Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Gx, or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds or any characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise. I do own any OCs I make, but most will be likely be minor characters (even more so than the minor characters in the show - save for Nozomi and Hiroshi. My fingers ran away with them, and I like the dynamic they made too much to change it. I find them amusing). I make no money from this fanfiction as it is a tribute to a fandom I really like and want to play around in. If you see this on a paid site, please note that someone has plagiarized me and let me know so I may take steps to prevent fines or whatever. Also, I will be using the Japanese names, so if you're only familiar with the English, 4kids swapped two names: Blitz is Nerve and Nervin is Blitz.

So, we're close to another plot point I'm eagerly looking forward to reaching. Let's see if we get to it this chapter. I kinda doubt it - I need Yusei to duel that sore loser Ushio again first, and I'm probably going to actually write out the duel this time - mostly because it's important for Saiga's character development. Otherwise, I'd just skim over it again because it wouldn't be important enough to the plot to have me rehash it, unlike the Duel with Takasu. That was necessary for Plot. The 3rd Ushio Duel is necessary for Character Development. But after we get through that… Oh, I've been waiting for this plot point to be written! The threads are coming together! *grins eagerly*

Edo: So, uh, I really hope I'm still the Sane One in this…

Oh, don't fret so much. You'd be too OOC if I didn't make you the Only Sane Man of the Gx Crew. Well, you and Ryo (Zane in the dub, for those who don't know). Though I do have plans for you two… I ship it. There was teasing in canon.

Edo: Eh, can't complain then. When do I get my debut?

Soon, my dear, soon. But someone else needs to debut first. Someone who will have a major (if background) role here, and a very big role in the prequel. In fact, hints will be dropped for the prequel through him. References to events that occurred. People are probably gonna connect the dots if they haven't already as to what Yusei is soon though. (Though the in-story reveal won't happen for awhile. I have plans. Shenluen-approved plans. I ran the three scenerios I had by her, she loved the one I loved most, so that's how the reveal will happen. And canon will fall off the rails as a result. Oh the chaos. Godwin, look out, you're in trouble now! There's a military woman who's shit list you've made it on to!)

Added: Updated, beta-read chapter. Apparently I was having a bunch of tense issues, but as I was writing to help ignore the pain of my injured knee, I think I can be forgiven.

Yusei walked through uptown Neo Domino, completely lost in thought. That power he used in his duel with Takasu was still haunting him. What was it? It felt… both natural and unnatural to him. As if it belonged to only part of him, not all of him. But the part of him it didn't belong to was adaptable and would be able to make it part of it in time. Which didn't make much sense, but a lot of things didn't make sense lately. He needed answers. If only The Herald was allowed to give them now. Yusei sighed, leaning against a wall near an alley. He needed to stop overthinking this. It wasn't going to do him any good, and he was promised answers when the time was right. He just needed to stay patient.

(Easier said than done. He was so close to answers now, patience was difficult to maintain no matter how naturally inclined he was to it.)

Instead he thought back to his "educational session" with Takasu as he pushed off the wall to begin walking again.

'Chances are, my D-Wheel and Deck are under high security. Hope Himura's contact comes through. I'll also need to figure out how to permanently disable the Mark's signal. I never tried with Rally or Crow because there was a chance fooling around with it would hurt them. Jamming is one thing, disabling it is another. That requires physically altering the circuits.'

The noise in this part of the City was almost unbearable, which was part of why Yusei was allowing himself to get lost in his own head and not focus on his surroundings. If someone was foolish enough to attack, they'd pay for it, plain and simple. Though Yusei sincerely hoped that wouldn't happen. Another reason was to avoid the stares he knew his Mark was garnering. That still pissed him off a bit. Not as much as before, though, since he had to admit, the Mark looked oddly good on him. Yusei normally didn't care about his appearance, but… Well, he'd take what he could get on accepting the thing. Not like it was going away any time soon, if at all.

(Plus, Yusei sort of didn't want to get rid of it anyway. Part of why he came here was to stir things up and smash apart preconceived notions. What better way for that to happen then to be himself, but Marked. Plus, this had only dug Godwin's grave deeper, considering when the truth came out and he wasn't trespassing, but could be seen as trying to return home...)

Yusei looked up to get his bearings and spotted the Kaiba Corp. Tower. Half of him wondered what Kaiba Seto would think of what Godwin turned his company into. Probably wouldn't be too happy. Last anyone had heard, he, Mutou Yugi, and his friends had all headed into space to explore. They'd been gone since before Zero Reverse and many didn't think that they were still alive. Yusei… Well he thought they were gonna surprise everyone once they returned. He looked forward to them shaking things up and setting this city straight again. Unless he beat them to the punch, of course.

However, his thoughts were getting sidetracked. Apparently, not paying attention in an unfamiliar city is a good way to get lost. The Diamond Area is on the outskirts, the Tower is in the center. Yusei had gotten turned around. He mentally cursed that he wouldn't be able to take to the rooftops. Easiest way for him to get to know an area was to get up high and get a bird's eye view. Turning around, he headed for the nearest alley. He was more comfortable in the dark, quiet alleys than the bright, noisy streets anyway.

"Awwww, come on! Please, let me at least scare the bastard a bit, pretty please? I won't 'deal' with him like he tried to 'deal' with my niece, and my nephew, and my boyfriend! I'll just dump him in the Empty Dimension for a bit, spook him, and let him go, please let me teach that psychopath a lesson, please!" Judai begged Timegazer. The ancient Spirit merely raised a brow at the King's less-than-mature wheedling, prompting the Herald to pout. "Let me guess, it's not the right time, is it?"

"Actually, it's only not the correct time for Divine to die. You can go ahead and send him away for a bit. The timestream is altering itself accordingly, and we have a bit more leeway for certain things now. Once a certain event occurs that did not occur before, but must occur now, we will not need to be so strict in following the previous events," Timegazer answered with a grin. Judai's head popped up from it's pouting hangdog position, a surprised look on his face.

"Wait, things are still gonna turn out okay, right?" Judai asked worriedly.

"Fear not, things will turn out better. Though much has changed, including myself, Yliaster's meddling, with yourself, Yusei, and Yugi's attempts to fix their mistakes, has accomplished what they had set out to do. It doesn't excuse all the lives they ruined, but at least things have worked out."

"So, your saying the only reason things worked out is because Yliaster failed in their missions to destroy Judai, Yusei, and Yugi?" Yubel asked. She was currently defused for a bit. Timegazer's Tower was one of the few places they didn't need to worry about ensuring she and Judai weren't defused for too long since Timegazer would simply freeze Yubel's time if they accidentally exceeded the current limit.

"Are you surprised? There is a Champion in every generation now. Though two generations from now had been a complete mess in the original timeline. Too many Champions is just a bad idea. I think there had been eight in total, and many got along like oil and water. Perhaps things will be different this time."

"Hopefully, since you have more power to help this time Timegazer," Judai said with a smirk. The Magician laughed.

"I still have no clue how this happened. At least I'm able to make clones of myself to be where I need to be in certain situations without disrupting things. After all, my son may have different parents this time around, but he's still my son."

"Ever get a headache trying to keep all this time mess straight?"

"Judai, if you don't get a headache trying to understand time travel, time crashes, and all that comes with it, you don't understand a thing," was the serious reply.

Yusei made his way down the dark streets of the Diamond Area, not paying any mind to the people sleeping outside other than to glance at them to ensure that a) they won't try to attack, and b) they're not in any immediate danger themselves. Neither applied, so he simply continued on his way. He couldn't exactly help them find a roof to sleep under right now anyway. Not when he was planning to find a decent tree to bunk in for the night. Wouldn't be the first time, probably won't be the last.

Coming upon the tavern, "Bootleg", Yusei thought over Himura's instructions once more. Assuring himself he recalled them correctly, he entered the joint, only to be immediately assaulted by the stench of cannabis. Wrinkling his nose at the smell, he gave the tables with the hookah a wide berth on his way to the bar. While cannabis was far less harmful than cigarettes, his sensitive nose still didn't like it. And he had yet to get his heightened senses back under full control.

The barkeep turned around the moment Yusei sat at the bar and started mocking him, "What's the matter, boy? Y'get lost from your mommy, or something? Sorry, bud, but this ain't the lost child department. Hurry up and scram!"

Yusei easily recognized an intimidation attempt and didn't even flinch. The tavern was in a rough neighborhood and the barkeep was attempting to scare him off to protect him. He recognized the behavior. It's something Jack would do back when they were still in the Enforcers. Crow would sometimes do the same, but more often than not he followed Yusei's lead. Yusei was the type to explain things and send someone to Martha's for safety.

Remembering Himura's instructions, and curious as to what it actually tasted like anyway, Yusei demanded, "Give me some milk."

The guy's reaction was priceless. He thought Yusei was mocking him (which, if Yusei were to be honest, he would have ordered milk anyway, just to be a shit), so he grabbed the collar's of Yusei's jacket and pulled him up, yelling, "You trying to yank my chain, kid!?"

Yusei's unconcerned expression didn't change at all, and he just stared the barkeep down. He was suddenly tossed back onto the stool when two suits walked in. Yusei took the opportunity to reach into his jacket and pull out Himura's card, setting it on the counter while the barkeep kept an eye on the suits. When he turned back to Yusei, the Turbo Duelist stated, "Let me introduce you to this guy," and suddenly things were all business.

Barkeep reached under the counter for a glass and some milk and placed the glass on Himura's card, hiding it from view. "It's on the house."

Yusei was surprised by that at first, until Barkeep seemed to signal someone in the tavern. 'Does this mean Saiga is in here?' he wondered.

"Hey, boy." Yusei turned his attention back to Barkeep. "Once you drink up, be a good boy and head outta here."

Understanding the message, Yusei quickly drank the milk, slightly surprised by how it caused a cooling sensation in his stomach, and grabbed Himura's card on the way out. This time, he noticed the suits get up and follow him. That's what he got for not paying attention. A tail. Well, hopefully Saiga would assist in throwing them. Until he knew one way or another what would happen next, he'd pretend he was still oblivious to the rather obvious tail.

(He was highly annoyed at himself for being so oblivious. Just because his senses were currently difficult to handle did not excuse dismissing potential danger like that! What would Martha say if she found out? Yusei feared it. She was the one who taught him to always be alert and aware. She might think he needed a refresher. He did not want to think about it. Why were all the women in his life terrifying?)

Yusei walked out into the middle of an empty street when he heard the distinctive sound of a D-Wheel coming from above him. Sure enough, someone drove off the top of a nearby parking garage, landing just behind him, and turning swiftly. Yusei simply watched as they sailed over him, knowing they would clear him easily and didn't move since he might wind up in the way if he did. The two suits started running for Yusei, obviously not happy about his meet-up, and the Rider put himself between Yusei and them, grabbing Yusei's arm and throwing him over the back.

Yusei was somewhat surprised by the man's actions, especially since he didn't use too much force to throw Yusei. The Satellite dweller didn't try to put up a fight, even if his instincts wanted him to, since he was quite sure he knew who this was. And if Yusei was right, it explained why the man seemed to know Yusei was lighter than he looked. (Another oddity, as he didn't have an ounce of fat on him, with a ton of lean muscle. He should be heavier than he looks, but somehow, he's almost featherlight at times.)

As they rode, the Rider gave Yusei a helmet and pulled out a device that began shining a light on his Mark.

"You are?" Yusei asked, just to be sure.

"Saiga."

Yusei nodded, and let himself relax in a lying position again so the Mark could continue to be jammed. They made it to Saiga's hideout without incident, though soon after they arrived, Security helicopters did as well. Good thing they had been somewhat delayed and Yusei and Saiga were already inside.

Yusei was extraordinarily grateful for his ability to sleep anywhere when he wound up sleeping in a chair that night. Better than the tree he had been planning on, at least. He was woken by Saiga setting down the supplies he made up in front of Yusei. They wound up having a disagreement on the value of friends. Yusei heard the pain in Saiga's voice, and knew the man still cared, but was gunshy. Words wouldn't help right now, so Yusei simply headed out. Saiga was clearly concerned about Yusei, and Yusei wasn't going to leave it at that anyway. He was simply giving the man some space for now and showing his own resolve to get back what was stolen from him.

Though he had an odd feeling of being watched. Kami, he hoped it wasn't Ushio again. He was starting to get sick of the guy.

Next chapter: Third Ushio duel. Also, yes, Timegazer is who you think it is. Time Crashes cause weird things to happen, after all. And someone pointed out to me that Timegazer looks a lot like Yusei. So, I took that, ran with it, and now Timegazer is Dr. Fudo's true form. No, he's still not Yusei's biological Dad in this story, I have parents all picked out, but he was still Yusei's adoptive Dad - since that way he'd at least still have some claim to his son in spite of Yliaster's meddling causing a Time Crash before this story happened. (Prequel plot! Maybe pre-prequel plot, actually. I have ideas for the prequel already, not sure if that will work with them. But a prequel to the prequel… I'm pulling a C.S. Lewis here. He made the "Magician's Nephew" as a prequel after "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" was already written.) And I've got a Duel Spirit that is now Mrs. Fudo - White Wing Magician. She fits so well with both Timegazer and Yusei, it's like White Wing Magician was made to be part of my plot.

I'm going to continue to keep you guessing as to who Yusei's parents are. I highly doubt anyone will figure it out before the reveal. Though I'm taking guesses on what Yusei is. First one to answer correctly (who hasn't been let in on the secret) gets to give me a prompt for a side-story! If you want to hear about someone's backstory, or have a scene elaborated on, and you win, let me know. Though I already have one prompt, so no asking for the night the Enforcers broke up. Shenluen gave me a pic prompt that's perfect for that night.

Also, not sure if milk causes a cooling sensation for others when they drink it, but for both my mom and myself it does. We both have acid reflux, and milk actually helps keep things under control a bit. Now, I'm not giving Yusei a stomach condition, save for maybe a few pre-ulcers from the stress of his life, but that's not relevant to the story, so it won't be touched on. They'll go away soon enough. Life's gonna get better for my fledgling soon. And Hell will be raised on Godwin. Yusei's Godfather is pretty influential and will show up soon.

Hmmm… Maybe I'll give two people a chance for a prompt. You guys get to guess who Yusei's Godfather is. Clue: His kids make their first appearance in Episode 12. I chose him as their dad since they share a similar appearance. And he's not an absent father this time! *fanfare plays* (Still haven't decided on Mom though… I think he's going to be a single dad.)