So like a bajillion years ago, I wrote a fic called 'I Told You So' and it was basically an AU where Yuma grows up in Satellite and attaches himself to Jack. Now I have returned with an AU of an AU that was sitting around unfinished for years.

Mirai gets Demak's role because 1) That guy had no backstory as to how he became a Dark Signer, so he was pretty much there to fill in a spot on the Dark Signer roster and to hold Ancient Fairy Dragon hostage and 2) my research in the Quechua language didn't produce any good Original Character Do Not Steal names for a hypothetical Earthbound God that would fit Mirai.

Anyway, this fic uses Japanese terms and names. Sorry to anyone who prefers the English versions of both series. :O

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's or Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal. I'm just here to play in the sandbox.

A Mother's Touch

By Bilbo-sama

Mirai Tsukumo looked almost exactly like he remembered her. The only difference was the blackened eyes and the weird red markings on her skin.

Yuma was eight when he last saw his mother. She went out to get supplies and never came back. He waited for two days before running around asking anyone if they have seen his mother.

The only info some people had was that she was in the marketplace but when he went there, nobody knew where she went after that.

It was like Mirai vanished into thin air.

But now here she is, five years later, and the motherly smile she wore lacked warmth.

"Hello my son," the thing that looked like his mother said, "I'm so glad to see you."

"I missed you too, Mama," Yuma replied as he wondered how to alert Jack and Yusei that a Dark Signer decided to show up in the house after their 'demonstration' earlier ate Martha.

Before he could do anything, his mother embraced him and he flinched. It was like being touched by ice.

"I have been looking for your father," she declared.

Yuma looked up at her in surprise, "You have?" If she found dad then maybe they can be a family again…!

His mother then added: "But I was unable to find any trace of him. Its like he vanished off the face of the Earth and not even the Earthbound Gods know where he is."

Yuma sagged in disappointment, "Oh."

"I did, however, find the man who killed me and sent his head back to his employer as a warning," she said in an oddly casual tone as if it was an every day thing like going to the market.

Her son looked up at her in alarm, "What?"

The icy arms around Yuma seemed to get tighter as he tried to struggle out of his mother's cold embrace.

"I wont let anything tear us away ever again," his mother's grip tightened even more and he whimpered.

"M-mama, stop, it hurts…" his body was beginning to shiver from the cold that seemed to seep from his mother and into his bones.

'Astral!' he shouted in his mind, terrified, 'where are you?!'

"We should get going," his mother said, "we need to go to Heartland City and pick up Akari-chan so the three us can be together when the Earthbound Gods win this war."

"H-how w-w-would y-you know t-that'll ha-hap-pen?" asked Yuma loudly as his mouth seemed to shiver on its own. If he screams, would everyone else in the house hear him…?

"It's been promised to me by Cusillu in payment of my service to him," his mother didn't seem to notice how cold her son is.

"He's gonna kill everyone, mama!" Yuma cried out.

"So?" Mama looked confused by his outburst, "everyone dies eventually, sweetie."

"And it will not be because your gods are hungry!" shouted Yusei as he busted the door open, duel disk sliding into active position. Jack and Aki ran in after him.

"Nii-san!" Yuma wailed in the Dark Signer's grip.

Jack glared at the Dark Signer holding Yuma close to herself, "Let go of him!"

"I will not part with my son!"

"Don't you see you're hurting him?" Jack roared.

Startled, Mirai Tsukumo relaxed her grip on Yuma's arms. With one last burst of energy, Yuma struggled out of her hold and ran to hide behind Jack.

Her child was pale and his lips were beginning to turn blue.

He was looking at her with fear in his eyes.

That…that wasn't what she wanted at all.

'He'll learn to accept it once we win,' Cusillu whispered in her mind, 'For now we must leave.'

Reassured, Mirai held up the card containing Ancient Fairy Dragon, "Tell the girl twin I have what she wants." And then suddenly, she vanished. Astral immediately emerged from the Key with his arms raised in mid-strike, as if he was banging against something.

Yuma clung to Jack as he sobbed.

"I refuse to lose!" shouted Mirai as the Duel ruled in the children's favor. The purple flames that outlined Cusillu died down before going out.

"I am not losing my family again!" she shouted as she approached the twins and Yuma.

"Mama…" Yuma whispered as he moved to meet her.

Already his mother was transforming into sand.

"I don't want to go!" she wailed as she looked her slowly crumbling hands.

"I don't want you to go either, Mama," said Yuma as he hugged her. This time, it felt like he was hugging a sand sculpture.

"I never got to see Akari-chan grow up. I will never get to see you grow up," his mother whispered.

"I'm sorry," said Yuma.

"It's not your fault, Yuma-kun," said her mother distantly as the wind seemed to carry the sand holding her together away.

"Will I see you again?"

"Someday we'll meet again," said the now disembodied voice of Mirai Tsukumo, "until then…live…"

Yusei said that the Dark Signers were given a second chance at life by the Crimson Dragon. They were also given the choice to return to life or to pass on to the afterlife. The Godwin brothers chose the latter, he said.

It's been five days since then. Nii-san said that his friend Carly came back but seemed to have no memory of her time as a Dark Signer. The scary Kiryu guy seemed to look as though he regrets coming back to life and declared that he was leaving the confines of Domino City. The tall muscular guy from South America got on a plane and returned home.

There was no sign of Mirai Tsukumo.

Yuma had spent his entire life in Satellite. Satellite was harsh and punishing. There was no such thing as second chances. Everyone on the island knew this. Even Astral knew this and therefore he was happy to accept the slow progress he and Yuma had on obtaining all ninety-nine Number Cards.

A couple of months go by. Neo Domino City reached out to Satellite and offered a second chance. Nii-san, Yusei, and Crow decided to give it a test run on behalf of Satellite.

Yuma wanted to go but Nii-san shook his head, wary.

Four months after the Dark Signers' defeat, Nii-san came back to Martha's orphanage and asked to speak with her privately. The children were curious but one glare from the Jack Atlas kept them from eavesdropping.

Eventually, he left and Martha kept giving Yuma odd looks for the rest of the day.

What did Nii-san say to her? Yuma was starting to regret not sending Astral over to Spy Duty.

"Yuma!" Martha called from the front door two days later, "Come here!"

Yuma rushed over, curious. Martha stepped aside to reveal the visitor who stepped through the threshold.

Mirai Tsukumo tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she nervously stood before her son.

She wore a light blue sundress and grey leggings, too cheery to be Dark Signer garb. Her skin was not grey with death or lined with red marks symbolizing an Earthbound God. Her eyes' were not black as death.

"H-hello, Yuma-kun," she said without Cusillu echoing in her voice.

"Is it really you, mama?" Yuma asked.

Mirai nodded and carefully crouched down, mindful of the dress. She held out her arms, inviting him to hug.

Throwing caution to the wind, Yuma ran up to his mother and hugged her.

She felt warm and alive.

I included Yuma in the duel between the twins and Mirai because he would definitely try to tag along with the Signers. Also it would help to stall time until Ruka returns from rescuing Ancient Fairy Dragon.

This was going to stop after Mirai was defeated but 5D's has a local Deus Ex Machina plot device so let's take advantage of that.

I did find a proper sequel to 'I Told You So' sitting around unfinished in my writing folder but I'm leaving it be until I someday get around to rewatching 5D's and Zexal. So...yeah, don't count on that appearing so soon. :O