A/N: Hello sweet readers, Sammi here! If you are confused about the chapter as you are reading it, I will explain it to you so you aren't confused anymore. 😁. So the concept of this chapter is of when you are reminiscing about past memories you have of when you were younger, you and Yusei have been together for about 4 1/2 to almost 5 months. Also, in this chapter you are having a tough time adjusting to the fact that the 5D's gang has now separated and that you are feeling a new found emptiness in your heart. Another fact: you are explaining to Yusei about when you had first met your spirit companions and how they helped to guide you through your first major duel. You are also telling him about your first major rival when you were a Duel Academy student. Another thing: in your past and current deck, like Yusei, you have a Quillbolt Hedgehog and other monsters similar to his. Sorry about the long note, I just wanted to clarify some things. If you are still slightly confused, comment 👇🏻 and I will try my best at explaining.

*******About 4 months later*******

It had been exactly four months since the Crimson Dragon took back the Signer marks.

Since then, Akiza has become a doctor as she now works overseas, Jack left the city for his turbo duelling career, Leo and Luna have left to live with their parents and Crow (who is still in New Domino City) now works for Sector Security. Yusei now works at the Ener-D reactor site as a scientist (like his late father) while owning a small runner repair shop. You, of course have been by his side since that day. You ran the repair shop while he worked at the site. Both your Signer marks would glow from time to time as if it wanted to express a lost feeling. Your parents visit from time to time but they are usually busy with the bakery so you don't really see them often.

It was a typical day for you. Yusei had left earlier in the morning to go to work, while you opened the repair shop to do what you loved best (after baking of course). The repair shop doubled as your home as well, on one side was the repair shop and on the other was your actual house. It was a slow day, no one had come to the shop rather than the occasional customer or two. Long story short, you had nothing to do.

Akiza looks out the window as she wrote in her notebook. She sighs as she looks over the notes she had just taken. Akiza then looked at the picture frame that held a picture of all of you before you all went your separate ways. Akiza exhales once more before going back to work.

The crowd roars as the two duellists prepared for the turbo duel. Jack observes the crowd as he gets on Phoenix Whirlwind, his heart racing with excitement. He usually felt this way but he didn't feel that way now. Jack muttered incoherently before starting his runner.

Crow drove around New Domino City as per usual. He missed when you would all get together to discuss something. Like a strategy to defeat the darkness. He knew that he could visit two particular people from time to time but also knew how busy they were.

Leo and Luna sigh in unison as they both look at the table. Before you had all part ways, you had decided to take a group picture together. Luna said, "I hope everyone is doing okay." Leo answers, "I'm sure everyone's fine, Luna."

You look at the duel runner that a customer had left earlier for repairs and other maintenance. You sigh and begin working on the damaged parts. You wonder what Yusei was doing right now.

Yusei watched as the reactor was going on, testing it for any malfunctions. He looks at the data he's recorded as he helps one of his co-workers with another piece of data. Yusei looks up to see Lazar come in, smiling with an unusual tinge of kindness. Lazar greets him kindly, "Hello, Dr. Fudo." Yusei exhales, "I wouldn't call myself 'Dr. Fudo' yet, Lazar. I'm still a long ways away from being like my father." Lazar shakes his head, "I beg to differ, Yusei. You hold the same talents as your late father and are doing exceptionally well." Yusei answers, "If you think so, I'll take your words kindly."

You wipe the sweat off of your forehead with the back of your hand. You had just finished repairing a damaged runner, seeing it off with its owner. You go towards your own duel runner and remember the memories it held. You see a card wedged into one of the wings, carefully prying it out. You smile when you see your Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon. You had almost forgotten about it ever since everything had happened. You feel someone appear by your side. You exhale, "You know, you could try greeting me normally like you usually do, Dark Magician Girl." The spirit laughs, "I can't help it. Your reactions are too funny." You answer sarcastically, "Yeah I'm a total comedienne." Dark Magician Girl asks, "You okay?" You nod, "I'm just thinking about everyone else. I wonder if they're doing okay. I mean everyone apart from Crow." She answers, "I'm sure that everyone else is doing just fine, Y/N. Besides, you have Yusei so you'll never be lonely." You reply, "I know. I just miss all of my friends. It's just strange to not see them all." Dark Magician Girl replied, "I'm sure everyone else feels that in their own way. You know, some of us have been worried about you, Y/N. You're usually more talkative than this." You sigh, "It's not that I don't want to talk to anyone. I just...I'm thinking about what will happen next to the both of us." Dark Magician Girl remarks, "Don't stress yourself too much over something so small. Sometimes, you can't always predict what will happen in mere moments. You can change it you know. I'm sure you both want something to change." You shrug, "I guess so." "Y/N! I'm home!" You mutter quickly, "Talk later?" She answers, "I was thinking the same thing." She disappears quickly, making your heart stop racing.

You see Yusei, who's giving you a quizzical look. Your cheeks redden and you say quickly, "I-It's nothing!" He raises his eyebrow, "Really? You looked like you were talking with someone." You answer, "I was talking with one of my Spellcaster spirits, to be honest." You feel Yusei hug you from behind, warm scent intoxicating your senses. You hear him say, "You know I love you right?" You remark, "Oh really?" He kissed your cheek and answers, "Yes, you silly girl. I love you so much." You ask, "How was your day?" Yusei rest his head on your shoulder, "Lazar came by today but other than that, it was boring." Yusei questions, "What about you?" You shake your head, "It was slow." Yusei inquires, "What's wrong, Y/N? You're usually happy right now, you've been so quiet. It's been worrying me." You feel Yusei pull away for a second, as you watch him put his lab coat on the couch. Yusei pulls you into his arms, gently hugging you. You bury your head in his chest, your heart filled with loneliness. You admit, "I guess I just miss everyone." Yusei answers, "We'll see them again soon, darling. I'm sure they all feel the same as us." He cups your cheek, his baby blues sparkling, "I don't want you to be sad, my love. I want you to be happy, you always make me smile when I'm upset. Let me be the one to help you now." "Yusei." You feel his hand move to wipe away tears you didn't realize were even falling. Your heart was touched by the sweet movement.

Your body laid against Yusei's chest, hair sprawled messily. Yusei gently twirled your hair, knowing how calm it made you when he did it. "Y/N?" His voice made your eyes dart up to meet his own. Yusei sighs and takes your hand. Yusei spoke with a reminiscing tone, "Do you remember the look on Mina's face after you duelled Jack for the first time?" You giggle, "She did look pretty shocked. Mina does worship Jack a lot." You add, "I remember the day after I had found you for the first time, that was when I met Akiza, Leo and Luna. Akiza was so worried over you, she thought that something worse had happened to you. Leo and Luna look up to you a lot. Your friends genuinely care for you, Yusei. You're so lucky to have such amazing friends." Yusei answers, "There's one thing you forgot." You raise your eyebrow, "What did I forget?" Yusei brushes his nose against your own, "I'm lucky to have such an amazing girl as my partner." Yusei then realizes something, "You never really told me about your childhood. I told you about mine." You reply, "I guess it's only fair."

You ask, "What do you want to know first?" Yusei asks, "What were you like growing up?" You answer, "I was really shy growing up, I didn't have many friends so I was usually on my own majority of the time. At that time, my parents had disappeared so I never really knew them that well. My aunt and uncle raised me for the time being. It was my uncle who taught me about duelling, I guess I discovered everything else on my own." Yusei gives you a puzzled look. You continue, "I mean, when he taught me how to duel, I just felt a sense of security. Several years later, I was watching a Turbo Duel on TV and I fell in love with the concept of duel runners. I wanted to know more, so as I was doing my chores, I found an abandoned runner that was blocks away one morning, it had looked badly damaged, so I begged my aunt and uncle to let me keep it." Yusei asks, "Did they?" You respond, "It took a lot of convincing but they did eventually. I taught myself everything I could about how duel runners worked and what parts would be needed to modify it. Since I didn't have a license when I finished modifying it, I decided to obtain my license so I could test the runner." Yusei questions, "When did you find out that you could speak with spirits?" You smile at the memory, "I was still small at the time. Around three or four, give or take. I didn't really understand why it was happening, I just knew that I could see 'magic people'." You add, "I didn't realize that the power of it would grow stronger as I grew older, it wasn't until I had my first duel that I realized the full potential of it." Yusei said, "So you're saying that your spiritual powers grew stronger as you got older? Isn't that a bit crazy?" You shrug and reply, "Yes but it didn't really affect me in a bad way. I was a teenager when I had my first unofficial duel, my uncle mentored me throughout the process. I started to hear voices during the duel, I thought I was going crazy and I tried to keep it to myself. According to my aunt, when my mother was younger, she had the same ability. I thought it was some kind of curse though."

Yusei's eyes enlarge with surprise, "Your mom had the same powers?" You answer, "Apparently. Remember my parents had disappeared at the time, so I didn't really know them that well. Anyway, when I attended Duel Academy, I was bullied due to my abilities. Ever since that happened, I kept it a secret and called it a curse. I felt ashamed that I could talk to creatures I couldn't see. It wasn't until one morning during one of my classes at the time that I realized that I wasn't a freak." Yusei inquires, "So what happened?" You answer, "The situation was similar to what happened to Leo and Luna. The only difference was that it was the other older kids who were on the verge of expulsion. One of them claimed that weak duellists shouldn't own strong monsters if they can't even duel with power. I guess my body and mouth moved on its own, before I knew it, I was challenging the girl to a duel." You say, "I'm probably boring you right now." Yusei shakes his head, "Absolutely not. I'm actually interested in what you're going to say next. I love listening to your stories, it makes me fall in love with you all over again." You blush before continuing on, "Anyway, the girl I was challenging actually had the same ability as I did, only she abused her spirits severely. We had made a bet, if I won she would leave the others alone and stop beating them but if she won, she said that she would do something to humiliate me in front of our entire class. I had to take the risk, I wasn't going to let a bully torment my classmates over something so trivial. She introduced herself as Neferti and she vowed to 'show me what true power was'." Yusei looked like he was thinking about something as he spoke, "I remember Luna said that one of your spirits spoke the same story." You remark, "I'm assuming that the spirit was Arcanite Magician." Yusei stares in amazement, "How did you know?" You remark once more, "He wasn't there that particular day we were conjuring up that strategy. Since he was the leader of the spirit army, I had a feeling that he probably tried to communicate with Luna to let you all know what was happening." Yusei holds your hand and asks, "What happened after you challenged Neferti to a duel?" You wanted to shudder at the horrible memory. You reply, "She was powerful that's for sure. Neferti didn't care about the type of deck a duellist used, she only cared about powerful monsters and about winning this duel. Her deck was powerful but she lacked a lot Spell and Trap
cards." Yusei inquires, "So how did the duel turn out?" You answer, "It was a difficult duel, that's one thing the other was the sheer power her deck had. She usually defeated someone in a one turn kill. It was down to our final cards and we both had 1000 life points, so I was extremely nervous. We both knew that this could mean the end for only one of us. I only had two powerful cards that could end the duel, but the draw chance was one in fifty. I made my draw and I drew the card I needed. To clarify, Neferti had a level ten monster on the field while I had only a level three on the field. I wanted to show her that I had my own tricks up my sleeve." Yusei asks, "What was your most powerful monster?" You reply, "At the time, I only had Azure-Eyes but I was lucky enough to have an equip spell that could raise its attack points. She had Arcanite Magician, it's attack points were higher than my dragon's, so I was lost at that point. I knew that just one monster wasn't enough to defeat Neferti." Yusei asked, "So what happened?" You respond, "I heard a voice speak to me, that's when I realized two of my new spirit friends were trying to help me in some way. One of them was a wise and calm voice, the other was determined and energetic." You remember the memory.

****Flashback, Duel Academy****

You were losing hope and mentally apologizing to your fellow classmates. You whisper, "How can I win this duel with only Junk Synchron on the field?" You then hear a voice tell you, "Calm down, Lady Y/N." Who was that? You quietly ask, "Who are you?" The male spirit reveals himself. "D-Dark Magician?" You hear another energetic voice add, "Don't forget me!" You saw his student, Dark Magician Girl beside him. Dark Magician said, "We're here to help you, milady." Dark Magician Girl adds, "Don't freak out over something like this, as a duellist, you need to stay calm." You feel another spirit sit on your head, you hear the female spirit sigh, "Sunny Pixie!" You reply, "It's okay, I actually like it when she does that." You hear Neferti laugh, "Giving up already?" You scowl with annoyance.

You knew that this was it, you both did. You look at what you had drawn, realizing what combination you could make. You declare, "I activate Junk Synchron's ability to bring back Arcane Apprentice and since I have a tuner monster on the field, I can activate the ability of Quillbolt Hedgehog! I can summon from my grave in Defense mode! I also summon Dark Magician Girl in Attack mode!" Neferti remarks, "Those stupid things aren't helping your case!" You reply, "They may not be right now, but they will be later on! I'm going to summon Extra Veiler in attack mode! Now Junk Symchron is going to give my Spellcasters a tune up! I Synchro Summon, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!" Neferti replies, "Your monster is powerless against mine at 2500 ATK points!" You answer, "Not if I equip it with Dragon Nails to boost it to 3100!"' You add, "Now my dragon is going to attack with Silver Strike!" Neferti's LP goes to 800. You continue, "Dark Magician Girl, end this duel! Dark Magic Attack!" Your classmates cheered, you on the other hand sigh in relief. Dark Magician Girl exclaims, "Wow! Y/N you're amazing!" You answer, "I think I got a bit carried away." You see Neferti come up to you and remark, "You're good. I thought I had you finished after I summoned my magician." She tosses you something, you were in shock when you saw what it was: Arcanite Magician. She walks away, adding, "Keep it. I definitely don't need it."

****Flashback ends****

You finish telling Yusei about the duel and he looked like you had just told him something fictional. Yusei remarks, "You never cease to amaze me, Y/N." You answer, "I think that duel was the hardest one I've ever gone through mentally." You remark, "You look like you're mind has been blown away." Yusei smiles, "I was just admiring you, darling." He adds, "I wish that I could've met you when you were younger." You ask, "Why would you want to do that, Yusei?" He answers, "So I could've been the one to protect you from the bullies and the terrible things you've gone through." You blush, "I was still the same back then." Yusei shakes his head, "You've grown into a stronger person than you were before. I love how committed you are to helping other people." You add, "I want to make more memories, but I want to make the rest of them with you, Yusei." He kissed you sweetly in response. He replies, "I was thinking the same thing. I love you, Y/N." You answer, "I love you too, Yusei."

You were determined to make more memories with Yusei. Ones that would stay with you until the end of time.