A/N: Glad to finally get this chapter done! Just so you know this chapter will be switching from only Yusei's and Crow's POV so you won't be confused. Also big thanks to Dragonman for his help with all the new dark decks for this story! And thanks guys for all your reviews!

"Character's speaking"

Character's thoughts

King of the Underworld speaking

Media Publications (TV, articles, books, computers, etc.)

Made Up Cards

Part II: Treacherous Choices

Chapter 11

Yusei's Return and Crow's Concern

Aki and I had just finished practicing together with our new decks and we both had been very pleased with the results. It turned out that the only changes done to our decks were our cards' appearances and their effects. The playing style of our decks were relatively the same with some tweaks here and there which made it a lot easier for us to adapt in using them. We were both now ready and eager to show what our new decks were capable of.

"I believe this hour was well spent, don't you agree Yusei?" stated Aki, looking at me with an excited gleam in her eyes.

"Yes, it was very well spent Aki," I agreed as a pleased smile came across my lips.

Aki soon gained a grin on her face before coming over to me and wrapping her arms around my neck. Her lips immediately came in contact with mine for a few moments before her lips pulled themselves away.

"I wanted to give you a little luck before you go," Aki remarked with tenderness in her voice.

My smile grew as my arms circled her waist and I leaned my forehead against hers.

"As long as I have you, my deck, and our King by my side I don't need any luck," I answered sincerely before capturing her lips with mine for another kiss.

I felt her kiss back right away and before long the kiss between us became more heated. Right then and there I wanted to fondle my witch profoundly; however I knew it was not the time for that and that it was time for me to leave. I carefully broke off from the kiss and let a serious expression appear on my features.

"I have to go now," I told her before taking her hands in mine and placing a chaste kiss on them.

"Please be careful my Black Rose Witch."

"And you as well my Shooting Dark Star," she replied back after giving me a peck on my cheek.

We shared one more kiss before I left our home to go back to my old one.

When I finally arrived at the unfinished bridge Goodwin was already standing there waiting for me. My eyes immediately hardened and my face grew solid as a rock, knowing that I couldn't risk showing anything to this man.

"So you have finally arrived. I was beginning to think that I would have to come get you myself," Goodwin greeted to me with a slight smirk on his face.

"Let's get this over with," I stated firmly, letting him know that I wasn't in the mood for any games right now.

"Very well then," he replied calmly with that smirk still spread on his lips.

It was then that I saw a helicopter rapidly approaching us from a distance. As the helicopter came within a close enough range, the hatch opened to reveal my red D-Wheel already aboard it. Apparently this would be my transportation back to Satellite.

"You cannot escape destiny Fudo Yusei. Whether you like it or not your role will be played in it. I guarantee you that," proclaimed Goodwin in such an assured tone that there was no doubt that what he just said was indeed a warning.

I chose to not respond to that and instead decided to focus my attention on the task ahead of me. I quickly observed the distance of the helicopter and the wind shear it was producing to mentally prepare myself for the feat I was about to make. Now ready, I took a small breath before sprinting toward the edge of the bridge. Reaching the edge I swiftly bent my legs and then propelled myself up from the ground. The momentum and projection of my jump was perfect as I was able to land successfully on the surface of the open hatch. Knowing that the wind and gravity were against me, I hastily climbed up the hatch into the helicopter. Once I was inside I immediately went over to my D-Wheel. I put on my helmet before taking my seat on my D-Wheel and then I placed my deck in its proper place. The hatch of the helicopter soon closed and I was now being taken back to the place where it all began.

I hope you'll be happy Kiryu. I'm about to give you what you wanted…Team Satisfaction's last duel.

I shook my head in amusement as I watched a red D-Wheel fall out of a helicopter and land perfectly on solid ground.

Got to give it to Yusei. He sure knows how to make an entrance.

A small smile made its way on my face as I watched the person on the D-Wheel gathering his bearings back after that landing. I figured now was as good as time as any to make my presence known to him.

"Welcome back!" I yelled to make sure he would hear me.

That did the trick as his head turned in my direction. Yet when he looked at me I could've sworn a look of surprise and distaste came on his features before his face became passive. Then again I was a distance away and could've misinterpreted the reaction out of my own guilt. Seeing that he was getting off his D-Wheel I shook those thoughts away and slid down the large pile of garbage and stopped only a few feet away from him. Now that I saw him up close something in me broke at that moment and before I realized what I was doing, I ran over to him and embraced him in a hug and words stated spilling out of my mouth.

"Yusei, you're really here! You're alive!" I exclaimed joyfully.

It was only when I noticed that Yusei's body had become stiff and unresponsive that I came back to my senses and hastily stopped hugging him. This time I was sure there had been a look of shock on his face before it returned to its normal features.

"Uh sorry about that Yusei. It's just…seeing you…"

He stopped my jabbering with a raise of his hand before speaking.

"It's ok Crow, I get it. The hug was just…unexpected," he answered making me rub the back of my head in anxiousness.

"Yeah well when I saw the copper I certainly didn't expect you'd be in it so I guess we're even," I joked lightly which made an amused glint appear in his eyes.

"Fair enough," Yusei replied before his eyes took a swift scan over the area until his gaze landed its sights on my D-Wheel.

"I see you have a D-Wheel now," he stated keeping his eyes on my bike.

"Sure do, in fact I bet it could give you and Jack a run for your money," I said in confidence knowing that my D-Wheel was like no other.

"We'll just have to see about that won't we?" challenged back Yusei with a twitch of a smirk on his lips.

If anything years of thievery have taught me it was to always be observant of even the smallest of things that seemed out of place. For that moment something about Yusei had been very off. It could've been the mocking edge behind his voice when he spoke, the spark of spite that would swiftly crossed his face, or maybe it was that shadow of a smirk which seemed to almost give his appearance a cynical aura. Whatever it was, I knew right then and there that something was very wrong with the Yusei standing in front of me.

"Something wrong Crow?" I heard him ask me, rapidly bringing me out of my thoughts.

Yet even despite him asking that, I still caught a hint of snide in his tone. I frowned at him as my eyes narrowed in distrust and suspicion.

"I should be asking you that," I retorted seriously keeping my full attention on Yusei.

I watched as his lips curved upwards into an amused smile as he looked at me with laughter clear in his eyes.

"I'm not surprised that you noticed Jack did too. Don't worry, I promise you Crow it all will be revealed soon," he replied calmly with that teasing smile still on his face.

Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like it one bit when I do find out?

Even though I was still weary of Yusei right now, there was no way he was leaving my sight. So I invited him to stay with me and my kids for a while and he agreed to come with me. I'm sure this wasn't one of my better ideas but if I was going to find out what was up with Yusei I needed to be able to keep a close eye on him.

As we rode our D-Wheels to our destination, Crow apparently still wanted to make conversation, asking me how I've been these past few years. I decided to humor him and told him some of the things I have done. I told him of my near escape from the Facility, omitting the part about making me duel monsters real of course. I told him that I finally escaped from the Facility by successful 'faking' my death. I joked about following his footsteps when I mentioned my acts of thievery in Neo Domino. I even told him about me destroying the Facility building, once again leaving out the part where I made Stardust real. By the look on his face I could tell he was beyond stupefied. Yet when I told him about my witch, leaving out her real name, he almost lost control of his D-Wheel from the immense shock of it all.

"You, Fudo Yusei, have a girl?" he exclaimed as he looked at me in shock causing me to roll my eyes.

"Yes Crow I do," I answered calmly, though I admit I was a little offended that he found the idea of me having a girlfriend so hard to believe.

However the moment the notion of me having someone fully registered in his head, a huge grin spread across Crow's face.

"Is she a looker?" he asked eagerly.

An image of Aki instantly popped into my mind and brought a genuine smile to my face.

"She's beautiful," I told him honestly, knowing that I was referring to more than just her physical appearance.

"Well then you better bring her over here sometime. I've got to meet the girl that was finally able to get your attention off of those machines," he commented happily though what he just said made me realize something.

I hardly work on any projects as much as I used to since Aki became a part of my life.

It was true. Before I used to speed hours and hours tinkering with anything I could get my hands on but lately I've been working on things faster so I could spend more time with Aki. Not only that but before I used to be so focused on fixing something that I would tune everything and everyone around out, yet I became much more aware of my surroundings since Aki started watching and helping with my work. My need and desire to constantly fix and build things have greatly diminished over the years. It wasn't as important to me as it was before. Aki truly had been the one break me from those habits. She had filled the void in my life that I was trying to cover with my mechanical obsession.

"You'll meet her soon and when you do I doubt you'll be disappointed," I said to him as I couldn't stop the smile on my face from growing.

For a moment it felt like old times talking with Yusei like this. As soon as he started talking about that girl of his, the Yusei that I knew began to come back. There was even a true smile on his face now.

Maybe this girl is the key to bringing Yusei back to his old self.

Realizing there may be some hope for Yusei after all made me feel more relieved than before. I decided to question him more about her in hopes to keep Yusei in a good mood. I asked about her likes, dislikes, personality, anything to keep the conversation on the girl going. My plan was working. He didn't tell me everything, but what he did mention was that she was a powerful duelist that used a plant type deck which was indeed a rare deck type to use. He gave a brief summary of some of her duels and I admit I was really impressed.

"That settles it! I've got to duel her for myself!" I announced excitedly just thinking about how fun and challenging that duel would be.

"I won't mind seeing that duel my…"

Yusei stopped talking as he seemed to be lost in thought all of a sudden. I immediately grew worried when he made no reaction for several minutes.

"Yusei?" I called hoping to get some kind of response from him.

There was still no response and I was beginning to worry like crazy. But then his face became hardened and he glared angrily at me which caught me off guard.

"You won't get away with what you just did," he told me harshly though each word was laced with venom.

I was baffled by Yusei's sudden change in demeanor until what he said finally registered to me. He realized what I was trying to do and didn't like it one bit. Though the more I thought about it the more I realized I had been wrong to use his feelings for his girl like that. If someone used my feelings for my kids against me like that I would be pretty ticked off as well. Guilt was swiftly growing in me and I knew that I needed to apologize to Yusei.

"Yusei I…"

"Save it!" snapped Yusei in anger, cutting me off before I could say anything else.

I cringed from the hostile tone in his voice having never experienced an angry Yusei before. Yusei was always the calm and level headed among the group and the fact that my actions dispelled his cool demeanor so easily only made me feel guiltier.

Great, I only made things worse.

We quickly fell under an intense silence after that and I knew there would be no more conversation between us for the rest of the ride. Yet it appeared fate had other ideas as the sound of a vehicle rapidly approaching us came to our ears. I took a brief glance behind me and saw that it was a Security truck on our tails.

"We've found you Crow! This is Security! Surrender now or else!" was the shout I heard from the truck now only several feet away from us.

Man these guys sure have interesting timing.

Normally I would love the challenge of trying to outrun them; however my current predicament with Yusei was making me hesitant to do anything right now. Yet Yusei was quick to act and started increasing his speed and I soon followed his lead as we both tried to outrun Security. We were making good distance from the truck because of our D-Wheels being faster and smaller so we could maneuver very easier than they could. Of course things were never that easy. As it turned out they had some new kind of machine that effectively caught up with us and before we knew it the familiar computerized voice that we were all so used to hearing came on.

Duel Mode Autopilot Standby

Our D-Wheels were now locked in Duel Mode meaning there was no way out of the upcoming duel. Again being in this situation was usually a thrill for me, but when I took one glance in Yusei's direction he quickly sent an annoyed glare that clearly said 'I can't believe you dragged me into your mess after what you just did to me'. A gulp made its way in my throat knowing that he was even angrier at me now than ever. Nonetheless the Securities were none the wiser to the current tension between Yusei and me as the announced that they would take the first turn.

I almost rolled my eyes at the Securities never changing duel strategy. It was the same method as before, using a high defense that prevented us from gaining any Speed Counters through Speed World's effect. They soon finished their turn with Gate Blocker 2 in defense mode and three cards face downs on their side of the field. It was now my turn now and I knew I had to forget everything else for the moment and solely focus on the duel at hand. I drew a card from my deck and before I knew it the Securities activated their first face down which was Permanent Trap – Full Throttle which allowed a Speed Counter to increase by 1 on each standby phase meaning that the securities now had two Speed Counters. However since Gate Blocker 2 was still in play our Speed Counters remained at zero making me quickly realize that neither Yusei nor I could play any Speed Spells. But the Securities weren't done yet as they activated their second face down which was Permanent Trap – Speed Edge. I soon felt pain rake through my body because of the card's effect dealing me six hundred points of damage. The pain hardly lasted that long and it hardly bothered me at all when it was over.

"Are you alright Crow?" I heard Yusei ask which made me turn my head to the left to see that he had moved in closer to me.

Despite the concerned tone in his voice when he spoke to me, I could see that the question was really out of sarcasm letting me know that he had enjoyed watching me be in pain. Discovering this made me almost wince at the fact that I was still on very thin ice with him right now.

I'm glad this is a Tag Team Duel otherwise I have a feeling that I would be continually crushed in this duel.

"This is nothing it will take more that to hinder me," I replied with assurance, secretly telling him that his current feelings toward me won't rattle me.

He didn't reply to that as he opted for turning his head away from me and looking forwards. I wasn't sure if Yusei not saying anything back was a good or bad thing but I couldn't dwell on it now since it was still my turn. Using the effects of my Black Feather monsters, I was able to summon Black Feather - Black-Lance Blast and Black Feather - Hurricane Gale on to the field. I quickly mad use of Black Feather Hurricane's effect to half the defense power of Gate Blocker 2, unfortunately it seems they saw that coming and activated their final face down which was Permanent Trap – Defender's Mind making Gate Blocker 2's defense power return back to three thousand. The Securities mocked my failed play though I simply ignored them yet Yusei's made his own comment.

"So they're using their permanent traps to not only control the number of Speed Counters and divert damage to the opponent, but also to increase the power of their defense," he casually stated with his eyes locked onto the field.

This made me wonder if he was saying that for me or just for himself. Once again I had no time to think about it as I had to continue my turn and I knew the perfect way how.

"I tune Black Feather – Hurricane Gale with my Black Feather – Black Lance Blast! Darkened gales! Become the wings that soar to the heaven! Synchro Summon! Black Feather - Armored Wing!" I declared as my ace monster made its appearance onto the field.

I immediately told my monster to attack Gate Blocker 2 already knowing that my monster would not be destroyed nor would I receive any damage from the battle because of its effect. The Securities were so caught up in mocking my plays that they didn't even realize the little surprise that was left from my monster's attack which I knew would end up being their downfall. I just smirked as I placed two cards face down on the field and ended my turn.

It was the second Security's turn and because of Full Throttle, they gained an additional Speed Counter making their total Speed Counters four. Not only that, but because of Speed Edge I was once again hit with twelve hundred inflicted damage bringing mine and Yusei's life points to twenty-two hundred. After that the Security ended his turn with summoning Gate Defender in defense mode.

Knowing that it was now Yusei's turn; I looked over in his direction and noticed that he wore a serious contemplating expression on his face. It seemed as though he was frozen in place having not made a single move yet. I was confused at this. Even though Yusei was known to think up a strategy before he made his moves he never took this long before.

"Yusei!" I called to him which seemed to have woken him up from whatever he had been in.

He looked down at the field once more before he turned to me with an unreadable expression on his features.

"It looks like you'll have to be the first to see a small sample of the power my new deck," he announced normally before he turned his attention back on to the duel leaving me in even more confusion than before.

Yusei has a new deck?

When I returned to Satellite I could definitely say I did not expect any of this to happen. Meeting Crow so soon had indeed thrown me off since I thought I would have to search for them. It never occurred to me that any of them would find me first. Unfortunately because I had not gotten my resolve back to where it needed to be, being back with Crow had made me feel too relaxed. Then again me and Crow never really had any tension between us unlike me with Kiryu or Jack so it make sense that even after all this time I would still felt comfortable around him. However it was immediately broken when it had been brought it to my attention that Crow had been taking advantage of my feelings for Aki. Not only was that low but it had only proved further to me that he was no different from any other human. To top it off I was now forced into a duel against Security because of Crow's actions. The problem with this was that I did not want to reveal my new deck too soon but it looked like I would have to if I didn't want to get caught by Security.

At least seeing Crow in pain made this duel more enjoyable. But it's time for me to end this duel now.

Knowing there was no turning back I announced the start of my turn. I drew a card from my deck and a smirk instantly came to my lips when I saw what it was. Because of the Securities' permanent traps I had to be the one take damage this time around. However I could easily handle the pain from the eighteen hundred inflicted damage and was more than ready to finish this duel.

"By sending one Monster card from my hand to the Cemetery," I started as I took a card from my hand and put it into the Cemetery.

"I can Special Summon Dark Tuner Quick Sacrificer from my hand, deck, or cemetery to the field," I declared as I took the card I just drew and summoned my monster in attack mode onto the field.

The appearance of Quick Sacrificer did not change too much from what he used to look like. In fact the only difference was his colors. His cowboy hat with the feather on its side and his boots were now dark purple and the feather was red instead of the usual brown hat and boots and white feather. The blue color of his metallic body had changed to black while the small silver parts of his body remained the same along with the three red, green, and blue colored gems. His famous red handkerchief that covered the majority of his face and connected cape was also a matching dark purple color. When Quick Sacrifice had been summoned to the field, it had made a slight glance in my direction which brought another of his physical changes to my attention. His one large visible eye that used to be a blue color was now a narrowed glowing red eye instead. As I looked into his glaring red eye I could see the determination and loyalty beneath the red glaze making it clear to me that despite his new appearance, he was still Quick Synchron inside. I discreetly nodded my head to him in approval and to get ready before I continued on with my turn.

"Next I activate Dark Tuner Quick Sacrificer's effect! Quick Sacrificer can be treated as the same name of any "Sacrificer" monster used as a Dark Tuner Monster Material for a Dark Synchro Monster and I choose Dark Tuner Turbo Sacrificer!" I proclaimed as a circle of all the cards of my Dark Tuners appeared in front of Quick Sacrificer before he took out his now red colored gun and shot a hole through Turbo Sacrificer's card.

Unfortunately this is the part where I need Crow so I quickly turned to him to see him staring with uneasiness at my monster. I would have loved to relish in his uneasiness at my monster's darker appearance yet I knew now was not the time for him to gawk at it.

"Crow, pay attention!" I exclaimed in seriousness, successfully bringing his attention right back on the duel.

"Trap Hatsudou! Level Re-Tuner! I can select one monster on my side of the field and reduce its level by two," he said while activating one of his face down cards.

However when I noticed his moment of hesitation I realized that my new strategy threw him off and that he wasn't sure which monster to use his trap on. After all it was obvious that a Synchro Summon couldn't be achieved whether he lowered either one of our monsters' level. Though the thing was that I wasn't trying to perform a Synchro Summon and so I purposely let my eyes shift over to where his monster was and Crow was able to get the message.

"I choose to use this effect on Black Feather – Armored Wing reducing its level to five!"

I could hear the two Securities mocking the move as they too had no idea of what I was planning. I only smirked knowing that what I was about to do would shut their mouths up fairly quickly.

"I Dark Tune the level five Black Feather – armored Wing and my level eleven Dark Turner Quick Sacrificer!" I shouted causing all three to go into shock as they watched the Dark Synchro Summoning take place before their eyes.

"Darkened stars cluster to weave a greater force! Become the path its darkness lusts upon! Dark Synchro Summon! Turbo Fiend!" I chanted proudly as my first Dark Synchro Monster made its appearance.

Unlike Quick Sacrificer, Turbo Fiend's appearance was greatly different from his original counterpart. Turbo Fiend's body was made up of nothing but bone in contrast to Turbo Warrior being made up of nothing but metal. The bones however held the same red color as his former self and his body had the same figure as well. As such, his lower body was much thinner than his upper body having a long thin leg bone and a skeletal bone clawed foot at the end of each leg. His arms were made of thick bone and had three sharp razor claws for his hands. His chest was so bulky and dense that it almost looked as if his upper portion were made of muscle instead of bone. The shape of his head was the same yet his head was still of a skeleton's and the only feature on his face was his glowing red eyes radiating through the dark vacant eye holes.

The reaction to my monster's arrival was what I had expected. No one could say a word as they were all too stunned with the ability of Dark Synchro Summoning. Though when I took a glance in Crow's direction, I saw the greatly troubled expression on his face as he stared at my monster. I could already predict what was running around in his head right now and found it very laughable. He of course would recognize that Turbo Fiend used to be Turbo Warrior and was probably worried that my 'corruption' had gone too far. Of course I didn't expect him to understand that despite their new appearances they were all still the monsters I knew and cared for deeply. Yet we were still in a duel and I had to remind Crow of that once again.

"Crow!" I called him for the second time in this duel; however he got his focus off my monster and turned to me with a frown on his face before activating his last face down card.

"Trap Hatsudou, Black Arrow. By selecting one monster on my side of the field and decreasing its attack power by five hundred until the End Phase, when it attacks a monster in defense mode and its attack power is greater than their defense power it inflicts damage to the opponent's Life Points equal to the difference," he stated plainly no longer having any spark in his voice.

My Turbo Fiend's attack power decreased to two thousand by the trap's effect and because my Turbo Fiend was immune to all level six or lower monster effects, Gate Defender couldn't stop my monster from attacking.

"Turbo Fiend! Kougeki Gate Blocker 2! Blitzkrieg Slash!" I declared and my monster immediately leaped from its previous position over to the opposing monster with its razor sharp claws out and ready to destroy it.

When the Securities went back to mocking my moves I had no doubt that those two were complete idiots. They had failed to notice the wedge counter on Gate Blocker 2 and so when my monster attacked theirs it successfully dealt two thousand points of damage to their life points. Sadly for them that wasn't all as I was more than happy to point out to them.

"Don't forget that because of Black Arrow when the selected monster destroys a monster through battle and sends it to the Cemetery it inflicts damage equal to the destroyed monster's original defense power to the opponent's Life Points," I told them with a smirk as their remaining Life Points dropped to zero because of their own high defense monster.

With the duel over we were now freed from the autopilot of our D-Wheels allowing us to successfully escape Security.

Now that that was over with it was easy for me to return back to ignoring Crow's presence as we continued to ride to our destination.

This was worse than I thought. As long as I've known Yusei one thing I had always been sure about was that he cherished his deck more than anything. When it came to his deck he always made sure that each card was handled with care. Even as young kids I remember how he would never let anyone touch let alone use his cards because they were too important to him. While the rest of us traded cards to make stronger decks, Yusei had preferred to keep his cards and look for his own cards himself. And I always admired Yusei for that. I understood how precious those cards were and still are. After all if it wasn't for duel monster cards, I wouldn't have learned how to read or write. I too had always felt a special connection with my cards and knew where Yusei had been coming from. Maybe that's why we've always been so close; we both understood and respected our cards. But now after what I just witnessed in that Tag Team duel I'm not sure what to think of Yusei anymore.

It was one thing to know that something had been very off from the moment I saw Yusei but when I saw how much his monsters had changed I knew that this person was no longer the Yusei I used to know. There was no way that the old Yusei would allow his deck to be tampered with in such a way no matter the circumstances. As soon as we had escaped Security I wanted to very badly question him on why he allowed his deck to be tainted like that. But I knew better than that. If I had asked he would most likely either ignore me or give a not so friendly response back. He was already angry at me anyway and truth be told I didn't know how to deal with an angry Yusei. It was Jack that I mostly fought with and Kiryu only a few times yet me and Yusei for the most part had never seemed to get on each other's nerves, until now that is.

Maybe taking him to my hideout isn't such a good idea after all. I have no idea what Yusei does or how he acts when he's angry and I refuse to put my kids in any kind of danger if I can help it.

With my resolve to protect my kids now running though me I was going to do whatever it took to make sure that they would be safe no matter what. Making a risky move, I suddenly speed up to get ahead of Yusei only to stop my D-Wheel on its side with a screeching halt in order to block Yusei's path. Even though I could tell I caught Yusei by surprise with my move, he had managed to stop his D-Wheel in time before he could crash into me.

"Are you crazy? We could've have crashed Crow!" Yusei scolded with an irritated look on his face, but right now I didn't care whether he was angry at me or not.

"Yeah but we didn't and we need to get something straight," I told him seriously while staring him down straight to let him know I meant business.

He must have got the message because the anger immediately left his face and a passive one to its place.

"And what would that be?"

I continued to stare, allowing my eyes to narrow intensively at him before I answered in the sternest voice I could muster.

"That whatever your problem is with me, my kids won't be put in the middle of it," I told him with a dead firm expression on my face.

I saw that he had been caught off guard with my request yet a thoughtful look appeared on his features as he seemed to have again entered his own world. When he still hadn't responded for a while it only made me annoyed.

This shouldn't be something that he needs to think about!

I was just about to voice the very thought until he suddenly faced me with an unreadable face.

"I can't promise you that Crow. The only thing I can promise is that whatever happens to them won't be done by my hands," he stated as though it were a simple matter which made something snap inside of me.

"I can't believe you! You would actually let little children suffer because of this!"

"You don't understand," Yusei replied calmly causing the already burning fury to arise in me even more.

"No! I understand perfectly! You're so caught up in your own thing that you would allow anyone or anything to pay the price so long as you get what you want in the end!"

"It's much more than that Crow," he retorted as he directed his own angered glare at me, however this just made me laugh in contempt.

"Oh really, you're sure? Is that why you just told me that my kids would get hurt? Is that why you enjoyed my pain during that duel? Is that why your deck is now a monstrosity?" I asked in a mocking tone gaining an instant reaction from Yusei.

"There is nothing wrong with my deck!" he yelled back harshly.

For a moment I could've sworn that his eyes did something strange though I wasn't close enough to him to be sure. Not that it mattered anyway because right now I was on a roll and I will be dammed if I stopped now.

"Are you kidding me? I dare you to look at each of those cards and tell me that there's nothing wrong with them," I challenged with an amused smirk spread on my face.

Wanting to prove me wrong he immediately took his deck from his duel disk and spread his deck out in his hands. His eyes traveled over the cards as though he was skimming them and that just frustrated me.

"No Yusei! Look at them," I told him with severity in my voice making sure he understood what I wanted him to really do.

He gave me an irritated look before he folded his deck back up put it back in his duel disk before he reached for his Extra Deck. He then took one card out of the deck and began to carefully examine it. I was only able to get a glimpse of the dark gray color frame of the card to tell that it must have been one of those so called Dark Synchro Monsters he now carried in that deck. He went through all the cards and examined them the same way he did the first. Despite him doing this, once he was done he still was impassive.

"Their spirits are still the same," he remarked in a matter of fact way causing me to cross my arms and give him a strict look as though I was talking to one of my kids.

"And how long do you think that's going to last, huh Yusei?" I asked him rhetorically with a raised brow which made him send a hateful glare at me.

"You're wrong! They're still my cards no matter what happens to them!" he yelled making me shake my head in disappointment and disbelief as I realized that Yusei was in complete denial.

"You mean exactly how you're the same after all that's happened to you?" I snapped back knowing that he at least couldn't be in the dark about his own changes.

I almost smirked in satisfaction when he had nothing to say to that and as far as I'm concerned it was about time he stopped fooling himself.

And you better believe I'll make sure of it!

For that second something was telling me that I had already gone too far. That I should stop before I said something that I wouldn't be able to take back. However the remembrance of my kids being put in danger because of a person who I used to see as a brother now enemy quickly squashed that thought of reason and tossed it out of the window.

"You're in such denial it's pathetic. You can't have it both ways. Either you're still the same along with your cards, which I very much doubt, or you've changed completely and your deck is following you. There is no middle ground. But you know what, it doesn't matter because the fact is the truth is the truth whether you're willing to see it or not. So just keep telling lies to yourself because I don't care anymore? I won't allow you to be anywhere near my kids and if you do come near them I swear that I'll make you pay!" I exclaimed bitterly.

I couldn't take being around Yusei any longer so I hastily started my D-Wheel and took off leaving Yusei alone without even sparing a glance back.

I glared angrily at Crow's retreating form since that was all I could do now. But I was very tempted to try and catch up to him and deal with him right then and there. In fact the only reason why I probably wasn't was because I was still too livid to do anything rational right now. And I certainly had a right to be furious at him for what he said about my cards. He knew nothing of the bond me and my deck shared and what we've been through together. He had no right to say that my cards spirits would change because they certainly wouldn't.

He was right.

To say I was shocked that he actually agreed with Crow was an understatement.

What do you mean he's right?

As you just said the bond with your cards is powerful. When you change they have to change with you. Do you not agree with this?

I wanted to disagree, but my rational mind would not let me. It was only logical that a deck would change with the duelist because the deck represents their heart and soul. I looked at the cards that were still in my hands and for the first time noticed just how different they were. A lump formed in my throat as this revelation hit me full force.

Why is this upsetting to you? Do you regret choosing me instead of the dragon?

Hearing the possessiveness and jealousy in his voice my response was quick.

No, of course not!

Then why are you not pleased with the new power I have given your deck?

I-I…

Why was I upset? My deck was stronger than ever and so was I for that matter. So what was so wrong with me and my deck progressing and developing to be greater? Change was a good thing not bad. Then why did I react the way I did when I realized the change?

Because there is still a part of you that keeps holding on to your humanity.

But how? I thought once I choose you I wouldn't be human anymore.

You are no longer human. However there are still ties to your humanity that remain. That is why you only bare the mark of a Signer.

I don't understand.

It was true I was very confused right now. I was sure that I never wanted to be human again. I loved being what I was and what I had now. And what did he mean by only having the Signer mark? Wasn't that part of the plan? That way everyone else would believe we were on the Signers' side.

Keeping the Signer mark is part of the plan. However when you accepted me I had planned to give you another symbol mark of my choosing. Allowing you to have both marks not just the Signer one

Then what happened?

The dragon intervened. It had planned to choose you as one of its Signers and so refused to give you up so easily. Therefore I could not place my mark on you only infuse my power through your Signer mark instead. That is why you contain the powers of darkness and light inside of you. Because of this you are still considered a Signer.

It was starting to make sense. Why I let Crow's words get to me. Why I was troubled by my card's new change. Why my connection with Stardust hadn't changed even though it should have because he was a Signer Dragon. Why my mark could still glow the color that represented the Crimson Dragon. That's when something came to my mind.

Does this apply to Aki as well?

Yes, she is too still considered a Signer.

So we are both Signers and Dark Signers?

Correct. It was not thought to be possible at a time but when one before had tried and succeeded in having both powers in him, it opened the door to new possibilities. However he had failed to realize that the light and darkness inside of him would have eventually destroyed him because he had not been originally chosen by the dragon. The only way for two opposing forces to work in one body is if both sides agreed to share the body. Because you both were selected by us, you are able to carry the powers of light and dark effectively.

Why are you telling me all this now?

Having the powers of both light and darkness has more purpose now than ever. The true battle is about to begin and you must now have full control of both the light and darkness that dwells inside of you.

I immediately took off my right glove and pushed the sleeve of my jacket up so I could see the mark that was currently on my arm. I gazed intensely at it before a surge of determination went through me.

How do I accomplish this?

The part of you that clings to your humanity is the key. You much use it to connect with the powers of the dragon. I will handle the rest. Be mindful however that this will not be an easy task. Having the full access to the powers of light and darkness will be very strenuous on you. Will you be able to handle it?

I didn't need to think about it. I've come this far already and I certainly wasn't going to back down now.

Yes, I'm ready.

Good, now focus on what you still hold close to you.

I gave a mental nod in understanding before I began thinking about what I valued the most. Aki immediately came to mind so I focused on all of the feelings I carried for her. However more images started coming into my mind; images of Crow, Jack and I as children, Martha, Team Satisfaction, all of my duel monsters, and even my father and birth mother. A vibrant warm feeling began to grow inside of me from having all these things play over and over in my mind. I actually started shaking uncontrollably and the mark on my arm was now burning in pulsating bright crimson as the warmth continued to increase and strengthen to the point that it felt as though it would burst out from inside me.

Do not let the power of the dragon overtake you.

Hearing the command, I tried to control the shaking of my body by taking deep breaths. This seemed to help as my body finally became stagnant yet my Signer mark was still glowing brightly as the warmth inside me continued expanding greatly to the point that I was being consumed by it.

Prepare yourself.

I abruptly felt a huge flow of his power bombard me as though a tidal wave slammed full force into my body. This had caused my body to spasm as the trembling of my body became ten times worse. I quickly griped the armrests of my D-Wheel as tightly as I could to keep myself from falling out of it. My right arm was now burning to the point that it felt like a hot iron was placed on my skin because of the new mark that was starting to form over the Signer mark. The agony I was experiencing right now was indescribable. It was like the very battle between my King and the Crimson Dragon was taking place right in my body. But that's when I realized that was exactly what was happening. Both were vying for control over me.

It hurts so much!

It is almost over.

By now my eyes were shut tightly in pain with my teeth clenched as my grip on my D-Wheel increased to the point that I was sure I would break the armrests in half. I could feel the sweat dripping down profoundly on my face as I actually began wheezing for air that I didn't need. I honestly didn't think I could hold on much longer as nausea threatened to come out of my mouth.

I-I can't…

I tried, I really did. Unfortunately the pressure and stress on my body from the two opposing forces in me was too much for me to handle. I felt myself losing grip on my body as unconsciousness was starting to get the best of me. My grip loosened from the armrests as my body fell forward onto my D-Wheel.

Look at your arm.

I wasn't so sure if I could even open my eyes at this point since my mind was already becoming cloudy. Yet I wanted to obey my King so I struggled to open my eyes the best that I could. I wasn't able to open them fully but it was enough to where I could still make out what was in front of me. So with great difficulty I brought my right arm in front of my face. If I had the strength, I would've cracked a smile. On top of my shinning crimson Signer mark was the glowing purple symbol of the Cross, making it appear as though it had been engraved in the center of the Tail mark. This was the last thing I saw before the fatigue from gaining this new mark finally caught up with me and my eyes closed shut.

A/N: Well that's all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. As for those who wanted to see more of Yusei's new deck, don't worry you will along with Aki's as well.

Yusei's featured cards:

Dark Tuner Quick Sacrificer
Level: 11
Atk/Def: 700/1400
Attribute: Dark
Type: Machine/Dark Tuner
Effect: You can send 1 Monster from your hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon this card from your hand, deck, or graveyard. This card can be treated as the same name of any "Sacrificer" monster used as a Dark Tuner Monster Material for a Dark Synchro Monster.

Turbo Fiend
Level: -6
Atk/Def: 2500/1500
Attribute: Dark
Type: Fiend/Dark Synchro/Effect
Effect: [1 or more Non-tuner dark monster – 1 Dark Tuner Turbo Sacrificer] All level 6 and below monsters on the field has their effects negated. All level 6 and higher monsters on the field have their attack reduced to 0.