I am at chapter 22, do far I have to say the story is great. The only things that are bugging ne so far are a few mistakes with how sime cards or effects work. If scrapiron scarecrow is destroyed, ehile activated, the cards effect will still be in effect, because the effect was nit negated. And the hand card limit only applies at the end of the turn.

Hi! I just wanted to say OMG! You're back! Like serously I was beginning to lost hope that you were never going to update. But now you're back and I got to say I'm so happy that this story is on the verge to be completed. The wait was killing me but you manage to take your time and update.

Also I hope you're doing well since we are living in hard times right now due to COVID-19. Also hope you and you're family are staying safe as well.

I have been reading this story since I first read it and I'm deeply in love with this story since you write so good! The Characters are written so well that they actually have depth to them and the plot is just heart wrenching but in a good way. Plus you captured the tone of the anime really well.

I finally got the chance to read this chapter and by god it was amazing! I'm really looking forward to the next chapter since I really want to know what happens next. Plus Yay Aki is back! Hopefully nothing bad happens between Yusei and her finally reuniting and making up for lost time.

Anyways, I hope you update soon and keep up the good work!

SORRY!
I could tell you that my delay in commenting on this masterpiece goes to work... but I would be lying...
The truth is that just yesterday I read the new chapter.
I KNOW... I HAVE NO FORGIVENESS FROM THE GODS!

Moving on to the important... I screamed like Magdalena reading this...
My poor little ones from Rua and Ruka!
Tell me nothing will happen to them please!

And the part of Yusei and Aki! KYAAAA!

God! Way to thrill someon ... I knew, knew, knew that the Dragon of the Black Rose was going to be of great importance in saving Aki... I just didn't imagine that much...

The moment of the invocation was too emotional!
I agree with Yusei, those dragons belong together, just like their owners *o*

But best of all (IMHO and very fanatical opinion) was the end... Sho's unexpected help was decisive!
And that "Hello Yusei"... *O*
God! I can't wait for the next update!
I have to know how this scene continues!

I look forward to the continuation with great eagerness!
Please don't be late!

PD: Although it saddened me to know that there is a little to go before the end, when I read it a question arose, have you considered making a sequel?
Or start another project of this couple?

Im so happy ur back, Its been so long. This story is amazing. Finnally aki is back!

Pls continue this story to the end, its one of the best.

Anyway, Thankyou for updating and not giving up. Keep up the amazing work!

I was having a really garbage week and didn't realize how much I needed this until you updated, so thanks!

I'm glad you've finally updated this story because I was disappointed due to the lack of updates. However, I'm glad you're back, and hopefully, we can read how this story ends.

Now, this chapter was good I liked that Rua, and of course Aki is back. Set had been defeated or has he? Again, I really like the emotion you put in the characters since I rarely see that in other 5D's stories. But I can't say I'm a bit disappointed since there is still that 'NEW ENEMY' that Atem mentioned to Aki. I really hope you haven't forgotten about that.

Now I have mixed feelings about this chapter since the way Aki returned as kinda predictable not in a bad way but it felt anti-climactic since we have seen that troupe of Evil being conquered by the power of love and friendship over and over again. But still, I'm glad that Aki is back because I was getting tired of Set/DarkAki but I wanted Set's defeat to be more impactful since Set has done a lot of bad things and I really wanted to see him pay for his evil acts. Even though I was happy that Aki fought back against Set's control with the help of Yusei.

Although, and I know you're probably sick and tired of reading this I do agree with the previous reviewers that it should have been Yusei that got possessed instead since we have seen Evil Aki too many times. And it would have been nice to see her saving Yusei instead. I don't know if you plan on doing that even though this story is close to being finished?

But I will say this I am looking forward to the next chapters! Keep up the good work!

Hello! Long time reader, first time reviewer. I only joined FF officially a couple years ago but have been reading this story from the beginning. All the way back to 10 years ago.

I won't lie, I haven't watched 5d's since longer then that, but always loved this story.
I had my doubts about ever seeing it finished but still kept the hope it would be and have even gone to reread multiple times.

Your writing is phenomenal and the premise of this tale is beautiful.

I'm elated to see new updates and hope to see it completed.
It truly is an amazing piece of work. 8D

Very, very nice. That was cold and pretty low and shitty of Dark Leo saying all that stuff about Yusei not loving her the way she wants him to, and then going a step further and implying that the others, Yusei included, would laugh at her behind her back about it. Set is a total dick.

But usually, when the enemy realizes that they're about to lose, they'll use any dirty, underhanded tactic to try to win. Like Set's mental image turning himself into Divine. Knowing that despite everything that's happened between Divine and Aki, there's always going to be a part of her that is vulnerable when he's around. Again, total dick move.

Aki here, in this instance, kind of reminds me of Jean Grey/Phoenix in a way. They're both exceptionally powerful psychics, more powerful than either of the people who brought them in and gave them home. And both Aki's and Jean's psychic powers can be very dangerous if not handled properly.

When her powers are always under her control, she's the good Phoenix, but when her powers are left unchecked, and are completely unleashed, they take control, thus turning her into Dark Phoenix, or in Aki's case, The Black Rose Witch. However, if she embraces that power with every fiber of her being, and essentially becomes one with that power, she transcends into the White Phoenix of the Crown, with all of the power that the Phoenix has at her fingertips. In Aki's case, it's the Aki that's shown at the end of the series. She may not have the power of the universe in the palm of her hands, but she's definitely more powerful than she was when her powers were chained down, or whenever they were running wild.

Now, having said that, there's some criticism I have. Nothing on the story itself, but of the "rulings" of the cards' effects. My inner Yu-Gi-Oh geek won't allow me to ignore it twice . Unless Yusei had a card like Cosmic Blast set (the card he used to beat Aki in their first duel) then unless Aki was able to regain control over her body and forfeit the duel, than Yusei wouldn't have won.

When Black Rose is Synchro Summoned (or when she was first revealed, all Aki had to do to use it's effect was Special Summon it, for her to nuke the field. Also, until it was retconned/errated to have the effect it has in the TCG/OCG, Aki didn't need to target a monster in defense mode to switch it to attack and reduce it to 0) Yusei uses it's effect to wipe out the field. In response, Set uses Dark Armed Dragon's effect to banish a Dark monster from the graveyard in order to destroy a card on the field (which it normally can't do. That part of it's effect isn't a trigger effect and it can't be done during either player's turn). Yusei counters with Stardust's sacrifice, and Dark Armed Dragon is destroyed.

However, Black Rose Dragon's effect isn't negated. So what would have happened, is Black Rose nukes the field. So even if Yusei did have a card like Cosmic Blast set face-down, he would have needed to activate it before Black Rose Dragon's effect went off. Otherwise all the cards on the field would have been destroyed, and it would have been Set/Aki's turn, since Yusei didn't have any cards left in his hand to play.

Now, if there were liberties taken to change or alter a card's effect to better fit with the story, that's completely fine. I've done it (am still doing it, that is if I can get back to writing) and I've read a few other stories that have done the same thing. Considering that you can use Dark Armed Dragon's effect an unlimited number of times, just as long as you have a GY full of dark monsters, if it's effect could be activated during either player's turn and can be activated in response to an opponent's card effort... talk about overpowered. Not to mention complete and utter horseshit.

Anyway, that's fine, but what's not, is not taking into account the "rulings" of those cards. Those can't be changed. For instance, say Yusei summoned Junk Warrior and Set used Bottomless Trap Hole to destroy it. Yusei could use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Set's trap, but b/c MST doesn't negate card effects, Junk Warrior would still be destroyed. That's something that was prominent in the original Yu-Gi-Oh series up until the Battle City Arc. Ever since then in the show, and since the beginning in the TCG/OCG/IRL there's always been "rules" that card effects follow.

I apologise for sounding like a... well as Snape once said, "an insufferable know-it-all". That's not my intention. Just trying to inform. And with that out of the way, there's only a couple of chapters left until it's over, but for now, yay, she's back! Aaaaand probably gonna have to have a lifetime of therapy bills, but at least she'll have Yusei and her friends to help.

Oh my God!
You're back!

I had almost given up hope that you would update this story again...
But when the notice came I swear I screamed

Sorry for some grammatical error. English is not my native language

I am ecstatic to know that you have not abandoned this project.
It is ... by far ... my favorite Yusei and Aki story ...
And I dare to say that of all the Yu-Gi-Oh fandom too..

I will be super aware of the next update ...
Carly cannot have died ! I refuse to accept it !
I have no tears left to continue crying because of this fic !
Have compassion!

I hope to read to you very soon.
Greetings and be very careful.

PS: Remember that here you have a faithful reader who looks forward to knowing how this beautiful story will end.

Just card games? Really?

Sucks that Carly is dead, and that it took her death to break Jack out from under Set's spell, but on the lighter side, he's back, and unfortunately, just in time to witness a nuke about to go off.

Kinda disappointed that Crow and Kiryu couldn't "beat" Jack out of Set's control over. Supposedly, Kiryu was the best of the Enforcers, during that time, but I don't think Crow ever got the chance to actually defeat Jack in a duel. Then again, it's been implied previously that Set's control over others wouldn't be broken from one little duel.

It was as Yugi told Yusei, they have to want to be saved, and Set won't allow that to happen. Not without going through a shit storm of trauma and pain first. As cruel as he is, he isn't exactly wrong with what he said about what lies within the human heart.

What makes characters like Set and Divine so dangerous, isn't necessarily how strong or how powerful they are, but how smart and charismatic they are. They both have played on their target's insecurities and fears, especially, Aki's because she's the most damaged of them all, and all it really comes down to truly break someone is to know just what buttons to push.

However, on the other hand, all it takes to uplift another person's spirit, so to speak, is to help them realize that someone believes in them. That despite all the pain that they've endured, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, they just have to be willing to reach out and grab it, to take hold of it, and to push past all the insecurity and the fear. Humans are flawed, and darkness does and will always exist in our hearts, but there is and always will be light too; sometimes it just takes someone else to help us see that. After all, Yusei did it once to help Aki before, and he can do it again, and this time they'll both have a little bit more help.

Ugh. Villain monologuing. Set's also a petty dick, something else he has in common with Divine. "I could just kill you, and win the duel the old fashioned way, Yusei, but I'm growing tired of your girlfriend's meat suit, and you're really starting to piss me off, so instead of continuing my turn, I'm going to talk your head off about how weak and insecure you humans are, until my little bomb from behind you blows us both sky high." It's like I'm watching the Yu-Gi-Oh version of Freeza, or Saiyan Saga Vegeta.

Hopefully, Aki and Yusei can shut him up, for good this time.

Wow. Two years. When I got the notification that this was updated, I was surprised and just a little bit giddy that there was a new chapter. Surprised, because there was a small part of me that believed that this was going to be another great story that would have been left unfinished, but also excited and giddy that I was wrong and that the story will continue, all the way to the end.

Phenomenal work and writing; there's no words that can do this any greater justice. By far one of my favorite 5D's fics. Hopefully, it'll continue. A little sad to see it come to an end, or closer to the end in this case, but also excited to see what else is on the horizon.

I’m so glad you’re back and glad that it’ll a happy ending. Sort of? RIP CARLY my poor girl. Like the others said, I want you to finish this story but at the same time we don’t know if you’ll come back or write more after this hefty project and I love your writing style and how well you write aki x yusei. But enough of that, it’s getting down to crunch time! Things are getting super intense and times running out, I’m curious how Yusei or aki will save the day this time.

I can't believe it! The story will be complete? I'm not sure that I want it to end hahaha but also I don't want you to stop writing and leave it as is ugh the agony. I was so surprised to see an update I had to remember the plot of the story, will probably read it again to refresh my memory hahaha. And to your note at the end, please don't stop writing about Yusei and Aki, there are not enough good stories and you do a great job, I'll be oke with no cardgames just so u know haha

/cries/

I thought I was seeing things when I saw an update LOL - plus it was a crazy day at work so... lol

This is my favorite 5DS fanfic, I hope you come back soon. If you came back from 6 years before than thats still possible!

i know it's been a while and i'm still praying that you'll update this amazing story soon!