Chapter 31: Darkness In The Heart! The Final Remaining Hope!
Crow brushes aside a cobweb or two as he and Usagi walk through the dark ruins of the old Moment site, looking around, with wary curiosity. "I see. This used to be Moment's research area." Crow says. Usagi notices a shattered picture frame on the floor, the glass broken, but picture left intact. She picks it up, carefully, and looks closer. Crow looks at it over Usagi's shoulder. The picture contains a happy family, two parents, two babies, a puppy and a kit. The dad is Professor Hakase Fudo and the mom is Congresswoman Keiko Fudo. Hakase's holding baby Sakura, who's hugging puppy Grim and kit Aurora close to herself, in one arm, while his other arm is wrapped around Keiko's shoulder, as she cradles baby Yusei in her arms, this must be the picture of the day they eloped. "Who are they?" Asks Crow. Usagi traces her fingers over the picture, delicately. "A family…" Usagi says, softly.
The unnatural light of Moment turns the walls an unsettling magenta, snaking its way up the sides of the cavern around them like glowing lichen of doom. Above them lurks Earthbound Immortal Uru.
"My turn!" Says Sakura. She draws, and shows her card, it's a monster.
"You drew a monster card. At this moment, my Continuous Spell 'Destiny Activator's' effect activates! If you draw a card that's the same type as the card that I sent to the graveyard, your life points are halved!" Rudger says.
The spell hits Sakura with a huge, focused blast of wind. She endures it, as the bridge sways, she's down to 50 life points.
"Sakura!" Says both Luca and Lua. Grim and Aurora both growl, deeply.
Sakura glares at Rudger, not defeated yet.
He laughs. Rudger has 1700 life points left still. "Hahahahaha. Looks like this is the end." Rudger says.
"This is bad! Sakura only has fifty life points left!" Says Lua. "Ahh." Luca says.
"I haven't run out of life points yet!" Says Sakura.
"Sakura!" Lua says. "Hang in there!" Says Luca. "Sakura!" Ushio says.
"I summon Gearshift in defense position!" Says Sakura.
Gearshift has 0 defense points and is a Level 4 monster. "Then I set one card and end my turn." Sakura says.
"So you still want to fight. You inherited your mother's stubbornness. You remind me a lot of her, actually! You look so much like your mother, Sakura! In fact, I believe that if you weren't born as the Crimson Dragon's vessel, that you most likely would've had her eyes, too." Says Rudger.
Sakura scowls.
"I can't believe that after seventeen years, the Signer who has come to defeat me is my own daughter. I can feel the power of destiny." Rudger says.
"There's no destiny between us!" Says Sakura.
"Stop acting tough. Your life points are like a candle in the wind. Your soul will soon vanish inside Moment's light. But before that, I'll tell you about your mother and stepfather. Seventeen years ago, Professor Hakase Fudo was a quantum physics expert and discovered planetary particles." Rudger says.
"Planetary particles?" Asks Subaru. "What's that?" Velvet asks.
"My dear grandchildren, planetary particles act like planetary gears and tie other particles together. The professor named his son after this discovery. He wanted you to become the bond that ties strangers together, Yusei." Says Rudger.
Sakura and Yusei are listening, silently, intent on his words.
Flashback. "Planetary particles were new particles that were essential in creating Moment. The professor developed his theories and started building Moment, a non-polluting energy engine." Rudger says, in voice-over. Professor Hakase Fudo gazes up at the beautiful light of the spinning Moment, proudly, behind him stand the other two men from the photograph he was looking at earlier, Rex and Rudger Godwin, also smiling. "At that time, Rex and I were researchers. We were impressed with the professor's research and served as his assistants. And then, soon after joining him, I met your mother." Says Rudger, in voice-over.
Hakase has his arms wrapped around the woman that would soon end up being the mother of Sakura, Yusei and Hotaru. "She was beautiful and I soon began to develop feelings for her, only her and your stepfather were already betrothed to one another, just recently being engaged when I first met her. But then, after a few months of seeing her with him, I couldn't stand it any longer. From that point on, I knew I wanted her, only Hakase was my good friend and I didn't want to stab him in the back just to get what I wanted. I told Rex how I felt and he tried to talk some sense into me. He was correct with what he said, but I didn't listen to him. I knew what I wanted, so I went over to talk to her. Just to be friendly wise, I had no intentions of doing anything with her at that point." Rudger says, in voice-over.
The flashback changes. Rudger's outside the door to an apartment in the City, sort of similar to the twin's place.
Keiko answers the door, she looks a little surprised to see him, but is still happy to see him. It's surely obvious that she is Sakura and Hotaru's mother. The eldest daughter gets all of her physical traits from Keiko, from her slightly pale complexion, to her facial shape, and her black hair, excluding the waviness of her hair and red gradation. The youngest daughter is the spitting image of her mother, from her facial shape, to her violet eyes, and her straight, black hair, including her bangs. Keiko's hair is long, almost waist-length. "Rudger, please come in." Says Keiko. Her voice is slightly similar to Sakura's, but sounds lighter from hers.
Rudger enters and she closes the door behind him. "Um, Hakase isn't here. He's working late tonight." Keiko says. "I'm aware he isn't here and I'm not here to see him anyway. I came here to talk to you and ask you something." Says Rudger. "Okay, well, please have a seat and I'll get us some refreshments." Keiko says. "Actually, that's okay, Keiko. I don't plan on staying long." Says Rudger. "Oh, all right." Keiko says.
They both have a seat on the couch. "So, what did you want to ask me?" Asks Keiko. "It's silly really, but, um, do you really love Hakase?" Rudger asks. "Of course, why wouldn't I? I mean, he's my fiancé? We'll be getting married in a year." Says Keiko. "I know, it's just, I'm sorry that I said anything. I've just really had a lot of things on my mind lately, this whole Moment thing has my head all messed up." Rudger says. "You're starting to sound like Hakase when he comes home." Says Keiko. "Maybe I should just forget about Moment, leave it in Hakase and Rex's hands." Rudger says. Keiko places a hand on one of his, making him look up at her. "I don't think you should do that, Rudger. You should keep going on with it. I mean, both Hakase and Rex want you to help them with Moment so why not." Says Keiko. "You're right, thanks Keiko." Rudger says. "Of course. Anytime, Rudger." Says Keiko. "Keiko, do you think I'll ever find a woman for me?" Rudger asks. "I don't see why not." Says Keiko. "Do you think you would've if you weren't with Hakase?" Rudger asks. "That's getting sort of personal." Says Keiko. "Sorry, I just. I think I might have developed some special feelings for you." Rudger says. "Rudger." Says Keiko. Rudger starts pulling her closer to him. "I just want to try something with you." Rudger says. He brings Keiko closer to him, putting himself on top of her. "Rudger, please don't." Says Keiko. Rudger leans down and kisses her, putting more of his weight on her. Keiko tries pushing him off, but he grabs her wrists and pins her arms down. Rudger then slips his tongue into the kiss, fighting for dominance. He soon moves one of his hands, slipping it underneath Keiko's top. Her reaction is silenced by Rudger's mouth and wondering tongue. He stops kissing Keiko and grips her top, pushing it up to expose her bra-covered breasts. Rudger then removes his own shirt, quickly, tossing it to the floor. Keiko tries to get away, only he pins her back down and grips at her bra, unclasping it and moving it out of the way, now exposing her bare breasts to him. Rudger then leans down, taking one into his mouth and caressing the other with his hand. "Rudger, please stop." Keiko says. Rudger removes his mouth from one of her breasts, while still fondling her other one. "I'm sorry, Keiko. But I can't, I must have you and I must have you now." Says Rudger. He then moves his hand down, stroking Keiko between her legs. She lets out a moan, involuntarily. Rudger reaches underneath her skirt and removes her panties, letting them fall to the floor. He then unbuckles his belt and undoes his pants, bringing his dick out in the open. Rudger pulls Keiko closer to him, positioning himself at her entrance. "If I hurt you, I'm truly sorry." Rudger says. He then enters Keiko, with one quick motion. She lets out a scream and shuts her eyes, not wanting to see this through. Rudger places Keiko's leg over his shoulder, penetrating her deeper and thrusting into her at a steady pace. She reacts to each thrust she receives from him, her body betraying her for its own wants. Rudger then begins to pick up speed, thrusting into Keiko faster. He goes faster and faster with each thrust, until he finally releases inside of her. Keiko's eyes suddenly open, she didn't expect that Rudger would actually release his seed inside of her. Once he's finished cumming inside of her, he pulls out of her and sits back down on the couch, zipping up his pants and fastening his belt, breathing heavily. "I can't believe you..." Says Keiko. Rudger cuts her off with a kiss. After a few seconds, he separates his lips from Keiko's and grips her face, lightly. "Thanks to you, I was able to fulfill my fantasies. I didn't want it to have to come to this, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless." Rudger says. He then releases Keiko's face and stands up. "I'll show myself out." Says Rudger. He reaches for his shirt and places it back on, turning back to face Keiko before he leaves. "You have a good night now, Keiko." Rudger says. He winks at Keiko and leaves, closing the door behind him.
Sometime late at night, Hakase's just getting home. He sets down his things and heads for the bedroom.
When Hakase enters the room, Keiko is sitting on the side of the bed, she's been waiting for him to come home. "Keiko, it's almost two in the morning. What are you still doing up?" Asks Hakase. His voice is much lighter than Yusei's.
"Hakase." Keiko says.
"Hm?" Asks Hakase.
Keiko looks up at him, tears are running down her cheeks.
Hakase rushes over to her and sits down on the bed next to her. "Keiko, what's wrong?" Hakase asks. Keiko places herself into his chest. Hakase wraps his arms around her, hugging her close to himself. "I just need you." Says Keiko. "I'm here, Keiko." Hakase says. "Hakase, I want you to make love with me." Says Keiko. Hakase touches her face, grasping it, gently. "Are you sure you want this tonight?" Hakase asks. Keiko nods, subtly. "Yes." Says Keiko. Hakase stands up from the bed and starts undressing. He unbuttons his gray shirt and slips it off, he's now barechested. Hakase turns to Keiko and offers her his hand, she takes it and stands before him. He pulls his fiancée close to him and kisses her, she returns it back to him. Their lips separate after a couple minutes and they look into each other's eyes, lovingly. "I love you, Hakase." Keiko says. "I love you, too, Keiko." Says Hakase. He then reaches for Keiko's silk robe and slips it down her body, letting it fall to the floor. Hakase takes in the sight of his fiancée's body, he's marveling her. Keiko wraps her arms around his neck, while he wraps his around her waist. "You're beautiful, Keiko." Hakase says. Keiko smiles up at him and their lips lock in a passionate kiss. Hakase then picks her up, she wraps her legs around his waist as he does, and carries her over to the bed, lying her down on it, while still holding the kiss. Their lips soon separate and he gets up, undoing his black belt and black dress pants, removing them both and letting them fall to the floor. Hakase steps up to the side of the bed and gestures to Keiko, who gets up from the bed and stands before him. She then turns herself and he has her bend over the side of the bed. Hakase slips off his boxers and positions himself at Keiko's entrance. "Ready?" Asks Hakase. "Yes." Keiko says. Hakase grips her hips and enters her from behind. He starts thrusting himself inside Keiko's womanhood, going at a steady pace. Hakase keeps going and picks up some speed in his thrusts. Keiko moans out, in pleasure, with each thrust he does. He starts going deeper inside of her, going a little harder and faster with his thrusts. Hakase does a couple more hard and fast thrusts, until he cums deep inside of Keiko, making her scream out, in pleasure.
Sometime later. Hakase groans a bit as he wakes up. He looks over at the alarm clock, which reads 6:45am. Hakase rubs at his face and sits up in the bed. He then looks over at Keiko, who's still asleep. Hakase smiles and snuggles up against her back, kissing her shoulder. "I love you, Keiko." Says Hakase. He then gets up to get ready for work.
The flashback changes. "After the incident with your mother, she was smart enough not to say anything to anyone, especially to your stepfather. So, everything went back to the way it was. Like a young boy, the professor spoke excitedly about his research's potential. He believed Moment would create a great future world." Rudger says, in voice-over. Hakase turns to Rex and Rudger, indicating a small device in his hand. They look back up at that beautiful Moment. "The research proceeded smoothly… until that incident." Says Rudger, in voice-over.
The flashback changes. Hakase's seated at the console at the base of Moment, typing. Rex and Rudger stand behind him, manipulating handheld screens. The three hear a rattling sound, and look up at Moment, startled and panicked. "What's that sound?" Hakase asks, trying to keep calm. He looks at the console in front of him. A readout shown as a row of bars shows the fifth and sixth from the left spiking, and the others rising fast. "The energy gauge is showing unusual numbers." Says Rex. "But there's nothing wrong with the equipment." Rudger says. The phone suddenly rings, Rex answers it. "Hello. Sure, one moment." Says Rex. He holds a hand over the receiver. "Professor Fudo." Rex says. "Yes, what is it, Rex?" Asks Hakase. "It's Keiko. She sounds pretty upset." Rex says. He hands him the phone. Rex and Rudger then head into the hallway.
"Yes, Keiko? What's wrong?" Asks Hakase. "I need you to come home as soon as you can." Keiko says, via-phone. "Why? Is something wrong?" Asks Hakase. "Just, get here as soon as possible. I'm scared and I'm not feeling so well." Keiko says, via-phone. "I thought you went to the doctor today? That's what you told me before I left this morning." Says Hakase. "I did, but I can't tell you over the phone. I need to tell you in person." Keiko says, via-phone. "Okay, well, I get off in an hour. Can you hold up until then." Says Hakase. "Yes, I'll see you then. Thank you, Hakase." Keiko says, via-phone. "Bye, Keiko." Says Hakase. Keiko hangs up and so does he. Hakase lets out a big sigh.
Rex and Rudger soon rejoin him. "Everything okay, Professor?" Rex asks. "Yeah, I guess. She's feeling sick and wants me home as soon as I can." Says Hakase. "Sounds pretty serious to me." Rudger says.
The scene changes. Hakase's just coming home as he closes the door behind him. "Keiko, I'm home." Says Hakase.
"I'm in here." Keiko says.
Hakase follows where her voice came from and finds her in the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror, leaning over the sink. "Keiko, you okay?" Asks Hakase. He walks up to Keiko and places a hand on her back, consolingly. "Have you been crying?" Hakase asks. "Yes, I just really don't feel so well. I've been feeling sick for the last several weeks." Says Keiko. "Well, what did the doctor say?" Hakase asks. "He said it was normal for a woman to feel this way." Says Keiko. "He apparently doesn't understand women then." Hakase says. Keiko suddenly goes down to her knees and leans over the toilet, throwing up. "I'm sorry you have to see me this way." Says Keiko. She then leans against the cabinets underneath the sink. "Through sickness and health, remember?" Hakase asks. He hands Keiko a small towel, to wipe the stuff from her mouth. She takes it and wipes off her mouth. Hakase then sits down next to Keiko. "Can't believe I have to continue to endure this for eight in a half more months. I'm already sick of all this." Says Keiko. "What do you mean eight in a half more months?" Hakase asks. Keiko sighs. "Hakase, I'm pregnant." Says Keiko. Hakase almost seems shocked. "You're what?" Hakase asks. "I'm pregnant." Says Keiko. She takes something out from her purse. "The doctor had me take this." Keiko says. She hands the test over to Hakase, he takes it and looks at it. "It's positive." Says Keiko. Hakase lowers the test and looks over at her. "So, we're going to be having a baby then?" Hakase asks. "There's something I have to tell you." Says Keiko. Hakase touches her hand. "What is it?" Hakase asks. "I don't know if the baby is yours or not." Says Keiko. "What do you mean?" Hakase asks. "The night you came home and I was up waiting for you. Earlier that day, Rudger came here and raped me. I tried to fight him off, but he held me down. I tried pleading with him to stop, but he just did it anyway. Then, he did what I didn't think he would do, he released inside of me. He left after he finished with me. So, I waited for you to come home and I wanted you to sleep with me so I could feel a little more secure. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this sooner. I should've told you about it when you came home that night." Says Keiko. "No, Keiko. I'm sorry." Hakase says. "For what?" Asks Keiko. "For not being here to stop it from happening. I've been so caught up with Moment that I lost sight of what really mattered to me. So, you really don't know whose baby it is?" Hakase asks. "No, and I don't want to do a paternity test while I'm pregnant. But, if it turns out that Rudger's the father, I don't want to place this burden on you." Says Keiko. "There's still a chance that the baby could be mine, right?" Hakase asks. He places one of his hands on Keiko's stomach, gently. "And this isn't a burden, Keiko. You have a living thing growing inside you. I don't care if it's Rudger's or mine, as long as it's yours. I'm hoping the baby is mine, but if it ends up being Rudger's, I'll adopt him or her if you want me to." Says Hakase. "I'm hoping he or she is yours, too. And if it does end up being his, of course I want you to adopt him or her. But, wouldn't we have to get Rudger's consent to sign the baby over to you?" Keiko asks. "That's only if it ends up being his. But for now, I'll just think of the baby as mine. No matter what the outcome ends up being." Says Hakase. "Thank you, Hakase." Keiko says. Hakase leans in closer to her and kisses her head.
At the research site. Hakase's coming in a little late.
Rex and Rudger greet him. "Morning, Professor." Says Rex. "Good morning, Rex. Rudger." Hakase says. "How's Keiko?" Asks Rudger. "She's pregnant." Hakase says. "Oh. Congratulations, Professor. You're going to be a father, that's wonderful news." Says Rex. "Yes, you have my most sincere regards. Congrats, Sir." Rudger says. "Thanks, guys." Says Hakase. He walks past them, Rex following at his shoulder.
Rudger stays behind, eyeing Hakase from the corner of his eye, he knows what's up, he knows Keiko's baby could very well be his.
The scene changes. It's now at least eight-nine months later. Keiko is at the research site, in the kitchen area. She looks beyond pregnant now, her belly is double the size of a beach ball.
Rex walks up to Keiko. "Hey, Keiko." Rex says. "Oh, Rex. You scared me." Says Keiko. "Sorry about that. I haven't seen you around in a while. Hakase said you were here visiting, so I thought I would run into you at some point today." Rex says. "Well, it's nice to see you too, Rex." Says Keiko.
"Daddy!"
Rex looks back over his shoulder.
A young, four year old Kakyuu is running up to him. Her red-orange hair is still styled the same, but is tied with ribbons instead of her hair accessories that she styles it with in the present, and her hair is a few inches from being shoulder-length. She's dressed in a white, short-sleeved, button-up, collared shirt, with blue lining at the edge of the collar and sleeves, and adorned with a small, blue tie. She also wears a navy blue, pleated skirt, mid-calf, white socks and black, mary jane shoes.
Rex goes down to one knee, as young Kakyuu runs into his arms. "Hello, sweetheart." Rex says. He stands up, holding young Kakyuu in his arms.
A woman walks up next, having followed young Kakyuu into the room. "Hello, dear." Says Rex. He gives her a peck on the cheek. "Keiko, this is my wife Hikari. And my daughter Kakyuu." Rex says. Kakyuu is almost the spitting image of her mother, having the same burnt sienna eyes, fair complexion and red-orange hair. She wears her hair tied up in a bun, low on the right side of the back of her head, while her bangs are shaped around the left side of her face and a small curled lock of hair reaching almost to her shoulders. She's dressed in a navy blue, long-sleeved corporate jacket, with white trim, over a white, long-sleeved, collared shirt, adorned with a blue tie, a navy blue, high-waist, pencil skirt, black pantyhose and black, open-toed heels. "Hello, I'm…" Says Keiko. "Keiko Kuraitaiyou… former part-time model turned congresswoman." Hikari says. "Yes. She's Professor Fudo's fiancée. So, when are the babies due? Hakase said you were getting pretty close." Says Rex. "Yes, well, we're getting there. Shouldn't be too long now." Keiko says. "I'm happy for the two of you." Says Rex. "Thank you, Rex." Keiko says. "Well, I should get going. Nice seeing you, Keiko." Says Rex. He turns to leave, with Kakyuu in his arms and Hikari walking next to him.
As soon as Rex and his family leave, Rudger approaches Keiko from behind. Without realizing it, she bumps into him. "Keiko." Rudger says. "Rudger, what do you want?" Asks Keiko. "I know, Keiko. I know your babies could be mine and not Hakase's." Rudger says. He backs her up into the counter, towering over Keiko. She looks away from Rudger, not wanting to look at him at all. He then places both of his hands on either side of Keiko's swollen belly, gently. "You should relax, I'm not going to hurt you or your babies. And if the babies are mine and it makes you happy, I'll agree to sign them over to Hakase. I'll give all my rights up to him to become the babies' adoptive father." Says Rudger. "You-you will?" Keiko asks. "On a few conditions." Says Rudger. "Conditions? I'm their mother, I'm the one carrying these babies. You forced yourself on me." Keiko says. Rudger then removes his hands from her belly and steps back a bit. "And I could be their father, I do have some rights to them. You can at least allow me that, Keiko." Says Rudger. "That's only if they are yours. And if that does end up being the case, I'll think about it." Keiko says.
"Keiko, are you okay?" Asks Hakase. He walks over to Rudger and Keiko, putting himself between his colleague and his pregnant fiancée. "Yes." Keiko says. "Listen Rudger, I understand that the babies could be yours. Only, you need to understand that they could very well be mine, too. But if it turns out that they're yours, then with your permission, I would like to become the babies' adoptive father. And if it's okay with Keiko, I'm willing to listen to your conditions if she wants to." Says Hakase. "Well Keiko, will you at least listen to what I have to say?" Rudger asks. "All right, I'll listen to your conditions. Now, what are they?" Asks Keiko. "One, I would prefer that the babies' not have Hakase's surname. Either yours or mine." Rudger says. "Well, they're certainly not getting yours. But, I'll accept that condition if that's all right with Hakase, as well." Says Keiko. "It's fine by me." Hakase says. "All right then, I guess the babies' get my surname. What's the second condition?" Asks Keiko. "The second condition is I get to decide the names of the babies." Rudger says. "As long as it's not your name, then it's fine." Says Keiko. "Very well, I can accept that." Rudger says. "Now, what's the third and final condition?" Asks Keiko. "It's simple. When the babies are born, I want to be able to hold them at least once." Rudger says. "That's fine, I think that would be the right thing to do." Says Keiko. "Then it's done. If the babies are mine, I'll sign them over to Hakase to become their adoptive father. And if they end up being his, the conditions are void." Rudger says. "Thank you, Rudger." Says Keiko.
A few hours later after that. Hakase, Rex and Rudger are busy working on Moment again.
Keiko is still in the factory, she didn't feel like heading home. "Hey guys, you're working awfully late tonight." Keiko says.
"Sorry, Keiko. We've just been really busy with this thing." Says Hakase. He walks over to Keiko and kisses her. "Are you coming home soon?" Keiko asks. "Yeah, I'll be home in an hour." Says Hakase. "All right. Well, I'm heading home. I'll see you then." Keiko says. "Sure thing." Says Hakase.
"If you want, I can drive her home for you, Professor." Rex says.
"Thanks, Rex." Says Hakase.
Rex then escorts Keiko out. When Moment starts acting up, she suddenly gets a kick to the stomach. "Hm. Sure, now you start getting restless." Keiko says. Moment begins to act up more, making one of the babies more restless than the other one, kicking her a couple more times and stretching a bit. "Are you okay, Keiko?" Asks Rex. "I'm fine, Rex. Thank you." Keiko says.
Sometime later. Rex is driving Keiko home. Everything seems fine when all of a sudden, BANG! They got hit from the side by an incoming car. Rex's car skids, flips over a couple times and then comes to a stop.
When he comes to, his lip is busted open and the side of his head is cut up. Rex then looks over to Keiko, who is still knocked out yet. Her forehead is busted open and there's quite a bit of blood already soaked on her dress from her belly. Rex already knows this isn't a good condition for her to be in. "Oh no. Keiko, please don't be dead. Wake up." Says Rex.
Keiko lets out a moan, in pain, and opens her eyes. "Oh good, you're still alive." Rex says. "Rex… What happened…?" Asks Keiko. "We were in a car accident, but it seems that we managed to pull through. Are you okay?" Rex asks. Keiko nods, slightly, she then lets out a cry, in pain. "Keiko, what's wrong?" Asks Rex. "My water just broke... and my legs are trapped underneath... I can't move them..." Keiko says, in a lot of pain. "Wait, you mean the babies are coming now?" Asks Rex. "Yes..." Keiko says, pained. "Okay, I'll stay with you. I'm calling an ambulance, right now." Says Rex.
It takes the ambulance almost an hour to arrive there. They're able to get Rex out and soon after are able to get Keiko out, having to use the jaws of life to get her out of there.
They're soon off to the hospital, only time is not on their side. "You'll be okay now, Keiko." Rex says. "Rex... these babies... aren't going to make it... to the hospital..." Says Keiko, breathing heavily. "What do you mean?" Rex asks. "These babies are coming... now..." Says Keiko, breathing heavily. "Oh, well then, I'm not leaving you. I'll stay at your side through this." Rex says. "Thank you... Rex..." Says Keiko, breathing heavily.
At Neo Domino Hospital, it's 3:45am. Both babies were delivered safely.
Rex is holding one of the babies in his arms, it's not crying anymore if it was.
Keiko is lying in a hospital bed, exhausted, she's holding the other baby in her arms and she's getting a blood transfusion, since she lost quite a bit. "Thank you, Rex. You helped deliver them." Keiko says.
"Yeah, well. Don't expect me to do it again, it was hard enough doing it twice." Says Rex.
"Rex, you should be proud of yourself for what you did." Keiko says.
"Why? It's not like I planned to do this." Says Rex.
"I know. But, you might have helped deliver your niece and nephew, Rex." Keiko says.
"What do you mean? Aren't they Hakase's babies?" Asks Rex.
"Well, we really don't know yet. I've been waiting on doing a paternity test on them until after they were born. We're just waiting for Hakase and Rudger to get here before I have the doctors do the paternity test. So, they could be Hakase's. Or, they could be Rudger's, which would make them your niece and nephew, Rex." Keiko says.
"My niece and nephew?" Asks Rex. He looks down at the baby, lying asleep in his arms, and suddenly notices something that looks burned into her stomach, it's the Seal of the Crimson Dragon. Only, back then, he knew nothing of the Crimson Dragon. She also has a scar in the shape of a crescent moon on the left side of her chest. Rex thinks nothing of it and covers it back up.
Rudger and Hakase soon walk into the room. "Keiko, are you okay?" Hakase asks.
"I will be." Says Keiko.
Hakase then sits on the side of her hospital bed and kisses her forehead, gently.
"And the babies?" Rudger asks.
"They're fine, Rudger. Rex has one of them. I think it's time we find out who their father is." Says Keiko.
A little bit later, it's 4:56am. They are all waiting for the paternity tests for the twins. Keiko and Rex are both still holding their respective baby.
A doctor soon comes into the room, with a clipboard in his hand. Rudger, Rex, Hakase and Keiko all look up at him. "Well, we have the paternity results for the two babies. However, what we discovered is quite unheard of and is almost impossible."
"What is it, Doctor?" Keiko asks.
"Well, the only DNA that these two babies share is from you, Congresswoman Kuraitaiyou."
"What do you mean?" Asks Hakase.
"Your fraternal twins are half-siblings. They both obviously have Congresswoman Kuraitaiyou's DNA, which is the only thing these fraternal twins have in common with each other. One baby matches up with Professor Fudo's DNA, while the other matches up with Professor Godwin's." He consults his clipboard and points over to the baby Rex is holding. "The girl is Professor Godwin's." He then points over to the baby Keiko is holding. "And the boy is Professor Fudo's. I'll send a nurse to you shortly to finish the documents to put into the birth records. We already have the times and days of their birth."
"Days of their birth? But, they're fraternal twins, aren't they?" Rudger asks.
"Yes, they are in fact fraternal twins. However, they were born a day, two hours and twenty-five minutes apart. The girl was born last night at 11:25pm, while the boy was born earlier this morning at 1:50am." He turns to leave the room. "I'll leave you to sort things out." He walks out of the room.
"Hakase, would you like to hold your son?" Asks Keiko. Hakase smiles. "Of course." Hakase says. He takes the baby boy from Keiko and holds him in his arms.
Rex then walks over to Rudger. "Do you want to hold your daughter, Rudger? She's been sleeping quite restfully ever since she arrived." Says Rex. Rudger looks over at Keiko and Hakase, making sure it's okay if he does.
"It's alright, Rudger. She is yours, after all." Keiko says.
Rex then hands the baby girl over to Rudger, who takes her into his arms. He right away already has the love of a father to his daughter. "She's beautiful." Says Rudger.
"What about her name? She is yours to name, Rudger." Hakase says.
"Her name? It's hard to decide." Says Rudger. He then looks over at Rex. "Rex, would you like to name her?" Rudger asks. "Me, brother?" Asks Rex. "Yeah. I mean, she's your niece, after all. If that's okay with Keiko?" Rudger asks.
"I like the idea. You did help deliver my babies, Rex. I feel that it's only right for you to name the one that's related to you. So, go ahead." Says Keiko.
"Okay, well. I guess…" Rex says. He looks at her face again to try and think of something. "What about… Sakura?" Asks Rex.
At that moment, for the first time, she opens her dark-crimson red eyes when her name is said, looking up at her father and slightly her uncle. She then closes her eyes, falling back to sleep.
"Apparently, she likes the name." Rudger says.
"I like it, too. It's beautiful and fits her quite nicely." Says Hakase. "I like it, as well. It means 'cherry blossom'. It's perfect for her. Good job, Rex. Sakura Kuraitaiyou." Keiko says.
Rex smiles at her and then turns his attention back to his newborn niece.
Then, wisps of shadowy mist suddenly emerge from baby Sakura's shadow and weaves of mystical fire wrap around her, and for the very first time, a dark-furred, Irish Wolfhound newborn puppy and a newborn, white kit take form, lying down on the floor, asleep, before the two Godwin brothers and their newborn mistress, fast asleep in her father's arms, with his unnaturally long tail, which is significantly shorter to accompany his smaller size at this point in time, and all of her tails, which she only has three at this point in time, being the last things of them to form.
The Godwin brothers, Hakase and Keiko are all astonished by this.
The puppy and kit both lift up their tiny heads and let out little yawns, only to both fall right back to sleep.
Rex walks up to the small puppy and tiny kit, crouches down next to them, petting them, lightly.
Rudger walks up to his brother. "Well, what are they?" Asks Rudger. "They look and feel just like any other puppy or kit." Rex says.
"Here, bring them to me, please." Says Keiko.
"Okay." Rex says. He picks the puppy and kit up, carefully, and carries them over to Keiko. Rex hands them over to her, who takes them and sets them in her lap, holding them. The puppy lets out a tiny yip, while the kit just twitches her cute little ears, making Keiko smile. "Well, not sure where you two came from or how you two came to be here. However, I believe you were both meant to be here for Sakura. What do you think, Hakase?" Asks Keiko. Hakase smiles and lightly pats the puppy's head. "I have no problem keeping them. I think they'd both make good additions to the family." Hakase says. Keiko smiles and sets the puppy and kit down on the bed beside her, who both just yawn and keep sleeping.
"So, what about your boy, Hakase?" Asks Rudger. "Oh yes, the son of the great professor needs a good name, too." Rex says.
"Well, I was thinking of naming him... Yusei. It means 'planetary'." Says Hakase.
Just then, similar to what his half-twin sister did, he opens his royal blue eyes when he hears his name, looking up at his dad and sort of his mom. He soon closes his eyes, going back to sleep.
"I think he likes it, Hakase. And so do I." Keiko says. "Yusei Fudo it is then." Says Hakase.
Rudger then walks over to him and Keiko. "I think it's time I left." Rudger says. He sits on the side of Keiko's hospital bed. "Rudger, it's alright if you want to stay and hold her for a bit longer. I mean, you barely got much of a chance to." Says Keiko. "Keiko, I'm already starting to become attached to her. I feel protective over her already. It's hard to let her go, knowing I'm giving up all my rights to Hakase." Rudger says.
"Why, brother?" Asks Rex.
Rudger sighs. "Rex, I'm not ready to be a father. That's why I'm giving my rights over to Hakase. What I did to Keiko is wrong and if this is going to help fix things, then I'll do what's right." Rudger says. He hands baby Sakura over to Keiko, who takes her into her arms. "Keiko, I really am sorry for what I did to you. I hope you know that. I'm sorry to the both of you." Says Rudger. He stands up, looks down at his daughter, lying asleep in her mother's arms, and walks out of the room.
Rex gives a subtle bow. "Congrats to you both." Rex says. He then turns and leaves the room, following after his brother.
Hakase and Keiko exchange looks, something's not right.
The flashback changes. It's now two months later. "Well, after you half-twins were born, everything went right back to normal, meaning back to Moment. We didn't know the cause. But we never thought that Moment would create unprecedented events." Says Rudger, in voice-over.
The flashback changes. Cataclysmic lightning slashes the sky above the lights of Neo Domino City, and purple clouds swirl overhead. The sky looks exactly like it does when Dark Signers are about. "Every time we did a test, there was strange weather in the city." Rudger says, in voice-over.
"Professor, are you serious about stopping the tests?" Asks Rudger. The flashback has changed again.
Hakase's standing before Moment, opposite of Rex and Rudger. "We have no choice. Even though we don't know the cause, we know there's a connection between these tests and the strange happenings in the City." Hakase says.
"But what about all our research?" Asks Rex.
"I know. But if we can't guarantee their safety, we can't put the City people in danger." Hakase says.
Change flashback. Rudger sits in a dark room, probably late at night without permission, typing away on a console. "I researched data from around the world and found a place where strange events occurred at the same time as the tests." Says Rudger, in voice-over.
Change flashback. The noonday sun burns overhead as Rudger, sitting aboard a plane, stops reading his magazine and looks out the window as the clouds part and he can see a landscape covered with geoglyphs in the distance. "It was the Nazca lands." Rudger says, in voice-over.
After landing, Rudger hits the terrain in a military-looking jeep, he's driving around, coincidentally, the edge of the mark of the spider. "I heard of a legend that the gods battle every five thousand years at the Nazca lands. The Nazca lines are evil gods that were sealed away. They battle against heaven's god dragon for control of the world." Says Rudger, in voice-over.
He climbs out of the jeep, takes a gulp from his canteen, and looks around. "That's when I met a man. A man from Iliaster." Rudger says, in voice-over. As Rudger stands there on the site looking around, he notices a man in a white suit is standing nearby, looking straight at him, as though having expected him.
Quick break in the flashback, as Yusei reacts. "Iliaster?" Asks Yusei.
Flashback again. The man from Iliaster speaks to Rudger, manipulation in every syllable. "Professor Rudger Godwin, it's too bad that Moment research has been stopped." "How did you know that?" Rudger asks. "I know that you want to continue the research. Am I wrong?" Rudger doesn't answer. "The research should be continued, even if that means removing Professor Hakase Fudo." "No way! What are you talking about?" Asks Rudger. "There's potential beyond the Moment's light that you can't even imagine. Don't you want to see it? Iliaster believes that you're the true genius who will rewrite history. Because you're the chosen one, Rudger Godwin." Rudger's getting kind of tired of the games. "What do you mean?" Rudger asks. "The mark on your left arm." "Oh!" Says Rudger. He rolls up his sleeve, on his arm is burned the sixth mark of the Crimson Dragon, the one that presently resides in a tank of liquid. "I was born with this mark." Rudger says. "That's right. Destiny has already chosen you. You can't escape your destiny." Cut flashback again.
Back to the present. "Hm?" Asks Sakura. "He has the mark of a Signer?" Sakura thinks to herself. She looks at the arm supporting Rudger's duel disk, it's made of metal. "What does that mean?" Sakura thinks to herself.
Return to flashback. "Wait! The battle between the gods that occurs every five thousand years is real?" Rudger asks. A strong, dusty wind blows up out of nowhere. Rudger cries out and shields his face.
The man from Iliaster has stopped walking, and answers him. "You'll have to see the will of Moment's light with your own eyes. Mmhmhmhmhmhm."
Through the dust, Rudger moves his arm to keep watching this suspicious figure.
As he does, the stranger's shape seems to become part of the dust, or vanish, he's gone without a trace.
The dust storm subsides. Rudger's alone. "The will of Moment's light…" Rudger thinks to himself.
Change flashback. At the research lab, Rudger approaches the spinning, glowing Moment. He stares at the light, entranced and terrified.
Suddenly, the light flares, and black and red energy crackles through it. Rudger's then struck in the eyes by dark purple/black lights, being electrocuted in the process, which causes him to scream out, in excruciating pain. "I saw Moment's new potential!" Says Rudger, in voice-over.
Rudger gets visions, a charred landscape, with craters blown out of it that make it look like the surface of the moon, Uru, Cusillu, Ccarayhua, Aslla Piscu and Ccapac Apu, the Crimson Dragon, and how it challenged the Earthbound Immortals. "Moment was chosen to resurrect the five thousand year-old gods." Rudger says, in voice-over. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. Crow and Usagi continue to explore the ruins of the research lab. He sees a door ahead, still intact. Crow opens the door, cautiously, and sees Godwin standing over a control console, possibly the same one Rudger used to research the Nazca lines.
He looks over his shoulder, expression sour at being interrupted.
"You're Rex Godwin! What are you doing here?" Asks Crow.
"Crow." Godwin says.
"Answer me!" Says Crow.
"I came to say goodbye to my brother." Godwin says.
"Huh?" Asks Crow. He notices the picture on the wall, another copy of the same one Rudger was looking at earlier, a group picture of him, Hakase and Rex.
"Since we were little, my brother was called a genius. I'm proud about that. However, my brother carried the burden of unbelievable destiny." Godwin says.
Flashback. "No matter what you say, I'm stopping Moment's development!" Says Hakase. He stands before Moment, opposite five men in suits.
One of them speaks. "Professor Fudo, you no longer have the authority. You've just been expelled from MIDS."
"What?" Hakase asks.
"How much money do you think we already paid for Moment's development? We've already chosen your successor."
Rudger steps up behind the suits, face distorted with a rather sinister grin.
"Rudger? What's the meaning of this?" Asks Hakase.
"Professor Fudo, since you don't have the courage to see the truth, I'm fulfilling your role." Rudger says.
"I've already made safety devices for Moment. You can't operate it unless you break the seals..." Says Hakase.
"When you say seals..." Rudger says. He holds up Stardust, Archfiend, Cynder, Black Rose and Ancient Fairy Dragons' cards. "Do you mean these?" Asks Rudger.
Seeing them, Hakase's quite alarmed. "That's..." Hakase says. He grabs the cards out of Rudger's hand and pushes past him, running from the room.
"Don't let him escape!" Says Rudger.
The five suits open fire with laser pistols of some sort.
Hakase runs down the hallway, lasers flying past him in all directions. One of the lasers clips his shoulder, one of the cards flies from his hand and flutters to the floor, abandoned, Ancient Fairy Dragon.
Sometime later. Blood's dripping on the floor, as Hakase slumps against a wall in a hallway, with blood running down the side of his mouth.
Rex and Keiko are crouching on either side of him, worriedly. She is holding a two-month-old Yusei in her arms and is now married to Hakase at this point. "Hakase." Keiko says. Hakase looks up at her. "Keiko, what are... you doing here? You brought Yusei with you, too?" Asks Hakase. "Rex called me and told me what happened. I also brought Sakura with me, as well." Keiko says. Rex is holding a two-month-old Sakura, who's hugging puppy Grim and kit Aurora close to herself, in his arms. "Pull yourself together, Professor Fudo!" Says Rex. "Rex, stop Moment. Take these cards." Hakase says. He offers Rex the four remaining dragons, intense and determined. He accepts them, reluctant and afraid, and takes a moment to stare at the four cards entrusted to him. "We must be on our way now." Says Hakase. He takes baby Sakura, puppy Grim and kit Aurora into his arms. "Come on, Keiko." Hakase says. Keiko nods. They then take off, while Rex heads in the opposite direction.
Sometime later. Rex Godwin runs into the chamber that contains Moment. "Brother, where are you?" Asks Rex. He runs out of the room and into another, the same room Crow found him standing in right now, and finds Rudger seated at the console. "Brother!" Rex says.
Rudger doesn't turn around, the left sleeve of his lab coat is cut and bloody, he just cut off his left arm.
"What's wrong, brother?" Asks Rex.
Rudger lifts a glowing cylinder from the floor, which he put his severed arm in, and tosses it behind him toward his brother, still not turning around.
Rex looks at it, then at him, his face uplit by the strange object.
"Rex. People known as Signers will eventually appear. And one of these Signers, a female, will be chosen as the host body for the Crimson Dragon. No matter how many years it takes, gather them and defeat me!" Rudger says.
"What are you talking about, brother?" Asks Rex.
Rudger at last looks at him, eyes wild, in a kind of inner battle. "Do as I say, Rex!" Rudger says.
Rex gasps, perplexed and troubled.
"Two gods live inside my body. But I select the path of the evil god! Take this and escape while I still have my sanity!" Says Rudger.
"Brother!" Rex says. He picks up the capsule.
Rudger pulls out a laser pistol and shoots a warning shot at Rex's feet. "Go!" Says Rudger.
"Ah!" Rex says.
Rudger watches, as his brother runs from the room. He then staggers to the console in front of Moment. "I will be reborn as a Dark Signer! Aaagh, uhh!" Says Rudger. He pounds his right fist right through the emergency glass onto a dangerous-looking big red button.
And then Moment shines, blindingly, and a light from the black and purple swirling clouds above casts a shining beam of light on the needle that towers over this part of Neo Domino City, and the destruction explodes outward from that point. Zero Reverse is happening.
Meanwhile, in a building somewhere, the lights have gone out except for an emergency infrared fading in and out. A computer voice speaks, repeating throughout the scene. "Warning. System malfunction. Please follow evacuation protocol." The computer says.
Hakase presses a button and a hatch in front of him opens up, little more than a box or a tube. The baby in his arms starts to cry, as he places baby Yusei inside, gently. Hakase attempts a brave smile. He then looks down at puppy Grim and kit Aurora, who are both standing next to the capsule, and picks them up, placing them in the capsule. Hakase pets them, lightly. He then looks over his shoulder at the baby, who isn't crying. Hakase picks up the other baby, who is starting to get sleepy. "I know you're not biologically mine, but I still consider you my daughter, anyway." Says Hakase. Baby Sakura reaches up and touches his cheek, cutely. Hakase smiles. Baby Sakura soon closes her eyes, finally falling asleep.
Hakase then places her inside the capsule next to baby Yusei, gently. "Stay safe, both of you." Hakase says.
Baby Sakura stays asleep, while baby Yusei keeps crying, with puppy Grim and kit Aurora lying down between the two-month-old half-twins, yawn and lower their heads to sleep.
Hakase presses the button and closes the hatch, then the capsule, sort of an escape pod, zooms away through a hatch in the wall.
No sooner is it gone than the room lights up with purple energy, Zero Reverse has reached him.
Outside, the brilliant, destructive light domes, then shoots a column of fire into the sky. Buildings sway on their foundations and drift apart as the ground rips open, a huge tidal wave crests skyscrapers, and a small patch of ruins floats apart from the mainland, isolated by whirlpools and storms swept up by the annihilation. The flashback ends.
Back to the present. "That's when the gates to the underworld opened after five thousand years." Says Rudger.
Crow, Usagi and Godwin are walking down a hallway. "Due to the accident, Jack, Sakura, Yusei and my parents died, and City and Satellite were split into two." Crow says. "Correction, yours and Jack's parents died. Yusei's father died. Sakura's father died and returned as a Dark Signer. However, Sakura and Yusei's mother was able to escape and survive. She lived on for six years after the accident, but she too died in childbirth due to losing her will to live." Says Usagi, still very much entranced. "That's right. She died shortly after Hotaru was born." Crow says.
Flashback/vision. The legendary man who attempted to build a bridge out of the Satellite jumps his D-Wheel off the end of the bridge, soaring through the sky. "Even the legendary man was unable to stop the split between City and Satellite." Says Crow, in voice-over. The flashback/vision ends.
Back to the present. Godwin, walking ahead of Crow and Usagi, doesn't turn around, face unreadable. "You know the man who flew from Daedalus Bridge?" Godwin asks. "No, but I've never forgotten his dream. Someday, I'll unite City and Satellite into one." Says Crow. Godwin stops walking, looking upset. "You have the same goal as Yusei. Give Sakura a message for me." Godwin says. "Huh?" Asks Crow. Godwin reaches his hand out to Usagi. Due to being entranced, she doesn't hesitate much and takes his hand. Godwin leans down closer to Usagi, and whispers something to her. Her eyes go wide, as she listens to what he tells her. Godwin then steps back and Usagi suddenly faints on the spot, falling into his arms. "Usagi! What did you say to her?" Crow asks. Godwin lifts Usagi up, cradling her unconscious body in his arms. "Don't worry about my daughter. If my niece defeats my brother, I'll be waiting." Says Godwin. With this cryptic pronouncement, he turns through a doorway, taking Usagi with him, and the doors slide shut behind him.
"Wait!" Crow says. He pounds on the door, but it doesn't open, Godwin's made his exit. "What does that mean, Godwin?" Asks Crow.
"That's why you're pretending to be god? How many lives will you play with until you're satisfied?" Sakura asks.
"Sakura, by the time I knew my destiny, the gods were already in my hands. I chose to have darkness in my heart. This world will soon be reborn! That's my answer! My turn!" Says Rudger. He draws and slaps down the card on his duel disk. "Daughter, I have to keep moving ahead! Go, Earthbound Immortal Uru! Attack Sakura directly!" Rudger says.
"Gearshift's effect activates!" Says Sakura.
Gearshift holds up her wide, giant gear and blocks Uru's attack.
"By releasing Gearshift, battle damage becomes zero!" Sakura says.
"You managed to stop my attack. I set one card and end my turn." Says Rudger.
"If she gets directly attacked next turn, she'll lose!" Lua says. "You have to trust Sakura!" Says Ushio, chiding.
"My turn!" Sakura says. She draws. "I set two cards." Says Sakura. "What will he do next turn?" Sakura thinks to herself. "I end my turn." Sakura says.
"Sakura, you're betting on that trap." Ushio thinks to himself.
"Your only strategy is defense, Sakura? My turn." Says Rudger. He draws, it's a spell, and he likes it. "With this, I'll kill your hope! The spell card 'Earthbound Whirlwind'! When an Earthbound Immortal is on the field, all spell and trap cards on your field are destroyed." Rudger says.
"Ahh!" The twins scream. "This is bad! If her set cards are destroyed, Sakura will be wide open!" Says Ushio.
"I was waiting for that! I activate my trap 'Twilight Road'! Effects that destroy two or more cards are negated! Then I'm allowed to Special Summon Stardust Dragon! Appear, Cynder the Black Dragon!" Sakura says.
Cynder the Black Dragon has 2700 attack points and is a Level 8 monster.
"She did it! She was able to block her opponent's attack and summon Cynder the Black Dragon!" Says Lua.
"You've showed up, Cynder the Black Dragon. But it's too late." Rudger says.
"I'm not done!" Says Sakura.
"Huh?" Rudger asks.
"I activate the trap card 'Black Shooting Star'! When Cynder the Black Dragon is on my field, I can destroy one card. I destroy your Field Spell 'Spider Web'!" Says Sakura.
"That's not good enough, Sakura! I activate the trap card 'Anti Emptiness'! By making one of my monsters' attack points become zero, your spell or trap's activation is negated." Rudger says. Uru's attack points drop to 0.
Sakura's trap is destroyed.
"I end my turn. Earthbound Immortal's attack points return to three thousand!" Says Rudger. Uru's back to 3000 attack points.
"My turn!" Sakura says. She draws, it's a spell. "I activate the spell card 'Battle Waltz'! I Special Summon one Waltz Token that copies a Synchro Monster on the field, except for its effect!" Says Sakura. Indeed, she now has two Cynder the Black Dragons.
"But Earthbound Immortal can't be the target of attack!" Rudger says.
"I'm aiming for you directly, Father! Go, Waltz Token!" Says Sakura.
"Did you forget that I have a Continuous Trap? 'Roar of the Earthbound'! When a monster with fewer attack points than Earthbound Immortal attacks… that monster is destroyed, and you take damage equal to half that monster's attack points! With this, I win!" Rudger says.
Sakura's irises start flaring, brightly and quite literally. "I activate Cynder the Black Dragon's effect! Celestial Retribution! By releasing Cynder the Black Dragon, the destruction effect is negated! Go, Waltz Token! Attack him directly!" Says Sakura.
"Mommy will win!" Velvet says.
"Not yet! I activate my trap 'Brilliant Shrine Art'! Earthbound Immortal intercepts your attack! Uru has three thousand attack points! It's over for you, daughter. But there's nothing to be ashamed about. We have written an incredible page for the history books." Says Rudger.
Uru and the duplicate Cynder collide with a huge explosion.
As the dust clears, Rudger opens his eyes.
Sakura's still standing, her irises have dimmed down to their natural dark-crimson red color, her scleras have shifted back to white and the glowing red veins have dispersed from across her eyes. The gradated half of her hair has also dimmed to its normal shade of red. "Too bad. When Waltz Token is destroyed, both players take zero battle damage." Sakura says.
"What?" Asks Rudger.
"Waltz Token's effect! When your monster destroys this Token in battle, its attack points decrease by the Token's attack points!" Sakura says.
Uru's attack points drop to 300. Rudger looks up at it, then at Sakura.
"Father! I don't care about your destiny! You forgot that the madness you call destiny destroyed the lives of many people! The survivors had to face enormous struggles! If my stepfather didn't do research, the accident seventeen years ago wouldn't have happened. That accident took the lives of Jack and Crow's parents. It messed up everyone's lives." Says Sakura.
As she speaks, Crow, as a young, seven-year-old kid is seen, standing alone on the beach staring out at the sea.
Then Jack, as a young, nine-year-old kid, is leaning against a tree in a park, watching a family of four play together on a playground, wistfully. "If it never happened, they would have caring parents and lived peaceful lives!" Sakura says, in voice-over. The vision ends.
Back to the present. Sakura sheds a tear, which glows in crimson red. "But they still regard me, the daughter of the man who caused it all, as their friend! Even Yusei, my half-twin brother, can't hate me for being the daughter of you, the man who turned on his colleague for his own selfishness, which came at the cost of his own father's life. They smile at me without saying a word! What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to atone for them?" Asks Sakura.
"Mother..." Subaru says. Yusei's on par with his half-twin at the moment, he feels the same way that she does. "Answer her!" Says Yusei.
"Answer me, Father!" Sakura says.
"That's the darkness in the hearts of both you half-twins." Says Rudger.
He and Sakura glare at each other, silently, the tension holds.
Crow breaks it. "I'll give you an answer, Sakura!" Crow says.
"Hm?" Asks Sakura. She looks down.
Crow's visible in a window on the wall above Moment.
"Crow..." Sakura says.
"Sakura, I didn't know you were burdened with those feelings. I'm sorry. I'm your best friend. I should've noticed." Says Crow.
"Crow…" Sakura says.
"But Sakura, I never thought for a second that you, Yusei or your stepfather ruined my life! So neither of you need to feel responsible!" Says Crow.
Both Sakura and Yusei are shocked speechless at his words, bewildered.
"If I believed in destiny, it would only be about meeting you! Only about meeting you, Yusei and Jack, three irreplaceable friends! Sakura, win for us!" Crow says.
"Crow..." Says Sakura. She turns back to Rudger, her irises and gradation now flaring, brightly, and her scleras fade to black, with glowing red veins across her eyes. "Father, your deranged light won't brighten my heart! My irreplaceable friends and family will! And in this duel, this is the final hope remaining on my field! I flip over the trap card 'Twilight Flash'! On the turn Cynder the Black Dragon was released due to its own effect, I can Special Summon Cynder the Black Dragon from my graveyard!" Sakura says, her voice echoic and menacing.
Cynder the Black Dragon has 2700 attack points and is a Level 8 monster.
"Cynder resurrected?" Asks Rudger.
"Go, Cynder the Black Dragon! Spectral Lightning!" Sakura says.
Cynder attacks, and the blast connects. Rudger's life points fall to 0, and he drops to his knees, steaming around the edges.
Sakura suddenly falls to one knee, clutching at her heart, that's glowing with red light, matching her eyes and gradation right now.
Yusei comes up from behind her and she looks up at him. "You okay, sis?" Asks Yusei. He offers Sakura a hand, she accepts and takes it. "Yes, I'm alright." Sakura says. Yusei helps her back up to her feet, holding her up by her shoulders, while she still clutches closely to her heart. Sakura looks down at it. "What is it?" Asks Yusei. "Two Dark Signers left. It is all on Jack and Aki's hands now. The darkness is already beginning to wane, it isn't as strong and powerful as it was when the battle first began. The darkness and uneasiness I have been sensing has weakened considerably." Sakura says. The crimson red glow soon ceases and dims until the glow disappears. Sakura's irises and gradation cease glowing, her scleras shift back to white and the glowing red veins disperse from across her eyes.
Then Rudger laughs, beginning to turn gray. "Don't think that it's over. The new mightiest god has already been freed." Says Rudger.
"What?" Yusei asks.
"If you haven't activated the safety devices in the four towers by sunset… the gates to the underworld open, and the King of the Underworld resurrects!" Says Rudger. He removes the duel disk from his arm.
"King of the Underworld?" Yusei asks.
"Sakura and Yusei, I won't let you half-twins leave!" Says Rudger. With a yell, he pulls a switch on his mechanical left arm, which allows him to pull it off. It causes the bridge to explode.
The ground falls out from under Yusei and Sakura's feet and they try to grab onto what remains of the wire bridge, as it swings away. He's able to act fast and save his sister by changing her projectile.
Ushio's able to grab a hold of Sakura and pull her up to safety.
It's too late to save Yusei, though. "Uaagh! Aaaaaah!" Yusei screams.
"Yusei!" Ushio, Lua and Luca all say. "Uncle!" Says both Subaru and Velvet.
"Yusei!" Crow says.
But Yusei falls right into the middle of the shining light of Moment, followed by a random cloud of debris. "Aaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Yusei screams.
Sakura looks down at him, as he falls into the light of Moment, she knows he risked himself to save her. "Bro... ther..." Says Sakura, weakly. She suddenly collapses to her side on the ground, out of weakness. "Sakura!" Both Lua and Ushio say. "Mommy!" Says Velvet.
"Sakura!" Crow says.
Grim and Aurora both lie themselves down on either side of Sakura, staying close to their mistress. Ushio sits her up, holding her by her shoulders. "What's wrong?" Asks Luca, worriedly. Sakura's clutching at her chest, just over her heart. "I don't know... I just feel really... weak... after that... duel... with my father..." Sakura says, weakly. She then closes her eyes, out of weakness.
"Mother!" Says Subaru.
Godwin's piloting one of the Public Maintenance Department pseudo-helicopters from earlier toward his spacious estate.
He walks into the room below his house that contains the Stairway of the Crimson Dragon, the pale red light from the channels on the floor sparkling in his grave eyes. Godwin, cradling the still unconscious Usagi in his arms, climbs the Stair, to the temple at the top, and pauses on the landing, then continues forward, his expression betraying resolve, gravity and perhaps anger. He enters the temple. Surrounded by ancient stone carvings and designs, stands the glowing capsule Rudger handed Rex seventeen years ago. Within the light, Rudger's severed arm with the head of the Crimson Dragon burned into it, can be clearly seen. Godwin stares at it, somber and serious.