Dust, ash, smoke, fire,... blood. That was all that was around her. Run, run, run. That was all she knew. Traveling through the ruins of a village. Every few meters, bodies littered the ground like sand at a beach. They were all strangely deformed and let out a foul odor. The skin of the bodies also had a sickly color to it. There was another thing to them, that she didn't want to think of. Children.

"I can't- I can't," she whimpered as tears burned in her eyes. "Why are people so cruel? So evil?... Am I evil?" She pressed her hands to her face and tried to cover the sight. Chemical and biological warfare was used here. She had seen it so many times. So many times to the point she was beyond trauma. Seeing it once scarred her forever, but after that, it's like she fell further and further into the abyss, into a void of nothingness. All she could do was cry alone, almost alone.

Those cards that she clutched herself. The monsters in that deck provided her only solace. The only thing that kept her mind from breaking, if it wasn't broken enough already. They gave her a purpose, a reason to survive. They called out to her, like a child would for their mother. They called out to her, looking to be nurtured. The others, they called out to her, letting her know that they would protect their master. They called out to her, vowing to serve her until the end. Nothing would happen to her so long as her children and servants were with her.

She just turned away from the scene and ran off, nothing could be done here. There was nothing left for her, any food or water was probably contaminated. She would find a forest as far away from the contamination as possible and gather berries instead. She was quite proficient at the practice, she had done it so many times, perhaps too many times than a child like her should've.

However, before she could leave the village entirely, she noticed a group of people in the distance, about three or four of them. Judging from their uniforms, she assumed that they were one of those people who were fighting. She attempted a dash behind one of the buildings, but unfortunately, she had noticed them too late, and they began running toward her.

She heard them call out to her, they raised their weapons and immediately began shooting. Screaming in fear, she was able to dive for cover behind a small house. It was riddled with bullet holes and she could clearly see the punctured corpses inside. She simply cried and hugged her knees to her chest. She pleaded for someone to help.

She clutched her cards to her chest, begging for her monsters to help her. But what could they do? They were just cards. She heard their voices begin to grow louder in proximity, signifying them getting closer to her position.

"Please, Please. I want to-" she paused, as she didn't know what to say. She slowly looked up and saw the expressions of evil people. The menacing grins on their grueling, hellish faces. She stood up and began to run away, but her clothes, no, rags, got caught on a piece of metal that was sticking out from the ground. They tore and she fell down. The cards she was holding slipped out of her grip and splattered across the dirt.

Rags, what better way to describe who she was than those rags? Rags, thrown away pieces of cloth. Waste, nothing but pieces. Pieces she put together to create some semblance of a shirt and pants. Pieces now apart, broken, like she was. Like she always was.

She watched them creep closer and closer to her. She turned back and saw one particular card facing up at her. She was in a shell, a bubble of fear. Everything felt blurry and warped, and so couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Please," she whispered. "Help me." Nothing happened and she scrunched her eyes shut. She felt their dirty, rough grip clutch her arms. "No! No! Please!" she cried, beginning to thrash around.

Suddenly, she heard a faint roar, no, a screech. A blast of hot air was suddenly released, the source seemingly from that card. Strangely enough, none of the other ones were blown away. It did, however, blow the evil people back. Feeling their grips loosen, she fell back down and hastily gathered up the cards and kept the strange one on top. The screech got louder and then suddenly, a ghostly, red aura began to seep out of the card. It took the shape of the same monster pictured on it. It was absolutely massive.

It resembled some sort of avatar. Looking up in confusion, the evil people began shooting up at it, but their bullets simply went through. Screeching even louder, the shape spread its giant, circular wings and blasted an inferno toward them. Yelling in fear, they ran away, but not unscathed. All of them escaped with some degree of burns.

Fortunately, the fire had triggered a nearby explosive that had failed to go off. There was a loud boom and the evil people were engulfed in the blast. She heard them scream, before her ears went deaf, only hearing ringing. Eventually, it was all silent, nothing but the crackling of small fires. She barely nudged her eyes open and saw the charred remains of the evil people. Some of them were missing limbs from the force of the explosion. She shivered and trembled in shock for a few minutes, simply staring at the scene.

She looked up and saw that the strange avatar had disappeared.

Then she cracked the smallest of smiles, a smile of relief, and then froze, the expression immediately falling. It was relief, right? She was happy that she was alive, that she survived, right? It wasn't… anything else?

More explosions shocked her out of her thoughts as she looked up again and spotted several planes flying over the village. She watched small black items fall and burst into flames. Firebombs, they were trying to eradicate the village, to hide their disgusting, evil, vicious crimes.

Relief turned to adrenaline as her tired legs were energized and she continued down the alleyway and hopefully out of the village. Unfortunately, a bomb had dropped behind her. She screeched in pain as the flames engulfed her right arm and she went flying forward from the force of the explosion and she fell face first into the ground again, this time succeeding in keeping the cards in her grip.

She screamed and moaned as the flames burned away at her skin. She took a piece of a rag and slapped it repeatedly against her, flinching every time it made contact with her skin. The rag started sticking to her arm from the all the blood and melted skin, but eventually the fire was gone.

She threw the piece of cloth aside and grimaced at the sight as tears streamed down her face. Her body twitched uncomfortable as she struggled to find a proper outlet for the pain. Her entire right arm and hand were completely scarred, she couldn't feel any sensation from it. It was black from ash and smoke and bloody from the lack of skin. She could see some of her flesh completely exposed. The metallic scent was seeping through her nostrils and the red liquid dropped out steadily.

She trembled and cried, now she wasn't broken just on the inside, but also on the outside. She was truly the complete package of pieces. She couldn't even find a safe source of water close by to clean it off.

However, in her bout of wailing, she eventually noticed something, her arm was already starting to feel better. The immediate wounds already began to close over the exposed flesh. However, the melted skin still left patches of open inner skin out in the air.

"H-how?" she croaked. The faint screech echoed through mind, she held up the deck and saw the monster. Almost gazing at her. "D-did you. Protect me?" It screeched again, almost like it was saying yes. So she was saved, somebody had helped. Her wishes were fulfilled, she survived. "Thank you," she caressed the card. "My baby." Temporarily forgetting her burnt arm.

She looked up. Baby? Where had that come from? However, before she could relish more in those thoughts, a bright flash suddenly blinded her.

"H-huh?" she wondered. "What was that?" When her vision came back, she froze, looking at something in the distance. Her skin paled and breathing stopped.

It was a sight she could never forget for the rest of her life.

A sight she would always remember.

The cloud of despair.

A cloud to end all as you knew it.

The end of despair.

A cloud to become death, to become destroyer of worlds.

A giant, mushroom cloud.

—oOo—

Seika screamed, sitting up. She panted heavily. Her heart was beating at an extremely abnormal rate. Her hair stuck to her face, drenched in sweat and tears. Her eyes were as depressed as a red dwarf. Her mouth quivering in fear and pain.

Seika's breathing continued to quicken and she began hyperventilating. She couldn't formulate any words and her voice could only make out croaks and whimpers. Seika continued to sit there frozen, eyes wide. The images and scenes of the dream vivid in her mind. It went on for several minutes, until she began to feel faint, but the memories of what had relived were still fresh and she couldn't find the will to move. All sensation was lost.

"I-I can't," Seika eventually scrunched her eyes shut and gripped her hair, "Aaah!" she let out weakly. "I need- I need-" her eyes shot open and her mind cleared itself a little, but she was still in a state of panic. She spotted her suitcase a couple feet away from her.

Seika practically flew off her bed and began hastily digging through the luggage until she found a duel disk. It was a standard D-pad with a black body that would form a white blade. She pulled out the deck and saw the first card and she cried in frustration, throwing the cards on the ground. Not those! She wailed.

Another realization struck her and she grabbed her purse that was on the nightstand and began looking through. Seika cursed herself for how messy it was. She dug all over the bag and found no signs of it, her anxiety began to grow again and fresh tears began falling in bulk. "No, no, please!" Finally, like a light at the end of the tunnel, she noticed it and practically ripped it out of its spot.

Seika sat back against the bed and hugged the card to her chest. That feeling of relief had finally arrived, and she felt herself calming down and her breathing steadied. However, it didn't stop the tears and she still continued to cry silently as she tried to purge the scene of the rejuvenated memory out of her mind. Help me. Again. Please. she pleaded to the monster on that card, but she heard nothing. Seika wasn't exactly surprised, it had been years since she had heard its familiar, comforting screech.

Though, having it with her was enough for her. She continued to sit there, whimpering in fear. Seika had buried her head between her chest and knees while hugging the card.

Her clothes were completely wet. She wore a pair of simple, pink pajama pants and a white tank top. They looked like she had taken a dip while wearing them.

Seika didn't know much time had passed since she had awoken, but by the time her tears dried and her fears, for now, faded away, the sun had only crossed just above the horizon. She must have woken up very early, at the edge of dawn. She slowly got up, legs wobbling, body shaking unhealthily, and suddenly collapsed on the edge bed, but she was able to sit up using her arm to support her.

She shook her head trying to shake it all off and the thrown cards on the ground fell into her line of sight, and her newly regained will snapped. She slipped off the bed and crumpled to her knees and shook as she watched the cards. Immense guilt and regret surging through her.

"No… No… No… NO!" she yelled, running her hands over the mess. "I'm- I'm sorry. I didn't- I didn't-" she collapsed into a fresh set of sobs. She gathered up the cards and for the next few minutes continued to cry, again, and kept repeating "I'm sorry" over and over again. "You gave this deck to me. I'm-I'm sorry, Kyoko. I didn't mean to. I-I just- I just wanted-" the hand holding that particular monster trembled further. "F-Forgive me, please…" Emotions and thoughts that she had kept bottled up and buried for the past few months were escaping little by little. "You're all gone. P-Please, forgive me… I miss you all. I-I want to- I wanted to fight, but I couldn't, not like this. I can only watch. I'm too scarred." She closed her eyes and a sense of clarity raced through her.

Seika hissed and stood up, taking a few deep breaths. Finally pulling herself together, she put the cards away, reorganized her purse and suitcase, and headed into the bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror and realized how messy and horrid she looked. Her hair was a tangled mess and trails of tears were clear as day, almost forming stripes on her cheeks. She had probably cried enough to fill a gallon jar. Her clothes were wet enough to look like she had swam in them.

Seeing how… pathetic she looked sent a wave of rage washing over her. She banged her fist on the counter, ignoring the pain. The same arm that was once burned.

Long streaks and large patches of red skin could be seen where the burns used to be. There were small parts where it looked shiny, the sign of a brand new layer of skin. How her arm healed so well despite taking a full impact from that bomb was anyone's guess, but it had something to do with her monster.

"Pathetic?" she muttered, she glared at her own red eyes, now burning with anger and determination. "I'm powerful. I burn hot, hotter than the hottest star. Nothing can break me." How do you break something already broken? "I'll break you instead!" She growled.

But that newly found resolve cracked a little as she thought about LDS. Seika clutched her head as she shuddered, "Damn it. I can't- not anymore." She had initially planned to scout LDS and gather information to see what they were really about, but that nightmare had reanimated a long buried corpse of emotions and memories. Leo Corporation just hit too close to home for her.

Seika turned her attention to her hair and caressed a few of the maroon-colored strands in her fingers. She noted its length and narrowed her eyes, it had already grown past her shoulders despite cutting it only a few months ago. I don't want to be reminded anymore. After washing up and showering, she grabbed a pair of scissors and carefully reduced her hair back to what it was before. Long enough that she still cared about how she looked, but short enough to just barely reach her shoulders and that she felt like a different person, or at least, pretended to feel that she was different. She would visit a salon later to clean up the rough edges.

Finally feeling better, but still not good, Seika checked the time. It was only six in the morning. Despite feeling quite hungry, she had no appetite. She dressed in gray sweat pants and put on a red shirt. Preferring long sleeves to hide her burns. She also applied some special cream that would temporarily mask them with her natural skin color, but she still put on a glove in case it came off for whatever reason.

Seika decided to just go for a walk and just clear her mind, going through the backdoor instead of the front to avoid attention.

Finally stepping outside, she breathed in the crisp, morning air and sighed out deeply. She stood for several minutes doing the breathing exercise. The cool wind breezed against her face, it felt extremely nice compared to the blazing weather of the previous day. Seika wondered if her being affected by the hot air had something to do with that monster. Like it was trying to tell her something. Deep down, she knew exactly what it was, but didn't want to face it.

It was calm and quiet, a feeling that made her very uneasy. Having had to live most of her life on the run gave her the unfortunate habit of always wanting to look over her shoulder to see if she was being followed or watched. It was a horrible and frustrating feeling, the fact that she felt like she had to live in fear all the time. It wasn't exactly the best idea, going out alone so early, but she was particularly jittery after everything that had just happened. She needs to let out some of that energy somewhere.

Seika raised her hands and clapped them against her cheeks.

"Brrr!" she sounded. Seika sighed a little, feeling some pressure alleviate from her body. Her face stung, but she felt like she was re-calibrated after doing it. Noticing her reflection on the window of a car, Seika noticed how red her cheeks looked. She thought she looked almost… cute. Letting out a soft chuckle, she continued her stroll.

About half an hour later, Seika found herself in a large shopping district. It was filled to the brim with billboards, screens, posters, and stores of merchandise. This area of Maiami City was often compared to Akihabara in Tokyo. There were many billboards with images of duel monsters, but also of video games, anime, manga, and… girls in maid costumes? She raised an eyebrow at that, unfamiliar with the culture of the place.

There were a few people around and they didn't really pay mind to her. Some nodded in greeting to her and she returned the gesture just to be polite. Most of them were shop owners sweeping the front of their stores as they got ready to open for the day. Seika continued walking as her mind wandered in curiosity until her attention was caught by a kissaten, or more specifically, a mangakissa. Seika had only vaguely heard about these places. They were a mix between a library and a cafe. Her interest was piqued. The idea of consuming media or stories that had not much to do with dueling was almost a foreign idea to her. Apparently, most stories had nothing to do with dueling and they were about characters and relationships. And whenever there were conflicts that involved fighting, it was actual fighting, and not dueling. She was amazed by it.

"Hmm," Since arriving in the Standard Dimension, Seika had spent the past few months being quite busy. Quite busy making a gamble. As she waited to see the payoff, she realized she finally had free time to indulge in some interests and curiosities that she had.

She stepped inside, there was a set of stairs that descended. The walls around her were white with dark wooden planks lining them. A strange design. She went down and turned the corner and her irises seemed to glow. "Whooooa," she mouthed, eyes widened like a child seeing a spectacle.

Before her was a trail of cherry blossoms completely filling the walls to a brim. It led to what seemed like the actual entrance of the café. The blossoms were obviously fake, but they weren't any less beautiful because of how realistic they looked. Seika followed the trail and found herself in front of a pair of large wooden doors lined with some sort of gold metal. It was also surrounded by a brick wall. What kind of design is this? First the walls and now this door.

"'Inspired by Taisho Romance?' What the hell does that mean?" Seika muttered looking at a sign next to the door. She pushed the doors open and entered the reception room and her breath escaped her throat. The room had a dark, wooden aesthetic as its theme. There were shelves made of old-looking wood holding some merchandise. There were also strange lamps that hung from the ceiling. There was an almost vintage, gothic feeling to it.

There were several mannequins of variations of a strange uniform. The female version was a black dress with black buttons and a black belt. They all had a frilly design at the sleeves and collar. The male outfit consisted of shiny black shoes, frilly black pants, a frilly black long-sleeved shirt, and the highlight of it all, the dark coat that reached the legs and formed an upside down v as it opened from the waist. The line of shiny buttons lined the chest area and the sleeves of the coat had one long fold back.

Now, Seika didn't necessarily dislike it, she definitely liked it, but she was mainly just confused and bewildered as to what it was about. She didn't see anyone at the reception. Isn't this place open now? She then walked up to the desk and noticed a young girl with black hair tied up in a bun. She seemed to be snoozing, sleeping on the job, but what actually caught Seika's attention was her uniform. It was the exact same type of uniform that was on display. What is going on here?

"Oh!" the girl's body jerked up and she rubbed her eyes quickly and she bowed in greeting. "Hello! Welcome! I apologize for sleeping, I did not expect anyone to be here."

"Your place says it's open," Seika raised an eyebrow and she pointed her thumb up.

"Yes! Of course! My apologies, we usually don't get people coming this early, I must have grown complacent. I'm sorry!" She just said sorry three times. Seika thought amused.

"It's fine," Seika chuckled softly. "I'm just curious what this place is about. It's my first time in a place like this. I want to see what these 'manga' and books are about." The girl was jaw dropped at what Seika told her.

"You don't know what manga is?" she spluttered.

"I know what manga is, it's basically a book with lots of art, but that's about it," Seika told her.

"Are you seriously Japanese?" the girl asked.

"Um, yes? I was pretty sheltered growing up. I only recently started living on my own," Seika lied, well it wasn't a full lie.

A strange coincidence, the center of dueling was in a place called Japan. The other dimensions shared the same language as Japan. It seemed only the Standard Dimension had such a diverse culture.

"Well in that case! I'll be happy to tell you!" the girl smiled, clapping her hands in excitement. The girl, whose name was Futaba, explained to Seika how the café worked. She introduced Seika to some of the staff members. They were sporting outfits similar to the ones she saw on the mannequins. The men in particular, she had to admit, looked pretty good in them.

"We also do breakfast, lunch, and early dinner!" Futaba explained. "We have chefs who are pretty good if I do say so myself. Nothing five-star, but definitely worth the price!" Oh, she is definitely advertising now, Seika laughed inwardly. However, if Futaba wasn't exaggerating, then the thought of eating in a place like this greatly excited her. She could combine two of her interests, food and manga, whatever it was like. It was almost like a dream come true. A dream huh?

"I'll take it," Seika said immediately. She paid the fare and went into the main room. Shelves upon shelves lined the walls. There were plenty of books and comics of American and European origin, but of course, Japanese manga and light novels made the bulk of the collection. The rest of the design had the same vintage, gothic feel. There were also cherry blossom decorations to add that indigenous touch to it.

Seika put in an order for Belgian Taiyaki and a glass of mocha on the side. Apparently it was Belgian waffles made with the rice flour that was used in Japanese taiyaki. Belgium? She suddenly thought. Interesting coincidence.

Seika looked through the manga on the shelves and was truly amazed at how little dueling-related content she saw among them. Apparently stories around dueling weren't that popular, something she definitely didn't mind. Actually, it was something she was grateful for. She didn't want to have dueling in her face every single minute of her life. She soon went to the light novel section and a certain series caught her eye. Apparently, it was about a boy who accidentally stumbled upon on the hidden world of devils, angels, fallen angels, and the supernatural. How curious. A certain card in her pocket started to feel warm and Seika immediately fell drawn toward that concept, but she decided to move on.

By the time her breakfast arrived, Seika had picked out a manga. It was apparently in the genre of a romcom, a romantic comedy. In this case, it was about a lonely boy who secretly dressed up in piercings like a delinquent. He eventually got together with the nerdy, popular girl at his school. Seika was genuinely amazed at how… happy all the characters seemed. Of course, she wasn't stupid enough to actually believe that life could be this idealistic, and utopic. Her fist trembled at the thought of that word.

All of what happened in this story seemed fairly realistic, but what truly caught her attention was how carefree everyone was. Obviously, they had their own problems, mainly school and relationships. Everything else though, they didn't have a care in the world. Seika's smile turned into a sad one. She wished she could have lived like this, just simply be happy. With friends… and family, but in the meantime, she would simply enjoy as much as she could. It was selfish, but she would force herself to forget it all for once. Until her gamble paid off, and the past caught up to her.

—oOo—

"Ugh," Mika groaned as she woke up. The sun was shining brightly in her face. She waited for her eyes to adjust and looked at the time, 11 AM. "Was I seriously that tired?" she muttered. She quickly got up, made her bed and went into the bathroom to do her usual morning business. She was quite efficient at this, all done within ten minutes. Hair combed and her bangs tied back. This time she had set a reminder for when the Visas headquarters would open in Brussels, so she could ask Professor Carolus about the Fusion card.

Mika then headed down for breakfast, Yuya was already in school. She yawned loudly, attracting the attention of her mother, who was watching some show on TV.

"Ohayo, Mika-chan," Yoko greeted. "I left some pancakes for you. They're still quite warm, so eat them while they're fresh!"

"Thank you," Mika sat down at the table and immediately dug in. "Yuya's at school right?" she asked between bites.

"Of course," Yoko answered, eyes glued to the screen.

"All right, just making sure," Mika said, making the older woman raise an eyebrow, but saying nothing. Mika quickly scarfed up her breakfast and plopped down on the couch next to Yoko.

"No work?" she asked.

"No, nothing yet, I'm waiting for the European offices to open so I can ask something," Mika just spent the next few hours chilling with her mother, watching some American crime drama.

—oOo—

"Oh, sorry Nakajima. It was never my intention to give these cards. These Pendulum cards are far more valuable than anything you could give me," Sawatari Shingo said.

"What?" the man slammed his hands on the dashboard. "You-"

"Let him go, Nakajima," Akaba Reiji entered the control room. It was a massive room filled with desks of employees operating different computers. The place served as the main surveillance and analysis room of Leo Corporation. It was here they gained access to all the cameras in Maiami City and how they would detect odd things here and there.

"President, but-"

"Just, let Sawatari duel with them. We'll deal with him after," Reiji said. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the pink-haired girl attempt to call someone on her duel disk. "That girl, who is she calling?"

"Sir, she is calling a number belonging… to one Sakaki Mikazuki," one person said.

"Block all signals in the Center Court," Reiji ordered. They nodded and immediately cut off the signal within the Center Court.

"Sir? Are you planning something?" Nakajima asked.

"Recently, I have heard that Masumi of the Junior Division Fusion Course has been training quite hard. Apparently, she wants to challenge Sakaki Mikazuki to a duel," Reiji said. "This may be the opportunity to lure Mikazuki here, so Masumi can issue the challenge. She will also be in our domain, so we may be able to observe even closer. We'll let this duel between Sawatari and Sakaki Yuya go on, then we'll let the girl call her."

—oOo—

"America is a rather dangerous place isn't it?" Yoko remarked. "I'm glad that Visas is based in Europe rather than there."

"Perhaps, but it's a massive country, it really depends on where you go," Mika answered. "If you know what to do and not do, you should be fine. It's like that in any country." Mika felt her personal phone begin to rumble in her pocket, she pulled it out and stared at it in confusion. "Yuzu? Why is she calling?" She pressed answer and then-

"Mika-nee! Oh, thank goodness, the call wasn't working for some reason..." Yuzu said. "We-We're in trouble!"

"What? What trouble! Did something happen to Yuya?" Mika jumped to her feet. Yoko was now alert and staring intently.

"Put it on speaker," her mother said and Mika obliged.

"Your idiot of a brother got his Pendulum cards stolen! He fell for the oldest trick in the book!" there seemed to be more anger than fear in Yuzu's voice.

"Stolen!? By who!?" Mika demanded.

"Some kid from LDS. His name is Sawatari Ginga, or something like that."

"Sawatari Ginga? I've never heard of him," Mika replied.

"Sawatari?" Yoko murmured. "Isn't he a candidate to become mayor?"

"Mayor?" Mika mouthed.

"Mika-nee? Are you there? This kid lured us to LDS! He and Yuya are dueling in the Center Court! He's using me and the kids as hostages! Can you come please! I don't know who else to call!" Yuzu pleaded.

"Center Court? How did some no-name kid reserve the Center Court so quickly?" Mika wondered. "Also hostages!? Yes! Of course, I'll be there as soon as I can!" she rushed to the door and began slipping on her shoes. Wait! She had forgotten her duel disk and cards. She zoomed back up to her room and grabbed them and slid down on Yuya's pole and quickly dashed out. Yoko just watched her daughter leave with an amused smile and just shook her head in exasperation.

Soon, Mika burst through the doors of Leo Corporation's headquarters and ran through the main lobby.

"Hey, isn't that Sakaki Mikazuki?"

"What is she doing here?"

"Whoa! It's Mikazuki!" various people whispered as Mika passed by, heading straight for the Center Court.

—oOo—

"President, she's here," Nakajima said, pulling up camera footage of Mika dashing through the lobby toward the Center Court.

"Good, keep observing her. Alert Kotsu Masumi that she's here," Reiji said. "I will be going down as well. Keep me updated."

—oOo—

"Yuya!" Mika panted as she shoved aside the people blocking the entrance to the Center Court and stopped in front of them. Yuya, Yuzu, Ayu, Futoshi, the new kid Tatsuya, and some kid with blue hair in a ponytail were talking to each other. She noticed four people in LDS jackets on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Mika-nee-" Yuya's confidence immediately evaporated and he started to back away with a nervous smile.

"You stupid idiot," Mika stomped forward and pushed her face close to his, barely leaving any space to breathe.

"I- won? I got my cards back," Yuya laughed nervously, Mika just stepped and let out a deep sigh.

"You've learned your lesson right?" Mika asked, crossing her arms. "I won't be there baby you forever. Remember what we talked about yesterday?"

"Yes…," Yuya said slowly. "I'll be more careful next time," but then his smile dropped, making Mika narrow her eyes. "He Pendulum Summoned, Mika-nee. That's supposed to be my special trick." Before she could respond.

"Hey, who are you?" said the strange boy with the lollipop. Who the hell is this kid? What kind of clothes are those?

"You first," Mika said with a guarded expression.

"I'm Sora Shiunin! Oh wait, Shiunin Sora, you people say the last name first," the boy corrected himself. "And I'm your brother's apprentice!"

"...What?" Mika deadpanned.

"Eh? Are you still going on about that?" Yuya gasped.

"Are you from LDS?" Mika narrowed her eyes at Sora.

"Well, I was planning on joining, but after what I just saw, hell no! Yuya here is far more interesting! I'm going to join your Duel School!" Sora declared excitedly. "Now, how about you!"

"I'm Yuya's older sister, Mikazuki, but just call me Mika," Mika introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you Mika-chan!" Sora shook her hand enthusiastically.

"Did you know she's not a part of LDS and she can use Fusion?" Ayu said excitedly. Mika noticed Sora's expression lose its luster a little.

"Whoa!" he beamed. "I'm also like that. I can also use Fusion!"

"You can? Are you from Visas Enterprises?" Mika asked incredulously.

"Visas- what?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is that a Duel School? I've never heard of it."

"Seriously? You've never heard of-" Mika was cut off when she heard the groaning of the boys behind her.

"Oh, they're finally waking up," Sora said casually, licking his treat.

"Did you do this?" Mika looked back at him.

"Yeah! I don't like people who play dirty, so I just knocked them unconscious," he smiled brightly.

"You could get arrested, you know," Mika deadpanned. Not that I exactly care about them.

"Really? I didn't see anyone complaining," Sora shrugged. Mika still had a lot of unanswered questions about Sora, but she had to deal with this Sawatari Ginga first.

"Go home," Mika told Yuya and the others. "Show Sora to You Show. Afterwards, you tell me what exactly happened," she put a little force in her tone and Yuya nodded rapidly. Then, she felt something rumble in her pocket and Mika realized that that was her alarm, to call Professor Carolus and ask about the Fusion card. Goddammit, that will have to wait.

"You," Mika glared at the blonde boy, who she thought was probably Ginga. The boy coughed and sat up and shriveled back in fear stuttering at Mika. "Are you Sawatari Ginga?"

"Y-yes- Wait what?!" He burst out, forgetting his fear for a moment. "Ginga? I'm Shingo! The Great Sawatari Shingo! How dare you get my name wrong!" Mika almost felt like she could hear Yuzu snickering.

"How dare you get the Great Sawatari-sama's name wrong!" one of his lackeys said.

"Yes, you must apologize to him!"

"Apologize? You clowns stole my brother's cards! He may be an idiot, but I don't appreciate those who take advantage of him like that." Mika growled at Shingo, making him flinch back. "Now, who told you to do it?"

"What are you t-talking about?" Shingo asked, slowly backing away.

"Don't play with me, how did some no name like you reserve the Center Court less than 24 hours after my brother first showed off his Pendulum Summon!?"

"No name! I am Sawatari Shingo, son of the next-"

"I don't care who you are, I've never heard of you," Mika snapped, grabbing Shingo's arm before he could run away. "Now, I'll ask you one last time, who told you to do it?"

"That would be me," a voice sounded behind Mika. "I would appreciate it if you let go of my student before you do something you'll regret." She released Shingo's arm and turned to see a young man with glasses and a strange red scarf that seemed to defy gravity.

"You…" Mika narrowed her eyes. "You are Akaba Reiji, Leo Corporation President." She walked up to Reiji and grabbed him by the hems of his shirt and pulled him close.

"President!" some suit said behind them, but Reiji held his hand out stopping him.

"I'm only going to say this once, stay away from us," Mika hissed at Reiji, who looked at her unflinchingly. Something that weirdly pissed her off even further. "We have enough problems without you and your corporate suits dogging down on us. Don't mess with me or my family, or I swear I will make you regret it."

"Would that involve Visas Enterprises?" Reiji asked, making her flinch back, before she glared again.

"It doesn't matter if I am a part of Visas Enterprises or not!" she snapped. "Don't mess with me." She released Reiji and shoved him back a little and headed toward the exit of the Center Court.

She walked back into the lobby and as she walked through the lounge and headed toward the entrance of the main building, she was stopped by Kotsu Masumi.

"You're Sakaki Mikazuki," Mika just sighed in irritation and looked at the younger girl.

"And? What about it?" she answered sarcastically. Masumi sat down at a table in the lounge and offered Mika a seat, and she decided to see what the girl wanted.

"I'm sorry," Mika blinked a little at the girl's sudden words and her anger faded away. "I'm sorry that that was your first impression of our LDS, but I assure you we are much better than this." Mika was confused at why this girl was looking at her with so much… respect. "That Sawatari is all bark and no bite, I don't even know how he got accepted into LDS." Masumi crossed her arms and looked to the side in annoyance. "Oh right, nepotism. It's because his father is apparently about to become the next mayor. Maiami being the biggest city for dueling and all..."

"Um, you are Kotsu Masumi right?" Mika said. "Can I- help you?"

"Whoa! You know me?" Masumi's eyes shined with excitement.

"Yeah, I keep track of notable duelists in my spare time. You're one of the chosen people who received those new Fusion cards right?" Mika, in the back of her mind, decided to take this opportunity to try to learn a bit about them.

"Yes!" Masumi nodded. "But actually, I have a favor to ask." Mika had a pretty good idea what that favor was. "Will you duel me?"

"Why? And why me?" she asked.

"Because you were the first Fusion user outside of Leo, so I think you have the biggest reputation among the rogue Fusion users," Masumi looked a little embarrassed. "I want to defend the name of LDS and Professor Marco of the Fusion Course," she blushed a little. "It's nothing personal, it's more of a pride thing. But please! I would very much appreciate it if you gave me a chance to prove the strength of myself and LDS."

Mika saw a bit of herself in that girl. She seemed determined and had a bit of a one-track mind. Her inner big sister was calling out to Masumi, plus she could try and analyze how those Fusion cards would work.

"Okay," Mika finally said. "I'll duel you." Masumi looked like she was about to burst out in excitement, but she seemed to remember she was a bit of an ice queen and cleared her throat. "When do you want to duel?"

"You decide!" Masumi offered. "I was the one being selfish asking you."

"Very well, today's Thursday, how about Saturday at noon?" Mika decided.

"Hmm, not a problem for me, but I'm not sure I'll be able to get the Center Court. The Maiami Championships are coming up soon, so a lot of people are reserving it," Masumi muttered.

"Oh, you probably shouldn't have a problem with that. I'm sure your admins won't mind giving you the Center Court if I'm dueling," Mika said dryly.

"What?" Masumi questioned.

"Don't worry, just trust me," Mika smiled reassuringly. "So are we agreed, Masumi-san?" She held out a hand to Masumi who shook it enthusiastically.

"Of course, thank you!"

—oOo—

Seika ended up staying at the café until around lunchtime. She absolutely treasured her first time at the place. The environment was quiet and soothing. Soothing enough that she didn't feel jittery about being alone. A good amount of patrons also came in after she did, however, they mainly minded their own business. Either they left her alone or went into one of the private rooms. Seika chalked it up to them being socially awkward, which she didn't really care about. She just wanted some alone time doing something she liked.

But of course, the best part, in her opinion, was the food. That Belgian Taiyaki was one of the best things she had had in a very long time. The mocha didn't disappoint as well. She made sure to let the chefs know how much she liked it. And it wasn't necessarily because it was amazing, she definitely had better. It was the experience. It was the experience of reading a nice slice-of-life story while chowing down.

Even though they served lunch, Seika wanted to take a break from reading and go somewhere else. She was so ingrained in the manga that she was about halfway done with the whole series by then.

She thanked Futaba for her help and made sure to let her know that she would be a regular patron of the café.

Seika decided to look elsewhere to eat and along the way she came across a simple and modest-looking restaurant. Maybe it was because of how simple and clean it looked, but she felt drawn toward it. Deciding to check it out, she went inside and saw a man with short blue hair wearing a formal shirt and waistcoat at the desk. There was a wall behind a desk and a pathway next to it that was blocked off.

"H-hi," Seika suddenly felt out of place since she was just wearing extremely casual clothes and the exterior was absolutely not reflective of the interior, which had a fancy crimson carpet and red velvet walls. It seemed to be a standard luxury restaurant. Seika felt like she could blend into the background with her red hair and red shirt. She was literally seeing red.

"Greetings," he bowed. "My apologies, we are reservation-only and we are full for lunch service," he looked at her with striking blue eyes.

"Oh," Seika said, moving her hair back anxiously. "No… problem, I certainly didn't expect this to be a luxury place. It looked so simple on the outside." He seemed to understand how she felt and gave a reassuring smile.

"Worry not, one of the philosophies of our restaurant is that he wanted to attract more regular customers rather than those with money, which is why our entrance looks very welcoming," he explained.

"I… see," Seika said, now very intrigued. An interesting place like this should have interesting food right? "Is there space for dinner?"

"Unfortunately not, we only have one seat left. However, we do have space for tomorrow," the receptionist answered.

"I'm coming by myself. I don't plan on bringing anyone," Seika raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I should not have assumed, my apologies," he said. "Most people reserve in groups so we are often left with an uneven number of seats that cannot be filled. However, I must ask, are you sure? You may feel left out, everyone we have dinner are coming with at least one other person."

Seika looked to the side a little somberly. "I don't… have anyone," she muttered.

"Oh. Well, that's quite a surprise. You are quite beautiful if I say so myself," he suddenly said, and then he facepalmed and blushed behind his hand.

"Um. Thank you," Seika said, unsure how to react to that, as she avoided his gaze. The last person who said that to me genuinely was… She shook herself out those thoughts, not wanting to dwell on them.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for," he apologized. "I've been told that I speak my mind too much. That's why I got this job, to learn how to keep my tongue in cheek when I talk to people."

"It's fine," Seika smiled a little, rubbing the back of her head. "Thank you for the compliment. Anyway, back to what I was asking, I don't plan on bringing anyone with me, so I might as well just try it out now." He looked like he was going to say something else, but decided not to push it and let her make a reservation for tonight.

"Now before I do this for you, we are going to be having a special guest. A singer, who is coming to do a little performance for our guests tonight," he explained. "For privacy reasons, I cannot reveal who it is. But because of that, we have a special dress code that we are going to be putting into effect just for tonight. I know that this contradicts our friendly, welcoming stance, but we would like to have a little sophistication when events like this happen." He pulled out a tablet and showed her a list of rules.

"I see…" Seika had found a wardrobe of dresses and formal outfits in the house she was staying in. Did you seriously predict this would happen? You're too perceptive for your own good. "That should be fine with me. I don't have a problem with this."

"Excellent, we charge a reservation fee you can pay right now or you can put in your card information. This is simply an insurance for us in case you decide to be a no show. Is this alright with you?"

"No problem," Seika pulled out her credit card and swiped it.

"Now we will need your name," he said as a new input box appeared on the screen.

"Oh…" Seika did not want to give her name, but it would be awkward if she backed out now. "It's Seika."

"Seika…" he muttered. "Sorry, we need your full name, our policy."

"My. Full name?" she stuttered a little.

"Yes, is that a problem?" his gaze struck at her again.

"N-no, it's Nat-" she coughed and cleared her throat. Not that name. "Asamizu, Asamizu Seika."

"A-sa-mi-zu," he typed it in. He turned the screen toward her. "Please review the information and confirm once you are done." Seika pretended to move her eyes across the screen, but she was focused on two words. Seika Asamizu. Asamizu. She said in her head over and over again. She almost pressed yes, but then she asked.

"At what time would I have to be here?" she asked.

"Between 6:30 and 7:00. You have until 6:00 if you want to cancel, or else you must show up. If you don't, you will be charged on your card."

"Okay," she confirmed and the deal was done.

"Wonderful," he said, bowing. "We hope you enjoy your dinner."

"Thank you," Seika bowed awkwardly, unsure if she was supposed to do the same. "Um, thank you for your help." She quickly walked out of the restaurant and once the fresh outside air hit her, she let out a long sigh, as if she was holding in a deep breath. She leaned against the wall next to the entrance and closed her eyes. She had almost said her real last name. At least, what she considered was her real last name. A name, you had a name when you meant something. A name she had gained during the brief time when she had meaning to others.

Seika Natsuhono.

—oOo—

Once the strange girl did everything short of running away, he dropped his composure and groaned in embarrassment and disappointment.

"Yeah, you definitely deserved that Ryu," the receptionist named Ryu turned to see one of his colleagues smirking at him. She had long dark brown hair tied up in a ponytail. She wore a formal white shirt with a black tie. She was staring at the entrance where Seika had disappeared with a strange, curious expression.

"What do you want Saya? I thought you were on waitress duty," Ryu muttered, covering his face in shame. Saya Kimura, also his best friend since childhood. They were from Sendai up north.

"Oh, this is one of the rare times I actually had some breathing room, so I came just in time to see you scare that poor girl," she answered.

"I was just talking how I'm supposed to," Ryu crossed his arms.

"Oh, don't give me that shit, you know very well you're supposed to adjust yourself for the sake of the customer. You still need to work on that big mouth of yours. I do have to agree she's quite pretty, red hair and red eyes. Not something you really see around here, but I'm surprised she didn't call the police on you. You know what it's like," Saya laughed. "That immediately tells me she's not from around here, she must've grown up sheltered. Must be her first real experience in the big city."

"You don't have to tell me," Ryu said.

"You going to make a move on her?" Saya pushed.

"What?!" he spluttered. "Where did that come from? I don't even know her!"

"I mean, she's coming back later and you'll be on waiter duty for the dinner service. Plus, when you called her 'beautiful,' I don't think I have heard you sound so genuine," she reasoned. "Come on, she looks like she could use a friend. She looked quite lonely and sad. Almost all girls you've ever dated left you because you kept running your mouth-"

"You don't have to remind me," Ryu facepalmed again.

"-This Seika, on the other hand, accepted your compliment and she seemed to like it."

"She probably gets that all time," he tried to say.

"Yeah, probably from weirdos, but I think she understood that you actually meant it. I guess your mouth can be a double-edged weapon. Plus-" Saya added again. "If I am right about her, then she's going to need someone to teach her how the city works, or else she might, you know..." Ryu knew what Saya was implying.

"I don't even know who she is," Ryu said quietly.

"Oh! So you won't deny it?" Saya grinned.

"That's not-!" he stopped himself. "I have to focus on dueling, I'm entering the Maiami Championships, remember? I still haven't reached the quota to qualify. LDS is barely letting me work this job while I'm studying there. They're really strict you know, especially since I'm in the Senior Division."

"Oh dueling, booling," Saya rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, I think you take this a little too seriously. Breathe, Ryu, breathe. Enjoy your life a little, while you're still young. How about this? Since I'll be at the reception, I'll make sure you get to serve that girl. You still owe me for getting you this job, this is me cashing in that favor. So, do as I say," Something buzzed in her pocket. "Well, it seems I'm needed. Make sure you look your best! And try not to scare her again. And keep your stupid mouth in check," Saya quickly left without waiting for his answer.

"Oh, come on..." Ryu just sat down and rested his head against the desk.

—oOo—

Seika still had around five hours to burn before she had to go to dinner. She picked up a takeout of ramen and decided to ride the train to Maiami Central Park. It seemed quite typical for what you expected for a park in a large city. Large grassy fields and hills. Several playgrounds with children laughing and playing with each other. Some small stages where people held events or whatnot. She was even slightly taken aback a little seeing some people dueling. Apparently the park had designated dueling areas for those who wanted to duel.

Seika eventually found a spot under a tree, shielding her from the sunlight, and settled down. It was a spot that gave her a good view of a decent portion of the park. She pulled the lid off her bowl and let out a wide grin letting the nice scent waft out. She motioned her hands upward as if trying to push the smell into her nose. It was still nice and hot, so she immediately dug in.

A feeling of warmth permeated throughout her body. It wasn't some sort of sophisticated dish, it was relatively simple. Comfort food was how it felt like to her. She watched some young children with their parents, smiling and laughing. Her hand trembled and mouth quivered a little, but she gripped her chopsticks determinedly. She wasn't going to let that ruin her otherwise nice day. She forced herself to smile and kept eating.

Sooo good! Seika moaned in excitement looking at her now completely clean bowl. She let out a soft burp and sat down and sighed in relaxation and just watched the sight before her. It was a nice sight, a sight she wished would last forever.

Seika was beginning to feel drowsy, but something else caught her eye and she jerked body back up. A small boy was wandering throughout the park. He had black hair and wore a blue hoodie with some graphic on it. Seika wouldn't have spared a thought about this kid if it weren't for his completely empty, dead expression. Something she was, unfortunately, all too familiar with. She had the urge to walk up to the kid and ask what was wrong, but that urge was shut down when a rather stern-looking woman walked up to the child, seemingly scolding him for something, grabbed his hand, and walked away.

His mother? Seika wondered, a wave of rage washed over her and she balled her fist tightly, glaring at the woman. Can't she see how depressed that child looked? Mothers aren't supposed to be like that. Mothers are supposed to love their children, teach them how to live, nurture and raise them. To… teach them how to survive.

The time had come for Seika to go to dinner. After her picnic at the park, she went to a salon and got her hair cut evenly after she impulsively did it during… that moment. She stood in front of a mirror, in one of the dresses she had picked out.

She had decided to go with a black, full-sleeved (thank goodness) dress with some sort of dark green sparkles and a slit on her right leg. It was quite modest and completely covered her chest area. She had curled her hair to give it a wavy look. She did the usual make-up routine, that she used to do. Finally, satisfied with how she looked, Seika headed out. Afraid that she would attract unwanted attention, she put on a plain black jacket and hastily made her way to the restaurant.

Upon arriving, Seika immediately noted that the same guy from before wasn't there. Instead, the desk was occupied by a woman with long dark brown hair in a ponytail. The girl didn't hide her smirk once she noticed Seika coming in. What's up with her? She wondered.

"Hello, my name is Saya, are you here for the dinner service?" she asked.

"Asamizu Seika, table for one," Seika responded.

"Right this way," Saya opened the pathway toward the dining area and motioned for Seika to follow her. Her breathing quickened a little from anxiety, noticing various groups of people from all ages. She had never experienced something like this before. Saya led Seika somewhere toward the back corner of the main dining room. The table was facing toward a small space at the front with a microphone, and she realized what it was for. She had almost forgotten that there was going to be some singer here. "Now, I must return to the reception. A waiter will be here with you shortly. Here is the menu," she handed Seika a thin leather book and sat her down.

"T-thank you," Seika said, a little unnerved by the smile Saya was giving her. She also noticed the analytical look in Saya's eyes, as if she was trying to figure out something about her. Trying to ignore it, Seika decided to keep the jacket on, liking the look, and a little nervous that her sleeves would pull up and expose her burns.

"Of course!" Saya bowed and returned to her position. No sooner had Saya disappeared behind the wall than a familiar young man had approached Seika's table with a cart of drinks and appetizers. Her eyes widened a little recognizing him.

"Greetings, my name is Ryu. I will be your waiter for today," Ryu said. "May I start you with a drink?"

"O-Oh right. Just plain water for me please," Seika cleared her throat. She sat there awkwardly as he poured a glass of water and prepared a small plate of some appetizer. "You're the one from before, right?" she asked, trying to make small talk.

"Correct," Ryu answered curtly.

"Right," Seika was jittery, but not for the usual reasons. "Hello again." She mentally slapped herself for how stupid that sounded. Who says hello in the middle of a conversation?

"Hello," he simply said, putting the plate in front of her. "I will return in a few minutes to take your order for the main course. Please enjoy." Seika simply nodded, not wanting to make a fool out of herself. She growled inwardly, What the hell am I doing? Almost angry at herself. As Seika began to take a bite of the bread she was given, she noticed someone in the corner of her eye and her jaw dropped a little. It was the same woman. The one from the train. She was sitting at a table with the man that had attempted to defend her from that LDS kid. Oh? They know each other?

She had also noticed Seika and stared at her with wide eyes. Seika got an idea and decided to screw with her. She waved at the woman and winked at her. The woman blushed and turned away, her face steaming. Keeping a laugh in, she looked back at the menu and had decided her order.

"Have you selected your order for the main course?" Ryu had returned, startling Seika and making her jump in her seat.

"Yes, I'll have…"

Seika occasionally stole glances toward the train woman, who seemed to be avoiding her gaze at all costs. Eventually, the final course was completed. The singer that was supposed to be performing had also arrived.

"Hello," she whispered shyly. "I'll be performing a song for you this evening. I hope you will all enjoy it."

「Endless Road」by fumika

(Originally Japanese. Using English- and Romaji-translated lyrics. Try to listen to it while reading.)

Anata ga naiteiru tokini wa donnani hareta hi mo kanashikute (When you are crying, it will be sad no matter how clear the day is.)

Anata ga waratteitekuretara zubu nure no amatsubu sae itoshii (If you give me back a smile, even the dripping wet raindrops would be lovely.)

Seika froze, already affected by those… those words. Smile? What smiles? Last time some had tried to force a smile, she felt completely insulted and trivialized.

Minogasu hodo no chiisana hana ni mo (Even the smalls flowers I practically overlook)

Tsumugitsuzuketa negai ga aru tsubomi da toshite mo (Even buds, have wishes that continues spinning)

Sakaseyou sakihokore sakaseru yo itsu made mo (Let's let it bloom, fully bloomed, I'll let it bloom forever)

Ame no hi mo kaze no hi mo kokoro ga nurete mo (Even if it is rainy, windy or your heart is wet)

Taisetsuna koto dake o sukoshi zutsu tatta hitotsu zutsu demo (Slowly, only the important things, even one by one)

Mamoritai anata toiu negai (I want to protect, a wish named you.)

She was trembling. These were just words. Just simple words, but why was it so… hopeful? Protect? Protect what? She had a chance to protect something she cared about, but she failed. She utterly failed.

Anata ga kureta sono kotoba mo itsuka wa kikenaku naru hi ga kuru nara (If the words that you gave me i won't be able to hear one day)

Kasaneta te to te hanasanai yōni nukumori o tashikameteitai (I want to make sure that our overlaid hands won't break apart)

What hands? She had no one. All bonds were gone.

Mayoitsuzuketa chiisana watashi ni (You taught that lost little me)

Oshietekureta aiseru koto honno sukoshi demo (That one can love even if it is just a little bit)

Little me? All little Seika had was herself, her monsters, and a burnt arm. What love could she have? Her hands were balled into fists and she rapidly racked them against the table. By this time, the train woman seemed to notice that something was wrong with Seika and looked at her worriedly. Her companion also mirrored the expression.

Haru ga sugi Natsu omoi akimeguri fuyu o koe (The spring is gone, summer thoughts, fall circulates, pass through the winter)

Itsunobi mo donna toki mo mizu o ageru yōni (Someday, sometime in order to water you)

Kakegae no nai mono o hitotsu zutsu tatta hitotsu zutsu demo (The irreplaceable things, even one by one

I want to pile up, two futures)

Future? What future? There would be no future soon. Just a false utopia. A false heaven.

Mebuita hana ni namae o tsukeyou (Let's put a name to the flower that sprouted)

Kaze ni fukarete makenaide to nan do mo sakebu kara (Because it is blown by the wind i will shout many times to it "don't lose")

Lose? She had already lost everything. Anything she had now was just temporary, all that would soon be taken away. Tears streamed down her face and was barely able to keep her sobs in.

Sakaseyou sakihokore sakaseru yo itsu made mo (Let's let it bloom, fully bloomed, I'll let it bloom forever)

Ame no hi mo kaze no hi mo kokoro ga nurete mo (Even if it is rainy, windy or your heart is wet)

Taisetsuna koto dake o sukoshi zutsu tatta hitotsu zutsu demo (Slowly only the important things, even one by one)

Mamoritai anata toiu negai (I want to protect, a wish named you.)

Anata ga negai (You are my wish)

Once she had uttered that last word, Seika stood up abruptly. She covered her face and walked as fast as she could to the bathroom. Some people noticed her leaving, including Ryu who had come to collect her plate.

Damn it! Damn it! Seika glared at herself in the mirror as tears streamed down her face. She was reminded again of that nightmare. That song had pushed all her buttons and reignited everything she had just tried to bury. With shaking hands, she pulled her monster out of her pocket and stared at it. Are you trying to tell me something? I can't, not now. I just want… I just want to enjoy it. While it lasts. I'm sorry.

She washed her face, dried it, and headed back out. People were beginning to trickle out little by little. She realized the train woman and her companion were not there and Seika felt a little guilty for messing with her. She noticed the singer standing at her table, looking a little nervous. Seika wiped her eyes one last time and confidently strode back.

"Oh, um. I'm sorry," she said. If Seika had a coin for every time someone said sorry to her, just today alone, she would have a lot of coins. "I'm sorry if I offended you," she whispered.

"Offended?" Seika repeated and she shook her head forcing a smile. "No. No. It's fine, I'm not offended by anything. I was just reminded of some… unpleasant memories."

"I see…" the singer stood there, unsure of what else to say.

"Your voice is beautiful though. I hope I can listen to you again," Seika tried to reassure her. The singer let out a small smile.

"Thank you," she said, "well, I have to go now. I hope to see you around soon." She bowed slightly and left. Seika sighed and rubbed her forehead. Time to get out here. Luckily, since she had provided her card earlier, the bill was automatically paid, so she didn't have to wait around for that. She grabbed her purse and headed out, but not before looking at Saya whose smirk was gone and she just looked at her with a nervous grin.

"Uhm, thank you. I hope I didn't cause a scene," and with that, Seika booked it out of there.

—oOo—

"I swear it wasn't me," Ryu walked up to Saya as they cleaned up the dining area. "I barely even talked to her."

"Yeah, I saw. She was practically bursting into tears. Has she never heard a song in her life? Does she know that a lot of songs are like this?" Saya muttered. "She must be ridiculously sheltered or naive."

"Um, hello? Has that girl who was crying left already?" Both of them turned to see one of the guests approaching them. "I wanted to see if she was all right."

"Oh, Joy-san! Yes, she left," Saya told her. "Do you know her?"

"Oh, not really," Joy answered. "I met her on the train yesterday. She was being hit on by someone from LDS (Ryu flinched), so she…" she paused blushing a little. "She pretended to like me to shake him off. At least, I thought she was pretending, but now I'm not so sure."

Ryu and Saya stared at each other, jaws dropped, it was like a stark contrast to the girl they had just seen.

"She… flirted with you?" Saya echoed.

"Yes, she did," Joy laughed nervously. "Do you know her name?"

"Seika," Ryu answered. "Asamizu Seika."

"Seika…" Joy muttered to herself. "Well, I'll let you go back to your duties. Thank you for your help. Also, wonderful dinner by the way," and she walked away.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect that," Saya laughed and she saw Ryu sulking a little. "Didn't expect that she might be on that side."

"You don't know that for sure," Ryu muttered. "I wonder who tried to hit on her?"

"Oh? You want to confirm that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You feeling defensive of her already?"

"What are you talking about?"

"She just left," he looked at her in confusion. "If you go now, you can catch up to her."

"Why would I do that? I have stuff to do, and I'm busy!" he told her.

"Come on, you can take a day off from dueling, can't you?" Saya smirked. "I'll cover for you." Ryu looked away, looking at the wall.

"I didn't come to Maiami to mess around, Saya," he said. "My father has been nagging on me for the past few weeks as to why I haven't qualified yet."

"Are you seriously going on about that again?" she put the broom down and crossed her arms.

"If you're so insistent on this, you go and find her!" Ryu raised his arms in exasperation.

"No," Saya's playful expression fell and she glared at him. "I'm doing this for you, but I won't if you're just going to half ass it. Do you want to get to know her?"

Ryu just looked at her with a neutral expression before sighing, "I have some accounting to do, I'll see you tomorrow." Saya watched him leave and just shrugged in defeat. As she continued wiping down the tables and sweeping the floor, she began to realize that Seika seemed very familiar. Red hair and red eyes. She kept repeating in her head over and over again. There's no doubt about it, I've seen her before! I saw her in Sendai!

—oOo—

"President!" Nakajima burst into Reiji's office just as the latter was about to leave for the day.

"What is it, Nakajima?"

"We've made a major discovery. It pertains to Visas Enterprises!" the man said.

"You have?" Reiji stood up in anticipation. "Show me."

"Of course!" Nakajima pulled his tablet and began scrolling through. "It pertains to the origin of their company. The name of their company, to be specific."

"The name? Elaborate, please," Reiji asked.

"One moment," Nakajima then swiped up on his tablet and a pdf appeared on the big screen of Reiji's office. It looked like a book.

"What is this, Nakajima?" Reiji narrowed his eyes.

"Sir, this is a story called Fragments of the Broken Star," Nakajima explained. "It is an incomplete and unpublished sci-fi fantasy novel written by a Dutch author several decades ago. It was uploaded to some obscure blog website, which is where we found it. This is only a rough translation, I am working on getting a proper one soon."

"So, how is this relevant to Visas Enterprises?"

"Sir, the premise of this story is about an interstellar traveler. A boy who woke up with no memories and he travels across stars searching for his lost fragments. He meets several civilizations and factions along the way, all of whom are connected to him. Two of these factions almost identically resemble the archetypes used by Sakaki Mikazuki and Stelle De La Fontaine," piquing Reiji's attention. "The boy's name…" Nakajima paused. "Is Visas Starfrost."

Card Terminal:

No duel this chapter.

(End Notes refer to both Chapter 3 and 4 as both of them were initially supposed to be one chapter.)

I hope that song was translated accurately lol. The romaji was auto-translated, so there might be errors. The actual English was not. Unfortunately, I can't find who the translator was.

The is chapter took quite a while huh. I tried to finish it during the weekend, but wow I just couldn't. There are two reasons for that. The first is that it's pretty long, like more than twice as long as Chapter 2. The second reason is that the new school year started, so I got to focus on that lol. I debated if I should release this as two chapters, and I decided to do so.

Overall, I liked writing this chapter. I realized how much I liked writing an emotional Seika (including the nightmare and crying, however dark and cynical that is), because she was originally supposed to be much more stoic, calm, edgy, etc (and likely end up boring tbh). I really enjoyed writing the manga café and restaurant scenes. Also, that woman Seika keeps flirting with is not an OC. She's actually a real character in ARC-V.

I think the LDS trio was underrated and underused. I didn't really care about them for a long time, then I kind of started to grow fond of them. Even if they didn't end up becoming Lancers, I wish they played a bigger role in the Standard arc. But nope, they got their character shafted by some memory changer deus ex machina. Seriously, what the hell was that about? I couldn't believe how lazy that was, since we spent several episodes watching Masumi trying to hunt down Shun only for it to get resolved in the most anti-climactic way possible.

Stelle De La Fontaine! What did you think of her? I think she is the character I'm most excited to write about, aside from Seika of course. Also, if you know anything about Mika's deck, then I'm sure you can figure out what Stelle's deck is. If you don't, then I'll let the surprise go on.

"flying forward from the force of the explosion and she fell face first" – try saying that five times fast xD, that was unintentional, I didn't realize it until I was going through a reread.

The manga café Seika visited is based on Akihabara Nagomido. Absolutely beautiful, you should look it up.

Super excited to write the next chapter! Partially because I have some duels planned.

Note for Chapter 2: Uh, Reinoheart is actually male, oops. Should be fixed by the time this chapter is out. Refreshed myself on Visas lore and I realized that. "She" did look quite masculine to me...

Review Responses –

BlaiseCandall (Chapter 2) – I find "show not tell" a very fun way to write. Also yeah, I've always had a thing for card lore. A shame that they never really translated any of it officially (though learning Japanese is one of my goals). But the Yugipedia does a pretty good job with fan translations. I also heard the Skystrikers have a manga, so I gotta check that out.

Rodvek97 (Chapter 1) – Thanks!

T.V. 2000 (Chapter 2) – No particular reason, I just remember coming back to Master Duel after a long hiatus and got my ass kicked by this weird deck that basically played during my turn. It was the funniest shit ever. I just thought it'd just be fun to have it in here. Initially, I was going to give it to someone from Academia, then I was like "Nah, that's too obvious. Let's have Mika run wild with Tearlaments." And then I came up with Visas Enterprises. I'll happily say I OTK'd a Tearlaments user on Master Duel with a Galaxy Photon deck. I know the Galaxy Photon archetype so well, I don't even stop to read the effects anymore.

Question of the day: What manga was Seika reading?