Me: Huh, looks like you're getting Blue Sky again…

Sky: *Still completely silent*

Me: *Looks at Sky* What, are you still trying to comprehend what happened last chapter?

Sky: *Blinks* WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOUR MUSE?

Me: Finally, an answer… Uhm, everything. Everything is wrong with Lucifer.

Shade: And me. And muse-Jack. And Shimmering-Sky.

Sky: You're all insane!

Me and Shade: Thank you!

Sky: *Facepalm* That wasn't a compliment…

Me: Oh well. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, but I do own my OCs… Enjoy?

Chapter 64

It's a struggle to keep the contents of my stomach down. It's not everyday you watch yourself—even if it's the you from another dimension—die. Sure, I saw myself die in the diner, but that was much different because she became a Dark Signer, and I didn't see her body.

This time… the knife, the cut, the blood… the choking… This time it was so much more personal, I can totally imagine what Z-ONE felt watching her life fade away… and in his arms, too…

Not only that, but what happened directly after her death is horrible too. It's also confusing, because if the reactor there exploded, shouldn't Z-ONE be dead? He was right next to it, just like… Just like my mother and Roman were, during Zero Reverse, and look where that got them!

"I can tell what you're thinking," Z-ONE says. "You're wondering why I'm even alive, if I was there during the explosion. The answer to that is… Momentum didn't kill me. In fact, exposure to it doesn't kill someone—it teleports them to another dimension, and that is how someone can possibly die. It depends on what world you are transported to."

That makes sense, considering the fact that Dusk told me about Zero Reverse teleporting and trapping some people in the Netherworld. Slowly, I nod. "Okay, that much I can understand. But… I still don't understand why you changed your name, and why you wear that mask… and why, if Dusk's magic prevents aging, you appear as old as you do."

He remains silent for a moment, before he says, "That magic works in two ways. It keeps them from aging, and it keeps them from dying. But for me, only the second applies."

"But… why?"

"Because I'm not from this world! Why else?" Fury enters his eye, and he adds, "I can't die, yet I age like a normal human! Not only that, but… You remember, how I made the comment about me being a fish out of water, correct?"

I nod.

"That's because I don't belong here. My body wants to return to my world, but it needs the Momentum that the clash of Arc Cradle and Neo Domino will release to do so. Some days are better than others—I can go months without feeling anything—but regardless of what I do, the continuous ache will not go away!"

"Certainly there's another way!" I reply.

Z-ONE closes his eye. "The only other possible way was Zero Reverse… and it didn't work. There wasn't enough energy, and I nearly scared the others to death, so to speak."

At that response, I shut up. I have no argument left. If Zero Reverse wasn't strong enough to send him back…

"Hmph, no response? Ah well, it wasn't like I was expecting one, since I just effectively shut down your argument," Z-ONE muses to himself. He shakes his head, returning his gaze to me. "I answered one of your questions. The other two will be answered in the next few looks into my memories…"

XXX

The scenery changes to that of the ruined Neo Domino. Footsteps across the pavement and debris can be heard, along with a young male's voice complaining, "Sky, we've been looking around for hours and haven't found anyone. Maybe it was just debris shifting around that you heard!"

"No Lester, I'm absolutely certain I heard someone," Sky replies.

The scene now shows the two people walking down the remnants of a street, kicking aside old cans and other such objects as they walk. Lester is clearly exhausted, but Sky still seems full of energy.

They pass an alley without looking down it, but then Sky stops, jerking her head back to the alley's entrance. Her mismatched eyes are full of alertness, and it looks like she's perked her ears. "There! There's someone in there!"

The maroon-haired boy rolls his eyes and sighs, turning around to follow the woman that darted into the alley. He jumps over a fallen piece of the building that's almost as tall as he is, and looks at what Sky's found.

Two bodies, clearly human. Not decomposed at all, but their skin is covered in severe burns. One of them isn't recognizable at all, but the other, the one that Sky is focusing on, looks almost like Yusei. This one has his eye open—dark blue, just like Lester remembers Yusei having, and amidst the burns, he can make out an identical Criminal Mark…

"Seriously? All that walking for two dead bodies?!" he screams in frustration.

"No, that one's dead," Sky replies, pointing to the unrecognizable one. "I don't know how, but this one isn't." She waves her hand in front of the second's face. The eye moves slightly, and then closes. Now Lester can see that his chest is slowly rising and falling—a sure sign of life.

"Okay, you found a person who is almost dead. What are we supposed to do?"

"Isn't it obvious? He needs medical attention."

"None of us are doctors."

"Well, I might not be qualified to be one, but… Before her… death, Akiza taught me as much as she could," Sky replies. "Come on. Help me carry this young man back to the hideout. If we wait, the injuries might get worse, and then we'll have a horribly disfigured and practically useless person to care for."

XXX

He opens his eyes, and everything seems distorted and unfamiliar. He can't move much, except for his left arm, and he pulls it in front of his face. It's covered in bandages he can feel on most of his body, and realizes that he only actually opened one eye—the entire right side of his face is covered in bandages.

"Ah! You can move!" a female voice exclaims. It's young, and not familiar at all.

Although, what should be familiar? His mind is a complete blur that won't focus. He has no idea how he ended up like this… no idea who his friends are… no idea what his own name is…

"Aunt Sky! The stranger's awake and moving!" the same voice shouts.

The door opens, and another feminine voice says, "Thank you, Hana. Why don't you go play with Aurelia now?"

"Sure thing!"

He still can't move his head to see who else is in the room, but someone's head appears in his vision. A woman with golden hair streaked with silver, and eyes that don't match. One gold, and one blue. He feels like he should know who this woman is…

"Well, I'm glad you're awake now," the woman says. "For a while, I didn't know if I found you in time."

In time… for what?

"Can you speak?" the woman asks.

He tries to, and while his lips and tongue can move to shape words, no sound comes out. It also hurts to do so.

"Alright, I'll take that as a no." She taps her finger on her own mouth a few times, looking at the wall. Then she nods, and looks back at him. "Alright, I'm going to ask you some questions. Blink once for yes, and twice for no. Do you understand?"

He blinks once.

"Good. Are you in pain? Anywhere, at all?"

One blink. The right side of his face stings, and everything else just aches.

"That's to be expected, since the pain medicine should have worn off…" she trails off. "Do you remember how you were injured?"

Two blinks. But that might lead to another line of remembering questions, wouldn't it? He tries to speak again, and this time succeeds. "Can't… remember… anything…"

Recognition flashes in the woman's eyes for a moment, replaced by confusion, and then the neutral expression returns. "Not even your own name?"

'No,' he thinks, but his mouth says, "Z-ONE."

Z-ONE? Is that really his name? It sounds… overwhelmingly familiar. Maybe that is his name. It would explain why he said it on impulse.

"Z-ONE, huh? Interesting name," the woman says. "Mine is Sky."

Sky…? That makes the woman even more familiar, but the blur of his mind refuses to make anything clear.

"Eye," he says.

"Huh?"

He moves his left hand to his face and touches the bandages.

"Oh!" Her facial expression turns to realization for a moment, and then she looks down, fiddling with the bottom of her shirt. "Uhm… I don't… I don't know how to say this, but… When I found you, you were barely clinging to life. I tried my best to help—as much as you can get now—but it… wasn't enough. The rest of your body should heal, but the right side of your face will definitely remain scarred and… and you'll never be able to see out of that eye again."

XXX

"Wait… you had amnesia when you were found?" I ask.

"I did. Obviously, my memory came back, or else I would be fighting for the same reason the others were," he replies. "Dusk was there when it did… but that is irrelevant right now."

"Okay…" I stop talking, letting all of the information I've received sink in.

Z-ONE is actually Yusei from another dimension. Divine, the version of Sayer from that dimension, launched a plan that resulted in Z-ONE's family and most of his friends dying. Then, Momentum exploded, launching Divine and Z-ONE into this world, Divine dying in the process. My future self found Z-ONE, still alive, and saved him, but couldn't save his right eye. That explains the mask.

Dang, and I thought Dusk's backstory was horrible. Z-ONE's is… pretty much on a whole new level. Especially since he basically had to live through watching everyone he cared about die three times—when it happened, when he remembered it, and just now, when he showed me.

I don't agree with his plan, but it makes so much more sense about why he would be willing to kill thousands—no, millions—of innocent people and not feel remorse in the slightest.

It takes me several moments to recognize the change in surroundings. I'm back in Neo Domino, back on Yusei's Duel Runner, back in the Duel with Z-ONE… and only a few feet away from flying into a building. I don't even have time to stop. I try to turn, but I know it won't move fast enough—

Crimson Star Fairy flies in between me and the building and, despite being small, catches me and puts me back on the right track. A sigh of relief escapes my lips. That was close… too close.

I look around and quickly spot Z-ONE, steering Yusei's Duel Runner in his direction. It looks like it's time for the Duel to continue.

"As you should remember, it's still my turn—and it's still the Battle Phase," Z-ONE says. "Temporal Machine God Zadion, attack Crimson Star Fairy!"

The monster with my face stretches out an arm, and a powerful tornado spirals out of it, towards my fairy. The fairy creates a small red barrier around her and survives the attack. The tornado then turns into a gentle breeze, and suddenly…

Z-ONE's Life Points: 4000

"Wha…? Hey, what gives?" I shout.

"When Zadion attacks, at the end of the damage step, my Life Points return to 4000 if they were lower than it," Z-ONE explains. "I end my turn, but just so you know, this is the last one you will have in this Duel."

I narrow my eyes at him. I really don't like it when people predict their victory—it hardly ever comes true, anyways—but with Z-ONE's monsters… I'm sure there is some grain of truth to that statement. 'Well… I better make this turn count, then,' I think. "It's my turn! Draw!"

Z-ONE S.C. 1, Sky S.C. 10

Staring at my hand, I sigh. 'What should I do? I can use ten Speed Counters and try to destroy that Infinite Machine Ain Soph, but he might have another upgrade as that face-down card…' My hand doesn't help either, because the cards I have only help stall some more. "I… I activate the effect of Speed World 2! I remove… 7 Speed Counters to draw one card!"

Sky S.C. 3

My hand hovers over my Deck for a moment before it grabs the card and pulls it out. I look at it. Still nothing to get me out of this predicament… "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"That's it?" Z-ONE asks.

"Yes," I say, slightly annoyed. "I have nothing left to play."

"Heh." He chuckles a little, "I told you it was your last turn, and you waste it with two face-down cards. Very well… it's time to end this! My move!"

Z-ONE S.C. 2, Sky S.C. 4

His monsters vanish, and even though there is only one card left in his hand, Z-ONE seems confident in his prediction. "I destroy Infinite Machine Ain Soph in order to activate my third and final Continuous Trap Infinite Light Ain Soph Ohr!"

The two connected gold rings shatter, replaced by three connected gold rings.

Lovely. I can only imagine what sort of upgraded effect this card has… Keeping the Temporal Machine Gods on the field? No, if that was the case, he would've activated it before his Standby Phase…

"But Infinite Light Ain Soph Ohr has one purpose right now—and that is to go to the Graveyard as well!"

"What?" I ask. "Why would you do that?"

"I have Summoned all ten of the normal Temporal Machine Gods in this Duel!" Z-ONE shouts.

"'Normal' ones? What?"

"The source of nothingness and existence, the ultimate Temporal Machine God that was born from infinite light! Ain Soph Ohr effect activates! I Special Summon the Ultimate Temporal Machine God Sephiron!"

Thunder booms, and I recoil as a bright flash of light explodes near me. When I look back, a monster has appeared above me. It has a staff-like body like the other Temporal Machine Gods, only this one's is blue, with golden lines. The monster's armor is golden, and it has two wing-like structures extending from an omega-symbol on its back, each with three segments. This monster's mirror is shaped like the letter Y, only with a circle in the center. The face on this mirror is Sayer's, which I was actually expecting.

What I wasn't expecting was for this monster to be so much larger than the others. I'd say it's as large as the Earthbound Immortals…

Ultimate Temporal Machine God Sephiron ATK: 4000, DEF: 4000, Level 12

If this monster has the ability to negate Trap cards… I'm screwed. Royally, utterly screwed. I can prevent attacks, but dealing with a monster that strong with the complete lack of monsters I've been drawing… and the only one I have has no defense whatsoever.

Z-ONE smirks. "This is the strongest monster in my Deck, and for much more than one reason. The first is its first ability: once a turn, I can Special Summon as many 'Temporal Machine Gods' from my hand, Deck, or Graveyard as I want, as long as there is room in my Monster Card Zone, and all of their ATKs become 4000."

"That's… ridiculous…"

"Tzaphion! Sandaion! Hairon! Camion!" he shouts.

The four monsters appear on the field in the order that they were named. They're much larger than before, but nowhere close to the size of Sephiron…

"Oh, and I forgot to mention that Sephiron gains ATK equal to the total ATK of all other 'Temporal Machine Gods' on my side of the field," Z-ONE adds.

Ultimate Temporal Machine God Sephiron ATK: 4000 to 20000

I don't even have words for this anymore. These monsters are so ridiculously overpowered, they should be illegal. How did he even get them? 'If only I could draw a card that lets me negate monster effects. Then I would be able to win easily.'

"Temporal Machine God Tzaphion attacks first!"

The wave of water comes, ready to swamp away my Spells and Traps. This time I'm prepared. This time, I won't let it happen. "I activate the Continuous Trap Dragon Star Shield! By sending a Dragon-Type Synchro Monster in my Extra Deck to the Graveyard, I can negate one attack! I choose to send… Black Rose Dragon!"

For a moment, the only thing to appear on the field is an octagon-shaped shield that… is really only a frame. But then a ghost version of the rose-covered dragon appears inside of it. The shield and dragon forces the water away from the rest of my cards, instead hitting buildings next to us, causing several pieces of them to break off and fall to earth. Earth, that is getting too close for comfort…

"Then I attack again, this time with Temporal Machine God Sandaion!"

"Black-Winged Dragon!" I shout.

The rose-covered dragon inside of the shield vanishes, replaced by Crow's dragon. This time, it's a blast of light that the shield repels.

"Fine then, Temporal Machine God Camion! Your turn!"

"Red Dragon Archfiend!"

The black-and-red dragon appears inside of the shield just as the boulders that materialize in the air try to hit my monster.

"Temporal Machine God Hairon, you attack now!"

"Life Stream Dragon!"

The second earth-based attack tries to strike my fairy, but Leo's new dragon appears inside of the shield in time to deflect them.

"And finally, Ultimate Temporal Machine God Sephiron!"

'Should I negate it? I mean, what's the point? The attack would destroy my fairy, and he has no more monsters to attack with… but that would leave me defenseless…'

Eventually, I decide, "Stardust Dragon!"

The shield gains solidness just in time with my brother's silver dragon; the beam of light from the largest of Z-ONE's monsters nearly lands. I let out a little sigh of relief…

But that relief does not last long.

CCCCCRRRRRAAAAACCCCCKKKK!

What was that sound?

By the time I look up, it's too late for any reaction from anyone.

The beam of light had been deflected by the shield, into one of the old buildings on Ark Cradle. As the buildings on it were just waiting for the slightest push to fall off, the attack made this building start to plummet towards the earth. I just happen to be underneath it when it does.

Metal and concrete screech with a cacophony of sound, and I have no control over the Duel Runner as it flips twice… and launches me off of it.

I can't move. It's not because I'm in pain. No, it's because I can't feel any part of my body. Shock? Can't shock make everything shut down? Maybe that, in combination with the fact that oh, I was just knocked out of the sky by a freaking building, and my head took most of the impact, is why I can't move.

Nothing I do helps. No magic, no movement…

And the ground just keeps getting closer and closer as my hope gets farther and farther away…

To be continued…

Me: Huh? This is the end of the chapter, but Lucifer sent me something else… *Reads last paper* NO!

Sky: What? What are you yelling 'NO' at, aside from the ending that totally rips off the show?

Me: Read this! *Hands over paper*

Sky: *Scans paper* …Doesn't Lucy have enough story ideas that involve people dying?

Me: Apparently not.

Shade: Wait, let me see that… *Takes paper, reads it* Hey, this is mine! How did Lucifer get ahold of it?

Me: Oh… that explains a lot.

Sky: You're the one that wants to write… that… that thing?

Shade: Of course. It's no fun if Lucy gets all the credit for evilness.

Me: Well… uhm… I think the story is an interesting idea…

Shade: Yes!

Me: But you're going to have to wait until after Blue Sky is finished and the other stories have a lot of progress.

Shade: Dang it… I'll go work on something then…

Sky: You're going to write that?

Me: Hey, it's an idea I haven't seen other authors use, and it's really interesting! …So yeah, eventually.

Sky: I will never be able to understand you.

Me: Good. Well, this is all the time I have right now. Please, leave a review! Even if you say you hate this story, that's perfectly fine by me! I want to hear what everyone has to say!