Me: Hi! I'm back from vacation!

Yusei: How was camp?

Me: Awesome! I even went white water rafting for the first time. I ended up soaked in water that was like, 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Crow: You fell out and I missed it!?

Me: No, I was just in the front left of the raft, so every single time we hit a rapid with my side in front, I got soaked. But, I did fall into the raft.

Sky: How?

Me: I slipped off of the edge and into the raft while we were going down the Nantahala Falls, directly after the water stole my paddle.

Crow: *Laughs*

Me: *Paddle used in the white water rafting randomly appears in hands* I will whack you with this.

Crow: You don't scare me.

Me: *Swings paddle, hits Crow and knocks him unconscious* Well, he'll leave me alone now. Anywho, before I get really sidetracked, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds or Reshiram, but I do own my OCs. Enjoy chapter 42!

Chapter 42

Thud. "Gyah!"

I open my eyes and find that I rolled out of my bed and onto the floor. Normally, that would be okay. But with my concussion that may or may not be cleared today, and the WRGP in less than two weeks, I'd rather not accidentally injure myself. More specifically today, since it's also my birthday.

"That's an interesting way to get out of bed," someone comments.

"Shut it Crow," I mutter. "Don't annoy me on my birthday." I get off of the floor, and see that my ginger-haired friend is leaning against my doorframe. He's also wearing a brown Racing Suit that I don't recognize. "Why were you watching me?"

Crow rolls his eyes. "We're setting something up downstairs, and I was the one assigned to make sure you don't go down before they finish."

"Okay," I say. That answers one question. "Where did you get that Racing Suit?"

He pauses for a second, confused that I don't know this, I think, and then he says, "Oh right, you were asleep by the time we came home yesterday. Well, long story short, yesterday I caught a murderer." Here, I see the color of his aura waver to blue for a second, whoever this murderer was must have some backstory with Crow, but I don't push deeper into it. He continues, "I got my Signer Dragon, and the company of which the murderer was the leader of was grateful that he was caught or something, and gave our Runners this free upgrade."

"What does the suit have anything to do with that?"

"Um," Crow says and rubs the back of his head, "we were kind of saving up money to buy the upgrade and since we got it for free, we decided to use the money to upgrade our wardrobes."

We…? "Who else got new clothes?" I ask.

"Just Yusei and Jack." Crow then scowls and adds, "And even though his new outfit is very similar to his old one, Jack complained about it."

"And this surprises you?" I ask, expecting Crow to get angry. Of course it doesn't surprise him. It doesn't surprise me either.

"Of course not!"

I smile and wave my hand at him like I'm trying to get him to go away. "Just messing with you," I say, "now why don't you stand guard outside of my room? I need to change."

"Whatever you say."

I close my door behind him and sigh. The last time I celebrated my birthday was four years ago, shortly before I faked my death and fled from Satellite. Getting a pat on the back from Sydney as a present doesn't really count, so I'm a little bit nervous as to what my friends will cook up. I haven't even said anything about what I wanted.

Shaking my head, I quickly tie my jacket. I can't wait to see what my friends have in store for me.

XXX

"Happy Birthday, Sky!"

The moment I set foot downstairs, I'm bombarded by the voices of my friends, the smell of pancakes, and confetti. Seriously, someone had stuffed a ton of it in a bucket and rigged it to pour down when I came downstairs. But I'll let that slide. All of my friends—even Kalin, Nico, West, Sergio had come from Crash Town, and Martha had come from Satellite—are here, most of them wearing party hats. At least all of them are smiling, though.

"Thanks guys," I grin. "Is that pancakes I smell?"

"Better than that," Yusei's eyes (and his aura) flicker with joy, "they're Martha's chocolate chip pancakes."

My stomach rumbles at the thought of them. I haven't had chocolate chip pancakes, much less Martha's pancakes since Yusei's thirteenth birthday. "Awesome." I turn to Martha, who still has the batter-covered spatula in her hand. "Thanks for coming all this way to make breakfast for me, Martha."

"Hey! She made them for all of us!" Jack huffs at me.

"Yeah, yeah," I say. "Why don't we eat?"

XXX

Breakfast was mostly filled with West trying to catch me up on everything that's happened in Crash Town—excuse me, Satisfaction Town—since I left, a bunch of comments about how good the pancakes were—mostly from Leo and Escolar, and a brief moment of Akiza flipping out when she finds that I ate twelve pancakes.

"How can you possibly have eaten that many?"

"Umm," I pause and think about my answer. "Well, for one, they're the best pancakes ever, and two, I might have skipped dinner last night." Yesterday, while trying to figure out the best combos I could play if I go after Shoshan or Sydney in the WRGP, I had a brief and painful flare up of a migraine. I ended up going home and fell asleep pretty much right after—I doubt it was even 5 o'clock by then.

A muffled sound comes from Kalin before he swallows the pancake he had stuffed in his mouth. "That's gotta be a first," he says. "I mean, I know you've skipped lunch because you somehow forgot about it, but you never skip dinner."

"Yeah."

After that, Martha had to leave because she had to go back to the orphanage, and Leo, Luna, and Akiza still had Duel Academy to go to. I had to promise Leo I would wait until after they get out of school to open my presents. Like I would do that. Besides, my whole morning consists of going to the hospital with Yusei in order to see if our injuries have healed enough for us to partake in the WRGP.

It isn't until after noon that I get in to see Dr. Izumi. She had made it clear that she was the one that had to clear me and Yusei of our injuries, and she ended up busy with other patients until eleven thirty, when she checked Yusei first. I wasn't worried at all for Yusei's injury to be cleared, so I give him a half smile when he comes out and gives me two thumbs up.

But when Dr. Izumi shows me to the examining room, I can't help but be fidgety. "Calm down, Sky," she tells me, "I'm sure you're alright, just like your brother."

"Sorry, it's just…"

"I know."

XXX

Twenty minutes later and she says, "Congratulations, Sky. Your concussion has healed enough for you to be able to partake in the tournament."

"Yes!" I jump up and hug Dr. Izumi pretty hard for a few seconds.

"Okay," Dr. Izumi says, "you still need to be careful. Although, has there been any development on the, ah, aura-seeing eye?"

"Other than the fact that I can look at someone and not throw up and/or have an excruciating headache, no," I reply. Even though I've tried, I still can't turn off the power, or turn it on for the other eye so that I could at least have one image instead of two at a time.

"What about your other abilities?"

"I can see Duel Spirits again," I say happily. I was so happy when I was able to talk to them again that I almost jumped for joy, but with the concussion and the fact that, at the time, it was the middle of the night and I'm sure that the guys wouldn't have liked the fact that I woke them up because of it, I didn't. "That's it."

A frown crosses her face for a second, and then vanishes. "Well, it's at least progress. I'm done here," Dr. Izumi says. "You can leave. And I wish you a very Happy Birthday. I'm sorry half of it was wasted sitting in the waiting room."

"It's fine," I dismiss her apology, "I haven't even celebrated my birthday in a few years, so that's nothing. Have a good day."

XXX

Back at the apartment, the twins and Akiza have returned from school, and we pass on our happy news of being able to be in the tournament before I'm ordered to sit on the couch so that I can open my presents. I see Leo pick up a small one from a table that is otherwise empty. He examines it and puts it down, obviously pleased that I hadn't tried opening it before he got back.

"Sky, you're only getting two presents this year, but they're from everybody and we know you'll love them," Yusei explains after he notices my 'why is there only one' look. When he says that I'm getting two presents, it adds slightly to my confusion, but I don't let it show.

He hands me the small one that Leo had just examined. The wrapping paper isn't much, it only has gold and white interchanging stripes, and for a second I miss the homemade wrapping paper from Satellite, but my nostalgia fades when I tear off the paper.

A Deck Box. I would think they'd get me something else—I have a Deck Box already, like every self-respecting Duelist—and then I decide to open the Deck Box, and a single card falls out. It's a Synchro Monster, a new addition to my other Synchros as Celestial Dragon-Chaos.

No wonder I'm not getting many presents. It must have cost a fortune to get this card. I know it wasn't in the original release of the Celestial cards (of course, neither were Celestial Dragon-Quasar or Celestial Knight-Star), which means that my friends had to have the card commissioned, and that's really costly.

"Well?"

I look up from the card to see all of my friends faces. They're looking expectantly at me. "I… I think this will make a good addition to my Deck," I say. Celestial Dragon-Chaos seems to be a more powerful Synchro—its Level 9 and I see its Attack Points are 3400 and its Defense Points are 2600. Chaos definitely won't go down without a fight.

"So you like it?" Crow asks. "It was my idea."

"No it wasn't, it was Luna's," Jack says, smacking Crow on the back of the head.

"Hey!" The ginger, now angry, curls his fists and turns to Jack.

"Jack, Crow, you can fight later," Yusei says, "Right now it's time for Sky to open her last present." His comment seems to have stopped the would-be fight, and I'm glad. It would be just like them to do something like that on my birthday, and I was hoping that they wouldn't.

"So, what's the next one?" I ask. The new card was a nice touch, and I can't imagine anything topping it. Of course, this is from my friends, who are totally unpredictable, and I end up just as surprised when Yusei unveils my last present.

It's literally an unveiling—Yusei pulls off a sheet from what I though was his or Jack's Duel Runner, and I'm utterly shocked when it's a completely different one than what I've ever seen before. Wait, it actually looks kind of like a cross between the Blackbird and the Yusei Go. I mean, the frame, minus the wings, is a lot like the Blackbird, and the seat curves up like the Yusei Go, but the design is what throws me off.

Like my current Duel Runner, this one has a gold-colored base coat, but that's where the similarities stop. This new Runner has color streaks in what first looks like a messed-up rainbow decided to have fun, and then I realize that the colors are there in order of the color of my Celestial Knights' armor.

My already large smile gets even bigger. "You guys made it, didn't you?"

"It took a while, especially since we had to keep it a secret," Shoshan says, "but yeah, we made it. When you were stuck here, your friends came over to our garage, and that's how a lot of the work was done."

"Thanks," I say. I hadn't expected to get a new Duel Runner, or even a new card. "You guys are awesome. This has got to be the best birthday ever!"

Everyone laughs.

XXX

It's about ten o'clock now, and I'm stargazing on the roof of the apartment. I love how this day has gone so far. I mean, getting a card like Celestial Dragon-Chaos would have been more than enough, but my friends even went on to build me a Duel Runner.

"I thought we'd find you up here."

I turn around and see that Yusei and Kalin are both on the roof with me. Kalin being here surprises me. "I thought you were already on your way back to Satisfaction Town, Kalin." Two hours ago, I'd said goodbye to Sergio, Nico, West, and Kalin, while promising to Duel West the next time I saw him.

"Yeah, well," Kalin says. He looks away and then faces me again. "I really want to talk about what we saw in the ravine."

"Oh." This was one conversation I was trying to put off. I mean, I don't know all of the answers myself, so how am I supposed to answer them? That's when my head feels… I think the best way to describe it is… empty, and I hear an all-too-familiar voice I've wanted to hear for months now.

'Little one, I can help in your explanations to your brother and your friend', Reshiram says.

"Reshiram!" I blurt out, and from the strange looks I get from my friends, I add, "Just give me a second, and I'll explain everything." I shake my head. Reshiram had been the only Duel Spirit I still wasn't able to talk to after that part of my abilities came back earlier this month. 'Reshiram, it's been far too long since I've heard from you.'

'It has.'

'Now, about that help, what do you need me to do?'

'Play the Spell Card Swing of Memories.'

'But my powers haven't come back yet.' If she expects me to use the Swing of Memories to be a portal to show the memory, or whatever she was going to do to help, I can't.

'You doubt in yourself too much, little one. Tell your friends that I will show them exactly what happened nearly twenty seven years ago that made me come to you.'

'Okay.' I take a deep breath. "So, about the whole 'I have wings' deal… I've had them for as long as I can remember. All my parents said was that this dragon needed my help, and she—that is, the dragon—now resides in me. That's why I have wings."

"Resides in you?" Yusei asks. He rolls down his glove and shows off the Head Birthmark. "Just like the Crimson Dragon, right?"

"More or less. Although, I can communicate with my dragon on a regular basis. I've been able to since…" I pause and think back to when I first heard Reshiram. "Since I was released from the Facility." I let the information sink into their minds, and add, "Reshiram is willing to show us exactly what happened when she came to me."

"Really?" Kalin asks.

"Yeah." And I play Swing of Memories. With a flash of light, our surroundings are no longer the roof of our apartment and a view of the night sky.

XXX

Third Person

A hospital room houses two very worried people. The brunette woman's golden eyes are filled with worry, but she is stuck is the hospital bed and cannot pace around like her husband, a man with black hair that seemingly defies gravity and dark blue eyes, is currently doing.

"Ryuu," the woman says, "You need to calm down. Sky might only be a few days old, but she's a Fudo and she won't let some poison keep her down."

Ryuu Fudo stops pacing the room. "I can't, Ayame. I was the one who went after that man. If Sky," he pauses and swallows, "if she doesn't make it, it will be my fault."

Ayame's gold eyes flash with anger. "It won't be your fault, Ryuu. It's that masked man that clearly didn't want to leave any loose ends' fault." She realizes that she's speaking like her daughter has already died, and amends her statement. "No, it will be that man's fault."

At that moment a blonde-haired doctor walks in. She has the same eye color as Ayame. The doctor is also carrying a baby—Sky—and she has a very sad look on her face. "I'm sorry, there's absolutely nothing we can do to save her. The poison seems to be rejecting all antidotes thrown at it. Normal or…otherwise."

Ayame bolts upright in bed. "No, Izumi! There has to… there has to be some way to change this!"

The doctor shakes her head. "I'm sorry, oneechan. I really am." She holds out the infant, who is awake but whimpering in pain. "I'll… give you some time alone." She leaves once Ayame takes Sky away from her.

"No." Ryuu says, his hands curling into fists as he watches his wife try to calm their daughter down. "I absolutely refuse for this to be the end for her."

'And the end it will not be', a voice echoes in the room.

"Who said that?" Ryuu demands, eyes darting around the room while he stands protectively over Ayame and Sky.

A small light appears at the end of the bed. The light shifts and grows larger, morphing into the shape of a dragon. 'I can save your daughter, Dr. Ryuu Fudo.'

"Yes! Yes! Save her!" Ayame shouts.

"Hold on," Ryuu says. "There must be some kind of catch. And… how do we know you aren't some force of evil?"

A short chuckle comes from the light-dragon. 'All I need is a vessel to help me defeat a true force of evil when the time comes. Your daughter can have a bright future, if only you let me. There might also be a few changes in your daughter as well, but I assure you that I do not want to harm her. I believe that answers both of your questions.'

"I…" Ryuu says. He closes his eyes. "Please, save our daughter."

'Thank you.'

The light-dragon morphs back into the ball of light, and floats over the infant Sky. Sky opens her eyes and grabs at the light, emitting a squeal of joy that her parents thought they would never hear again. The room fills with light for two seconds. Sky blinks, oblivious to what just happened.

Her parents, though, they're ecstatic over what just happened. Their little girl is safe. But the changes that the light-dragon spoke of are already in effect. While small, it appears that Sky has wings, and that her left eye has turned blue, rather than the pure golden she had inherited from her mother, and what her right eye is still colored.

XXX

Sky's POV

The scene vanishes and I forcefully land on the ground. I feel exhausted now, like showing that scene had taken a lot of my energy away, but I find the energy to stand. I watch Yusei and Kalin both get up off the ground.

"That was, uh, intense," Kalin says after a really awkward period of silence.

"I had no idea it was going to be like that," I say. And for that matter, I add in my head, I had no idea that Dr. Izumi is actually my aunt, and that I've been calling her by her first name. I mean, she called my mom her big sister, and their eye color is exactly the same. I don't really believe in coincidences, so…

'You are correct, that Dr. Izumi is your aunt,' Reshiram says.

Now my stomach feels like it's trying to learn how to salsa dance, and I really don't feel like continuing this conversation. "Look, I'm starting to not feel good. You two got your answers and I swear I don't know anything else, so are we cool?"

I look expectantly at both of them, and Kalin shrugs. "I guess."

Yusei just stares ahead, like he's oblivious to everything else. He gets this way when deep in thought, and it's times like these that I wish our old mind link hadn't been severed when I faked my death. I really wonder what he's thinking about. Then just like that, Yusei looks back at me and says, "Yeah. We're cool."

If I didn't feel so bad, I'd ask him what's going on. But because of that, I just say, "Thanks guys. Kalin, I'll see you… sometime… and Yusei, I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, I leave the rooftop, still thinking that, while that scene Reshiram showed me was really nerve-wracking, today still has to be the best birthday ever.

To be continued…

Me: That's where Rudolph wants to stop.

Sky: Why am I not surprised that you fill in more twisted backstory? And on my birthday?

Me: Because you read the chapter already. And, I had that flashback, or at least the idea for it, written down ages ago.

Sky: True.

Crow: Why'd you have Jack hit me?

Me: Because. Just because.

Crow: *Shakes head* I don't see why I put up with you.

Me: Then don't. I mean, you've tried to kill me before.

Crow: *Evil glint in his eyes* Maybe I'll try again.

Me: I still have my paddle. *Paddle randomly breaks* Oh. *Runs out of the door with Crow in pursuit* Somebody help me!

(Oh, and the Celestial Dragon-Chaos card is going to have a different Attribute, Effect, and appearance depending on if Celestial Dragon-Sol or Celestial Dragon-Moon were used as Synchro Material. That's all I'm going to say on it until I have Sky actually use it. Also, I hope I used the correct Japanese wording in that one part.)