He saw Crow sitting at his desk, with a pen in hand. He was hunched over, with that same, frustrated look on his face, as he tried memorizing the new prices his boss decided to put up. There was a lot of oil on his hands, so much so Jack couldn't help but wonder why Crow never saw the grim on his face. Hour after hour, Jack waited to see if Crow would notice, and yet, despite all the time he'd given him, his friend never picked up on it. It wasn't long before Jack had given up on the idea completely, and merely settled for admiring the work of art on his face.

But if the blonde squinted, he could see that stupid, far off look Crow always got when something troubled him. Nothing good can come of that look; sometimes, it'd be a rival hell bent on challenging Jack to a turbo duel, while other times, it'd be those kids, all of whom were either sick or bullied. Jack even first saw that look when Kalin was starting to get out of hand, back when they were still in the Enforcers. In other words whenever Crow had that look on him, it meant his protective instincts were kicking in, whether it be for the kids, or for his friends, or Martha, or anyone else who might be important to him.

He examined Crow for a while, before turning back to the duel runners. They all looked good, especially his own; he doubted even Goodwin could afford the upgrades Yusei effortlessly put in, and all in just the span of a single week. Though the runners looked a bit beaten down, in the end, it was through that simple reality that reflected all their hard work. Just a little more training, and soon, they'd be ready for the WRGP. It's a good thing too, since they were already ahead of schedule. Of course, Jack would probably be the one to carry the team; after all, Yusei and Crow needed the former duel champ, not the other way around. Still, Jack had to admit that it was nice, being on a team with his friends.

Speaking of which, where exactly was Yusei? And Crow looked on edge, more so than what Jack was used to. Actually, now that he thought about it, ever since they got back from the Daedalus Bridge, he'd been that way. Jack cocked his head, the slightest trace of curiosity arousing from his mind. "Oi," he called.

No answer.

"Crow."

Still nothing.

Jack narrowed his eyes. He stood from the couch, and walked toward the redhead. "Crow!" he called, causing the man to jolt. He looked up, and found Jack towering over him, his eyes wide with surprise. "What?" he finally asked, annoyed by the suddenly surprise.

"What? I've been calling you for forever now!" he hissed. "Where's Yusei? You see him anywhere?"

"…Yusei…? Oh, right. Um, I think he went to that old guy. You know, the one with the air conditioner."

Jack scoffed. "Again? The bloke's not bright, that's for sure."

Crow simply nodded, before turning back to his own work, the worry embedded in the lines of his face.

Jack raised one eyebrow. He folded his arms across his chest, as he glowered at Crow, the confusion quickly reappearing on his expression. "So that's it?"

"Jack, I'm a little busy right now-"

"No insults this time?" he pressed, clearly bothered by Crow's disposition. "You know, I just quit another job. Bookstore; dull places they are."

"Good for you."

Jack's eye twitched. He allowed the silence to settle between them, then turned back to examine the duel runners. "You know, that waitress keeps telling me to work for the cafe. You know, the down the street. Not my cup of tea really."

The scratches of Crow's pen filled the garage busily.

"The engine is working perfectly, by the way. We'll leave all the other teams in the dust."

"Great…"

"The program Yusei made works perfectly."

The pen stopped moving.

Jack narrowed his eyes. Hesitation permeated from Crow's pupils, as he stared at the empty space in front of him. Before long, Jack sighed, and leaned against the wall. He watched Crow carefully, knowing full well the memory replaying in his friend's mind. "He's a freak," Jack reminded for the umpteenth time. "Yusei's got nothing to do with anything."

"…I don't know."

"Crow-"

"You saw those kids Jack," Crow snapped. "And the hospital… I think that… at least we should look into it."

"It's a waste of time."

"This concerns Yusei. If we don't find anything, we don't find anything."

"Are you listening to yourself?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. Are you?"

Where was all this coming from? Was Crow actually doubting Yusei? Jack hadn't expected him to do that, especially not at a time like this, when there was a lot at stake. They can't afford to have their friendship falling apart, especially over something as silly as this. "If Yusei's in trouble, he'll tell us. He knows he can count on us when the bad guys come."

He paused.

"Crow?"

"I talked with that guy, Belial again."

Jack's jaw dropped. "What?"

"He wants us to meet him in the lobby at that old bank, Domino Finances. Tomorrow at five."

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. What was Crow even thinking, agreeing to something like that? What was he hoping to get out from this, besides a beating for doubting their friend? And what's this 'we' stuff? Jack wasn't apart of any of this.

But despite even that, this was one of the first times he'd seen Crow so serious. And he wasn't someone to just accept something from face value.

Finally, Jack sighed. "Is it really that serious?"

"Yeah."

"And where's the proof?"

"He says he'll show more then."

"More?"

"…Yeah."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "And what did he show you?"

Crow didn't answer.

The tiny, glass stained windows caressed the afternoon light embedded within it. A small tower was situated on the left, the gray stone rough against the palm of her hands. Just near it was the main house, a cottage that carried with it remnants of neglect. An emerald rooftop covered the structure, a deep verdant that captured the reflection of the glass that used to be around it. She could make out the childish gibberish scribbled on the surface, and though she giggled at the display, a few seconds later, she merely shrugged, and continued on with her exploration. Carefully, she pried the dollhouse open, and found two figurines standing inside. A boy and a girl, neither of which she bothered taking in their appearances.

It was nice, that dollhouse. Smaller than what she was used to, but comfortable nonetheless; to be perfectly honest, Alexis didn't think Aki had something like this here. And to think, it was in a glass cabinet too, wistfully being admired by anything and everyone around it. It carried with it an air of elegance Alexis hadn't seen, along with a certain degree of arrogance that the girl couldn't help but find irritating.

But despite that, Alexis was still drawn to it. She loved playing with dollhouses, so she couldn't understand why Aki would keep something so wonderful locked up. Maybe she just didn't like playing with dollhouses, but she thought it'd be a complete waste, just to throw it away. Or maybe she didn't put it in the cabinet at all; maybe it was her mom or dad did, though Alexis found the story a bit hard to believe. Maybe Aki misplaced it when she was little, and over time, she just forgot about it. But whatever the case, the dollhouse was here, on Alexis's lap, with the two figurines nestled between her fingers.

Akiza once asked her why she liked dolls so much. At first, Alexis was delighted; she figured Akiza wanted to play pretend with her, or she was just curious as to how to play a simple game like house. But Akiza stopped her before she could explain, and asked her again why she liked dolls in the first place. They were creepy, in Akiza's opinion, with their eyes following her everywhere. And the way they held themselves, those little boys and girls and men and women, their emotionless faces easily embedded themselves into her mind, reminding her of sins better forgotten. Even with that, Alexis couldn't really understand why Akiza was so afraid of them, but nonetheless, she smiled, and remained quiet.

Alexis scrutinized the dollhouse for the longest time. She was in Aki's bedroom right now, sitting on the edge while her friend was still sleeping. It'd been a day, since Yusei ordered Jaden and Alexis to stay here. Initially, Alexis stayed by Aki's side diligently, making sure nothing bad happened to her. Jaden sat by her too, and watched; neither made any sound, as they stared at the woman's face, comparing her features with Akiza's for hours on end. The resemblance was uncanny, and though Alexis carried some hope that the girl lying there was, in fact, their beloved leader, deep in her heart, she knew that to be impossible. But she managed to cast the thoughts aside, since, soon afterwards, she got bored, and started wandering the house. She knew where she was going; she'd been here before.

She closed her eyes; she didn't need to be reminded of how bad the situation was. Jaden told her what'd happened, how Aki managed to take down the candidate on her own. He told her about how she slaughtered the rest of the coven members without any help, before collapsing. He told her about how scary she looked, her powers resonating from the ballroom.

It was frustrating, the way he described the entire ordeal. Her own memories were still coming back to her. She kept sitting there, all night, trying to piece together the mystery, but even with her best efforts, she couldn't come up with anything.

Well, that wasn't true. She could easily recall the demands Yusei had given them, telling them to stay away from a girl, a girl she couldn't even remember, at this point. Well, he looked really, really upset, and if Alexis was willing to disobey him, that girl must've been important. She remembered Jaden going along with her, talking on and on about a topic she'd forgotten. Was it on dolls? No, she'd remember that conversation; like Akiza, Jaden thought dolls were creepy, and didn't want anything to do with them, even if he did make a few for her. It was through that contradiction, did she laugh suddenly.

"Alexis?"

She looked up, and saw Jaden.

He was wearing that black, v-necked sweater again, the one with skeletal angel wings towards the back. The dark blue jeans he decided to wear were dragging on the floor, his bare feet taking in the cold surface of the wood. On his neck, he wore his choker, that black rose contorting gracelessly, twisting its petals into a beautiful, yet ugly thing. He regarded her with even eyes, as he walked toward her side, and sat next to her. His eyes settled on the dollhouse in her hands, and, at that moment, he sighed. "You couldn't stay away, could you?"

Alexis gave him an empty smile. "You know me."

"And those things? In your hands?"

"I found them inside," she answered, as she showed him the nameless figurines. She placed the two in his hands, before turning her attention back to the dollhouse. "You think Aki used to play with them?"

"I've no idea." He examined them for a while. He then opened the tiny dollhouse and placed them comfortably inside, his eyes lingering on their featureless faces.

Alexis blinked. "Did her parents use to play with her?"

"I don't think so."

"Why?" Alexis asked silently. "Is it because of what'd happened, back at the festival?"

"Yes."

"…What does Yusei think about it?"

"I don't really know," Jaden replied, as he turned up towards the ceiling. "It must be hard for him, the fact that she's here."

Alexis tightened her grip around the dollhouse. Yes, she understood the feeling, seeing a loved one here, a loved one they all thought had died long ago. Perhaps she was still dead, and the hope Alexis felt was just a stubborn desperation that refused to go away. And she did feel a subtle contempt for their friend, for Aki, that she carried Akiza's face on her. All the same, Alexis didn't want to think that Aki would lie to them, that she was still innocent, despite everything that's happened. But now, Alexis knew that excuse was wearing thin.

His arm came around her shoulder. Automatically, she leaned against him, as she watched the bright, sunlit shadows falling from their eyes. "It'll be fine," he said silently. "You'll see."

"I don't want to hate her."

"Neither do I."

Alexis closed her eyes, the fatigue slowly beginning to overcome her. She felt Jaden's cheek resting on her head, his eyes gazing at the empty space in front of them. The silence draped over the room, with Aki's even breathing behind them.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why what?"

Alexis shifted her weight. "Akiza once asked me why I liked playing with dolls. She told me she thought it was creepy, and that she sometimes worried about me."

Jaden chuckled quietly. "Not gonna lie; I'm curious too."

Alexis gave him a small smile. "I just…really like playing pretend."

Jaden started saying something else, when he stopped. Slowly, his arm came back to his side, and he scrutinized her, the moments passing by them freely. Reluctance showed on his face, though even that began to fade, when he realized the naiveté slipping away from Alexis's facade. Finally, he shrugged. "It's just one big game to them, isn't it?"

"Who knows? But it'd be nice, if we could all be like that again. You know, if there were two more figurines, it'd be perfect."

"There already are two."

Alexis looked down at the dollhouse again. "You really think so?"

"I do."

She bit her lip. "What'd you think they want with Yusei?"

"…I don't know."

"You've been saying that a lot lately."

"You have too. Do you remember last night? When Yusei asked me if Raines looked familiar?"

"Does she?"

"No, but for some reason, Yusei thinks she's got a big part in this."

Alexis heaved a heavy breath. "What about you?"

"I think she's nosy, but that's about it."

"The whole thing sucks, doesn't it?"

"It does."

Alexis watched the figurines carefully. There was Yusei, and Aki, and Jaden, and finally, Alexis, all sharing a tiny house, in some dream far far away. Protected from the cruelties of the world, all the while endeavoring to explore that same society on their own, not even bothering to take heed to their own warnings. An imaginary, light-filled world one Alexis had over and over again; she could still feel the traces of that time, deep within her memory. She could cling to it, though her fingertips were weakening, her grip over that reality gradually vanishing, allowing it to disappear beneath some, deep abyss. It's funny; she didn't think playing pretend would entail such a loss. She didn't believe sadness, or anger, or resentment, or even contempt, would touch it.

And yet here they all were, lost in the whims of that abyss.

Suddenly, they heard the doorbell ring. It shocked them both from their thoughts, though Jaden quickly left the room, leaving Alexis with the dollhouse still in hand.

When he came back, there was a vase of deep, red spider-lilies in his hand.

Apparently, Raines was really worried about her friend.

The harsh wind blew against the two silhouettes, on top a crumbling cliff. Ominous clouds gathered near, unleashing the foreboding waves along the shorelines from below. Crimson light reflected the sea of bodies down below, the waters shrouding the horrors hidden beneath the shallow graves. Quiet, mesmerizing symphonies from nature's erratic anger doused the figures with lachrymose, the very instance of fate carefully fading from them. Puddles lay everywhere, their broken faces embedded into the waters so clearly.

She could smell ash within the air, subtly swirling around without the slightest care in the world. Screams and howls resounded through her eardrums, their gibberish pleas immediately falling from her. She closed her eyes, and reopened them again, blocking out the nightmarish sounds. She concentrated on young man standing before her, who pointed a gun directly at her.

Tears streamed his face, as he kept shaking his head, unbelieving of the ghost in front of him. Raven bangs hid his darkening pupils, the slightest traces of remorse already plastered on his lips. The rose on his neck had started wilting beneath the weight of the sin, the temptation to turn away embedded in his frame. He was saying something, a prayer perhaps, though as of this point, she wondered if she should've even cared. Maybe she did, in the deepest corners of her heart, though she didn't want to listen to it; she what he wanted.

From the corner of her eyes, she could see her reflection from the puddles, her own hair blowing hastily away from her golden eyes. She saw herself, and she froze.

Just then, she heard a gunshot.

She felt something, lodged in her stomach. When she looked down, she saw a deep, dark red stain settled on her abdomen, the bullet still tearing through her insides.

Both hands were about to clutch the spot, the pain gradually spreading throughout her body. But as soon as she felt the pain, she stopped herself. She forced her eyes to move toward the man standing there, who was not even willing to fire another shot. Slowly, her arms came to her side, a frightening calm washing over her. It was then, that she looked down at the cliffs, towards the red, sickening ocean. She stared at them for a while, before catching sight of the twisted grins on their faces.

How many were there, just floating in the waters? How many people had died from that one, simplistic mistake, the regret quickly dissipating in their hearts, as they cursed at the criminals for doing this? How many putting themselves out of their misery, their emotions gouging out their hearts without the slightest mercy? How many stood there, mocking her, taunting her, for everything they stood for, only because of some judgment they hastily formalized in their minds? How many had she slaughtered, just for them staring at her, if only out of curiosity? What world did they live in? What delusion? Was it the same as hers?

Her lips parted slightly. Before long, she turned to the man, standing in front of her. And what of him? her heart asked. What had she done to him to make him act this way? Why was he crying? What was he thinking about, when he was holding that gun? Was it painful? She didn't want him to feel that way, not at all. She reach out for him, her body aimlessly moving on its own.

Then, in that same second, she felt the cold, hard ground beneath her, her eyes fading fast from her light.

All the pain, and all the sadness, softly caressing her, with no end. The skies swarmed around her, those, bright, brimming skies.

She kept calling out to the man, tried saying her promise. One after another, those empty promises, her lips failing her as she endeavored relaying them to him.

She wanted him to know.

She needed him to know.

It was then, did Akiza wake.

She found Alexis, hovering over her, with a concerned light in her eyes. From a distance, she could make out Jaden's distant figure, his face a reflection of worry.

As the darkness faded from her eyes, Akiza slowly sat up, a dull pain echoing throughout her body.

She heard Alexis say something, about how worried she was, asking if she was alright. She could see Jaden moving over to her, his hand protectively holding her steadfast on the bed. She saw traces of the evening warmth still in her room, the heat rapidly disappearing from her room. She didn't think she'd be this dazed, not at all. It was then she caught sight of something red, in a vase on her desk.

Spider-lillies.

Amaryllises.

Suddenly, the daze had gone from her.

"Where were you two?" she found herself asking.

Alexis paused for a moment, trying to deduce the meaning behind Akiza's question. Before long, the blonde plopped beside her, a small frown platted on her lips. "We? Aki, you were in a really big accident! You shouldn't be talking now!"

Akiza clutched her forehead.

Gunshots.

A black chessboard.

Accident?

What accident?

"You were volunteering at the festival…weren't you?" Akiza muttered. "No, Jaden was, wasn't he?"

Jaden leaned over. "What're you talking about?"

"There was an attack," Akiza said quietly, relaying the events in her mind. "It was those guys again, wasn't it? It was…"

Alexis grabbed Akiza's hand. "Aki, are you okay? What're you-?"

Her eyes instantly shifted upwards, as her brain tried processing all her confusion, within the split second she dragged herself from her slumber. "Where'd those come from?"

"What?"

"Those flowers. Who brought them?"

Alexis blinked. "Ms. Raines; she said she was really worried about you. She wanted to know if you were okay."

"Did you let her inside?"

"She said she needed to go somewhere else."

Akiza stared at the flowers for a brief second, before turning away. "I see."

Jaden straightened. "How're you feeling, by the way? Is everything…is everything okay? Can we get you anything?"

Akiza turned toward him. "Where's Yusei?"

"Yusei?"

"He was with me yesterday, during the festival."

Neither could answer her.

As the quiet reigned, Akiza couldn't help but look back at the vase of flowers. It wasn't long before she clutched the covers of her blanket, the relief slowly coursing through her body.

She remembered this time.