation, then the duel gangs, then the hospital fire…and now this. The bad guys were beaten back, weren't they? What happened to living out their lives, training for the WRGP, making ends meet? Things weren't even supposed to go this far, though of course, Jack figured this was all just part of being a Signer. That is, if there was anything here at all.

He closed his eyes. Yusei was one of his best friends. Jack liked to think that the two were pretty close, like brothers, though in the end, it seems even that came under scrutiny. Jack couldn't deny how strange Yusei had been acting, and the more he thought about it, the more he became on edge. If Yusei was, indeed, in trouble, he should know he could count on his friends. There was no need to rely on some stranger to tell them what was going on.

But despite even that, Crow still pushed them to go. It was worth their time, at least, to see what this person had to say. After all, even though the Dark Signer war was over, there was a really good chance someone might come along and screw everything up. Jack wouldn't put it pass the bad guys, at least.

A distant roar sounded behind them. When Jack turned, he saw a black duel runner, racing toward them. The lights grew brighter and brighter with each passing second. It wasn't long before the runner came to a screeching halt, the echoes resounding throughout the bridge. Jack only had to squint to see a red rose strapped to the rider's throat, the same rose the mall hijackers had. Both he and Crow stiffened, but neither said anything.

He didn't wear a helmet, the man, the redness on his cheeks evident of his almost daring stunt. He stepped off the bike, and regarded the two evenly. Dark blond bangs fell to his piercing, grey eyes. He wore a dark green military uniform, with a black undershirt beneath. His brown combat boots were covered with silver chains, and just off the rim, a golden skull dangled, its devilish smile twisted upwards grotesquely. He steadied his duel runner, before letting it go completely. A serious frown tugged at his lips, though Jack could easily make out the humor in his eyes. "Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan, I take it?"

Crow narrowed his eyes. He folded his arms in front of his chest, and returned the man's cautious stare. "So who was she? The one that called?"

"My personal secretary."

"Didn't think a guy like you had one of those."

The man chuckled lightly. "It's just to keep up appearances."

"Moving on," Jack said impatiently, though the man refused to give up his carefree disposition. "Who are you anyways? And what'd you know about Yusei?"

The man slid his gaze towards Jack. "So…you're friends?"

"Yeah."

After a brief pause, he nodded slightly. "I apologize. My name is Belial. I, along with my 'secretary', are apart of an organization called Fallen."

Jack flickered his orbs to that bloody rose, the ugly reminder shattering his already broken pride. "So you were the ones who attacked the mall?"

Belial's eyes widened. It only took him a single second to process what Jack was saying. Then, without waring, he burst out laughing. "Good heavens, no!" he howled gladly, as he touched the tip of the rose with his fingers. "I'm a double agent, you can see."

"Then who was behind the attack?"

"A group of ingrates who call themselves the Black Rose Coven."

"And you're okay, with just telling us all of this?"

"Of course. You are Fudo's friends, aren't you?"

Jack scowled at Belial, the mocking edge within his voice slowly overtaking his composure. Crow took one step forward, recognizing the frustration boiling beneath Jack. "So this group…what? Are they, like, a duel gang or something? What're they after? And what's Yusei got to do with them?"

Belial raised his hands, that irritatingly pleasant grin dancing on the corners of his lips. "Slow down; one question at a time."

"I've got a better one," Jack muttered. "How do we know we can trust you, first of all? It's not like you've-"

"For one thing, your friend had something to do with the hospital fire."

Jack immediately dismissed the notion with a pitiful scoff. "Where's your proof?"

Quietly, Belial reached into the folds of his jacket, and pulled out a photograph. He walked over to the two and dangled it in front of them. He looked up at Jack, jokingly sneering at him as the blonde walked toward him, and swiped the photograph away. Crow leaned over, trying to catch a glimpse of the picture within the shadows. Jack squinted, as he held up the photograph to his face.

There was Yusei, calmly strolling through the hallway.

And surrounding him, a sea of tiny corpses.

"Fortunately for us, we've got footage of him the night the fires happened," Belial continued. "You're both intelligent, so I'm sure you're aware of the body count."

Crow blanched, his mouth slightly agape. He only stood there, the uncomfortable silence shrouding him, though Jack managed to find his voice. There was no way this was real; the guy probably must've photoshopped this somewhere. This was all just some elaborate prank, and any second now, the paparazzi would come out and laugh at Crow's stunned face. Besides which, even if this was real, this just shows Yusei walking around; there's no way to connect him to the fires. He looked up. "What is this?"

Belial shrugged. "Your friend and his victims."

"Like hell. When was this taken?"

"The night when the hospital burned down."

Jack snorted haughtily. "Funny. The doctors discharged him when-"

Belial cocked his head. "Oh? And how could they, when they were all dead?"

He froze. "What?"

"Fallen kept records of every staff member. The doctor in charge of Mr. Fudo's…operation, was brutally slaughtered before he even got to see him."

Crow's remained silent, though Jack kept up his fight. "It still doesn't mean Yusei had anything to do with the fire. For all you know, he could've-"

"Mr. Atlas, I want you to look back at that picture. Focus on the bodies."

"I don't need you to-"

"Cut up, aren't they?" he continued. "Sliced, minced, crushed, and not a shred of remorse on his face."

Jack growled, as he gazed down at the photograph again. He knew Yusei, and he would never do something like that. So what if he was a little disturbed? That doesn't mean he hadn't freaked out about it before. Besides, with a scene like this, no wonder Yusei had been acting strange. But still, those bodies, the corpses…

He felt like throwing up.

Crow tore his eyes away from the photograph, and turned to Belial. "How did you get this?"

"A member snuck into the hospital and removed some of the footage before the fire could destroy it, of course."

"You said body count before."

"And as you can see, it doesn't seem like those children have been burned alive. The "natural gas leak incident" was just an excuse the hospital told the public. Even the director doesn't know what caused such a horrendous scene. In a way, it almost looks like an execution ground, wouldn't you say?"

Jack tightened his grip on the edges of the photograph. Before long, he threw the picture to the ground, the rage finally overtaking him. "So what're you saying?! You're saying Yusei did all that?! Killed a bunch of children, then blew up a hospital?!"

Crow shocked himself awake, and shakily fixed his attention on Belial. "T-that's right. Where do you get off saying stuff like that anyways? What's in it for you?"

The humor vanished instantly, and at that moment, Belial's expression darkened. He placed one, single hand on his chest, and regarded them with even eyes. "The reassuring fact that we've put down a rabid witch."

Jack gritted his teeth. "Shut up."

"If you want more proof, I'd be happy to-"

"Just shut up."

Belial flinched at Jack's hard tone. Still, he maintained his composure, and cleared his throat, the feigned happiness, once again, plastered over his expression. "If you'd like, we could meet somewhere else to talk about this. I'm sure you're familiar with the old Arcadia ruins, correct?"

Jack scoffed. "Why'd we ever go with you is a complete mystery to me. Come on Crow, let's go."

Only quiet answered him.

"Crow," Jack said again.

It took a while, before Crow finally managed to say…anything. "C-coming," he muttered quietly, before following Jack.

"If you want to know more," Belial called, as they kept walking away, "I suggest you meet me there one week from now. Same time, of course."

Alexis kept scampering around the boundaries of the park, a relaxed smile tugging at her delicate lips. Her arms flailed happily through the gentle breeze, as she took in the magnificence of the twilight air. Her white, tattered dress bounced up and down, her movements flourishing elegantly through the midnight, the black rose on her throat providing a sharp contrast between her pale skin, and the darkness around her. She breathed in deeply, before continuing on with her trek, her blond strands scattered all over the place. Her warm, caramel eyes wandered the shadows deliciously, taking in the flowerbeds, the bushes, the weeds, anything at all that resembled the plants her mentor had grown fond of. She turned back, and invited both Jaden and Yusei to join her little, fairylike waltz, both of whom declined. Though they could tell she was disappointed, in the end, she swept back to her imaginations, and replayed her dance.

Jaden smiled at Alexis for a little while, as he watched her ignorant innocence in all its glory. Once or twice, he could hear a tiny hum escape her lips, and though she would move someplace else, he could still listen. As she danced farther and farther away, Jaden turned to Yusei then, utter confusion embedded in his expression. "Hey-"

"I know," Yusei answered, without looking back.

Jaden blinked. "Are you really going to end it?"

"Well, with everything that's happened, we can't afford to get sidetracked anymore. Sorry, if this puts a dent in your plans."

Jaden regarded Yusei for a while, as he turned back to the empty space, where Alexis used to dance. "So…I'm guessing you already know?"

"The moment Sayer mentioned Amrbosine's name, I could tell. And judging from what Jean told me before, it seems Fallen's gotten stronger over the past couple of years." His eyes flickered toward Jaden. "By the way, the Crimson Dragon…?"

"Both Alexis and I investigated Duel Academy," Jaden answered easily, returning Yusei's emotionless gaze. He twisted his body, and walked over to the marble water fountain that was situated in the middle of the pathway. Murky waters stared up at him pathetically, as he continued with the conversation. "Aside from Yubel and the Light of Destruction, we didn't find anything else. And don't forget; when we graduated, Fallen had already died out."

Yusei narrowed his eyes. "What're the chances that some of the minor branches regrouped under Amrbosine's command?"

Jaden looked down at his reflection. "Amrbosine?"

"A friend of sister dearest."

"Huh. But that's the thing; didn't Akiza already destroy those branches? If she's acquainted with Belletrix, shouldn't the major branches have already died out?"

"No."

He bit the bottom of his lip. "Then yeah; it's possible."

After a long pause, Jaden felt Yusei turn away. "I see." he replied in a hard voice.

"What're you gonna do?"

"Is there any way to get rid of this stupid mark? From what I've seen, the organization can track me if I keep this thing around."

"As far as I know, no. Until something happens, looks like you're stuck with that thing." He turned back. "If there's something you need to get done, Alexis and I can always do it for you. As far as we know, no one in the coven suspects 'Yusei Fudo' of anything. You don't have to keep doing this by yourself."

Yusei smirked. "So you're the ones who took Drevis out."

Jaden froze. Disbelief clouded his eyes, as his shoulders tensed. However, he maintained his nonchalant tone, unwilling to accept the obvious display of brotherly love. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb," Yusei replied easily, as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Drevis always shows up to these meetings. Out of everyone there, he was always the most diligent, and when I announced the game, the most ambitious. He wouldn't just skip out on things like this, unless something happened."

He remained quiet.

"Jaden," he repeated, in a rather stern voice.

"Ask Alexis what'd happened," Jaden finally said. "She did most of the work."

"No, but you finished him off, right?"

"I've no comments."

Yusei cocked his head. "Tell me; did you and Alexis interfere with the game?"

"Yes."

Jaden slid his orbs over to Alexis's small silhouette, which was sullied with petals and dirt. She carried an armful of blossoms in her arms, their withering petals already fleeing from her tight grip. Tiny scratches marred her hands, though they quickly healed, leaving only fleeting memories of the scars. She stared at Yusei for the longest time, the smile immediately fading from her lips. "We were worried."

"I didn't ask for bodyguards," Yusei said, as Alexis strolled to Jaden. She leaned against his shoulder, the petals escaping from her grasp. "Besides, what'd I tell the two of you anyways?"

"Why?" Jaden murmured.

"What?"

It was then Alexis stayed quiet. Jaden only had to take one look at her face, for the realization to come through his brain. He flickered his eyes uncertainly at Yusei, the same frown reflected upon his lips. "Why'd you make this game anyways?" he asked. "What exactly are you hoping to accomplish with it?"

"Didn't I already tell you?" Yusei said then, as he leaned against the tree trunk. "Ever since the rebellion, I've been looking for a quick way to weed out the traitors. This is one way to do it."

"Okay, but as for all other candidates left, I don't think they'd be willing to make a move against you. They're all either cowards or arrogant, and even if there were ambitious members in the mix, no one would dare challenge you."

He heard Yusei chuckle. "I guess you're right."

"What then? Why go through with this?"

After a long pause, Yusei took a deep breath, and stole his eyes to the evening sky. "Because one of the candidates, the Violets, were working with Fallen."

Jaden's eyes widened. His lips parted slightly, and though the words were built in his throat, in the end he managed to calm himself down. Alexis, on the other hand, was still in shock, the smallest traces of fear growing from the corner of her eyes. "Those idiots?"

"To think they actually got under everyone's noses too."

Jaden nodded. "So basically, you don't trust any of the nobles."

"That's right."

"Then why bring Akiza into it? You yourself said she was nothing special-"

"I lied."

"What?"

Blue orbs came back to the two, and along with that, an empty smile. "She's not normal; I've seen it with my own eyes. Now, it's just a matter of finding out who she actually is. Without, of course, getting my hands dirty."

Alexis straightened herself, and shook her head. "I don't want Aki involved. She doesn't have anything to do with the game, or Fallen-"

"Alexis has a point," Jaden continued. "If we bring anymore innocents into this, the public will catch wind of both our coven, and of Fallen. After all, no one's forgotten about Jean's little slip-up. We've also been hiding our identity from the major international figures; if they find out who we are, the blackmail might not work anymore. You know, morals and all that."

"Let me handle that," Yusei dismissed. "Though by now, I suppose I'm going to have to increase the dosage."

"You've still got some left?"

"Of course; even after the hospital burned down, the drugs were easy to obtain. The tricky part is that man, Sayer. He's probably liable to tell her everything he knows about me."

Alexis looked up. "You want us to kill him?"

Yusei shook his head. "No. Pressure him into thinking he has no other choice but to follow my orders. I'm sure he's never seen you two before, so it should be simple enough."

Alexis nodded tiredly, before removing herself from Jaden's side. "Oh, and about what we said earlier…"

Yusei's eyes darkened. "Right. So, I assume the two of you have yet to fully recover your memories?"

Jaden grimaced, before nodding. Alexis turned away, the embarrassment embedded within a tiny frown. Yusei examined them, before nodding. "It's fine," he reassured. "Mine aren't back yet either. But I am starting to recall some things. We will find whoever did this."

"Still," Jaden mused, "why wait? If they wanted to kill us, shouldn't they have done it by now?"

Alexis looked back. "Maybe they want to play with us? You know, kind of like dolls in a dollhouse."

Yusei laughed emptily. "Maybe. At any rate, keep an eye out. I want you both to keep playing your characters; feed false information to Raines, and if she keeps prying, make up some story, alright? Alexis, I expect you to tell me everything she knows."

"Right."

"Jaden, I want you to hack into the government database. The files need to be authentic. And while you're at it, try looking into some of Fallen's latest experiments. Find out everything you can, then tell me. It'd also be nice," he continued, as he drew back his sleeve and showed them the mark, "if you could find a way to remove this thing."

Jaden nodded. "And what about you? Now that you've presented Aki as a target, no doubt they'll try going after her first."

"I'm not going to do anything," Yusei answered quietly. "Yusei Fudo, on the other hand…"

"You're still going along with this?"

"It's the easiest way to avoid trouble. Right now, Fallen's marked me, so more than likely they're focused on me. I'll distract them when the next noble attacks. In the meantime, try not to stand out too much."

"What about Aki?" Alexis said then. "What happens if something slips up, or if she finds out? What're you gonna do?"

"Nothing."

Jaden sighed. "So after all that drugging…"

"It was Jean's mistake. We're just reaping the consequences from it," Yusei explained. "Besides, now that everyone's after her too, we'll get to see what she's capable of." He smirked. "And I can't think of any place better to start, then Fallen."

Author's Note:

-Hello, I am the Seelie Court Jester.

-Belial is the name of a fallen angel. It means "without worth", which will later play into the story.

-Salem was named after the town, where the witch hunts took place. The reason why he can change his shape so many times is a reference to the numerous innocents that've died. So many innocents, so many faces to choose from. The fact he's in a coven serves to emphasize the irony.

-Ophelia, the Knight, is a reference to Hamlet's Ophelia. The character fell in love with Hamlet, but when he didn't return her feelings, she fell into a pond and drowned. She's a hallmark of insanity, this one.