(I tried making it sound cool. Don't look at me like that)

CW: some reference to cheating (kinda, it's very brief though)

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

(3rd Person PoV)

As the Signers were facing the Dark Signers, one of them held up a card.

It was the buff one wearing the cloak with yellow lines.

"Little girl," he started and Ruka immediately recognized that the card that he was holding was Ancient Fairy Dragon.

"This is supposed to be your Signer Dragon. If you wish to get it, then you must fight me. I will not run nor hide. I am Dimark, the one with the Monkey mark," he explained as he rolled up his sleeve to show the glowing mark.

Ruka felt scared but she can't show fear in front of the Dark Signers. She has a mission and she has to complete it.

To save Ancient Fairy Dragon!

Misty and Aki were glaring at each other while Yusei was eying Kiryu.

Looks like almost everyone knows who they are fighting against, Etho thought before glancing at Jack.

There were two remaining Dark Signers. One was Rudger while the other had their face hidden.

So who will he fight? Etho wondered.

"It is our destiny to face off against our fated opponent! I will be waiting though until the time is right," Rudger explained and gave the Dark Signers a nod.

They all turned to leave but then Jack took a closer look to the last Dark Signer and thought that he saw someone familiar.

It...can't be! He thought.

"Now hold on!" Yusei shouted and raced after them, followed by Jack and Aki.

The black fog was getting thicker and most of the Dark Signers had disappeared.

"Where are you, Dark Signers? Fight me now! Damn it!" Yusei yelled, frustrated.

"Don't hurry destiny. The stage of our battles has already been set," Rudger's voice could be heard as Aki raced to Yusei's side and touched his shoulder to comfort him.

Meanwhile, Jack had caught up to the last Dark Signer who tried to race off but Jack caught their hoodie and pulled it back to reveal...

"Carly?" He asked. His suspicions were true.

She turned to face him, unsure of what he'll do as she whispered, "Jack."

"What are you doing here and why are you a Dark Signer?" Jack asked, worried.

"If you wish to know, then come and face me. Jack, my love," Carly replied and lifted her hood back as she turned away and ran off.

Jack stood there in disbelief.

How?

(Small time skip back to the house)

The three kids were crying in front of a man who was dressed as a doctor. His name was Dr.Schmidt.

"I-I'm sorry! It's my fault! Martha is gone because of me," Takuya cried.

"Gone?" Dr.Schmidt was in shocked.

"Forgive me! I was there and I should have grabbed her hand before she fell," Ushio dropped to his knees and apologized.

"I...I'm sorry," Grian also apologized. If only he wasn't that afraid and use it to grab onto Martha.

"No, it's not your f-fault," Takuya and Jun assured the two of them.

"It was ours. We shouldn't have wandered off," Mitchan said.

The kids continued to cry and it was hard to hear.

Martha was their foster mother and she was gone. It was hard to believe and it hurts even more when they do believe it.

Eventually, Jack had enough and slammed his fist on the table.

"Enough! Stop crying, it's not your fault!" He shouted.

"He's right, it isn't. It's the Dark Signers' fault. Because of them, Martha, Rally, Blitz, Nerve and Taka are gone," Yusei said.

He then took a deep breath and said, "If we want to get them back, we need to defeat the Dark Signers. It must...it's the only way."

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"The only way?" Joel asked.

"So you're saying that they're still alive?" Etho asked as well.

"Are they?" Takuya asked.

Yusei crouched down and placed a hand on the kid's shoulder.

"It's true, we'll get them back. We'll defeat the Dark Signers so don't cry until then," he assured them.

The kids felt a little bit better after this.

The kids left to go to bed and Dr.Schmidt turned to look at Yusei.

"We'll be leaving sometime early morning so there's no need to see us off," Yusei told him.

"Please bring her back," Dr.Schmidt said and Yusei nodded.

The doctor left and Yusei closed the door.

"Hey, is it true? Do you think they'll come back after we defeat the Dark Signers?" Jack asked.

"..." Yusei hesitated and had his head bowed so his eyes weren't meeting anyone's.

"Is it...true?" Grian asked.

"...I don't know...it's what I want to believe," Yusei admitted.

Jack, in response, slammed his fist onto the table again and Ushio grabbed Yusei by the collar of his jacket.

"So what the hell was that? Do you really think that a hopeless lie would comfort someone!" He snapped.

"Stop it! Can't you see that Yusei is sad? He's upset over the loss of Martha and the others," Rua said, grabbing onto Ushio's arm.

Ushio let go and silently cursed under his breath.

"I believe him," Aki spoke up suddenly.

"What?" They all turned to look at her.

"I believe that there's truth in Yusei's words," Aki stated.

"You're just saying that because you want to amend for what you have done!" Jack snapped.

"Yes true but I also want to fight to protect everyone. Everyone, whether we know them or not, their future is on the line," Aki explained.

"I agree. After all, it is your destiny to fight the Dark Signers and bring back the light of good," Mikage explained.

"Seems that way," Joel said, glancing at the Signers.

They all seemed to agree with this.

"So what do you think that they were referring to? The Dark Signers?" Seiga asked.

"The Stars of Destiny? That thing that one of them said?" Etho asked.

"They must be referring to the four control units of the original Movement. All four of them have a code name based on the Nazca Lines," Mikage explained.

There was a lot to unpack in just two sentences, the Double Lifers think.

"When the original Movement went out of control, the four seals were broken. They were given the code names of Ccapac Apu, Ccarayhua, Aslla Piscu and Cusillu. In the ancient language of Quechuan, they mean 'giant', 'lizard,' 'hummingbird,' and 'monkey,'" Mikage explained.

"Hold on. What about Uru?" Ruka asked.

"Uru, also known as Spider, is the code name for the original Movement itself. In order to seal up Movement, the four controllers must be activated," Mikage replied.

"Well since Rudger is the leader of the Dark Signers and he bares the mark of the Spider, he would want us to defeat the other four before facing him," Yusei concluded.

"That's going to be a tougher task than we realize," Ruka realized with Rua nodding.

"From what I know, to activate the controls, you'll need the Signer dragons. We have all but one for this to happen since Ancient Fairy Dragon is in the enemy hands," Mikage said and Ruka made a determined fist at this.

"Wait four? Isn't there a fifth dragon?" Rua asked, remembering what Ruka told him.

"A fifth one?" Scar asked.

"While yes, there were five dragons, the fifth hasn't been seen in years. Fortunately for us, we only need four to activate the controls," Mikage replied.

That may be the case but I have a feeling that we may need the fifth dragon wherever they are...the Fifth Signer, Joel thought and he can feel Giant Wall agreeing with him.

"It's not me by the way. If it was, you would have gotten a Dragon mark," Giant Wall explained.

Right, right, Joel thought.

"So all four of us have to defeat the Dark Signers and activate the controllers with the cards?" Yusei asked.

"Yes. The cards were given to Director Goodwin by Professor Fudo," Mikage replied.

"Wait then the person who broke the seal was...," Yusei asked in realization.

(Flashback)

"Professor Fudo broke the seal?" Mikage asked.

"No, on the contrary he actually wanted to stop the old Movement from going out of control," Goodwin explained.

He was staring outside the window of his office before turning around to face Mikage.

"He entrusted me with the remainder of the Signer Dragons that he took once it did went out of control," he added on.

(Back to the present)

"Had Goodwin said anything else about my father?" Yusei asked but to his disappointment, Mikage shook her head.

"So how did the cards end up in the hands of Yusei and the others?" Seiya asked.

"There's a simple answer to that," Mikage started.

(Flashback)

"The cards given to me by Professor Fudo, I send them out into the wild. As servants of the Crimson Dragon, those cards would be eventually controlled by the Signers. Therefore," Goodwin stared at Mikage, seriously.

"They would be pass from hand to hand until they eventually reached a master who can control their full power. Thanks to the power of the Public Maintenance Department, I have been able to monitor where the cards are. I can confirm that Red Dragon Archfiend, Black Rose Dragon and Stardust Dragon have been passed down to the hands of Jack Atlas, Aki Izayoi and Yusei Fudo. I am confident that those three will fight against the Dark Signers as Signers themselves," he finished.

(Back to the present)

As Yusei was looking at his Stardust card, Jack scoffed and remarked, "so that suspicious man has been playing with us in the palm of his hand after all."

"But the director no longer has any other prediction. It's now up to you four to defeat the Dark Signers as the future of the world is now in your hands," Mikage explained.

"That's a big responsibility. Are you sure that you're ready for this?" Scar asked.

"We're ready alright. We don't have any time to waste," Yusei replied with Ruka nodding to show that she agreed with him.

"Heh, about time that we find equal footing," Jack chuckled with a smug laugh but that smugness faded away as quickly as it came.

Mikage then took a map of Satellite out and placed it on the table before pointing to four different locations.

"These are the locations of the four control units. A Dark Signer will be waiting for you there," she explained.

"So we all go together then?" Ushio asked.

"That'll be a waste of time since the duels will be one on one. I'll go alone," Jack replied and lifted up his sleeve to reveal his Signer mark.

"If the mark wants to duel against a Dark Signer then there's no point of sticking together," he explained.

"But we just became a team," Ruka said, somewhat disappointed.

"Actually, I'm with Jack on this one. We need to split up in order to have a chance at this but don't worry," Yusei turned to her.

"Even if apart, that doesn't change the fact that we're all in this together," he assured her which made Ruka feel a little bit better.

"Well then...who should go with who?" Ushio asked.

"Kiryu has the mark of the giant so I will go there," Yusei began and looked for the location of the unit.

"I'll go to the unit of the monkey so I can save Ancient Fairy Dragon," Ruka said.

"And I'll go with her!" Rua announced.

"Misty has the lizard so I will go there," Aki said.

"Aslla Piscu is the hummingbird so...," Jack trailed off as he remembered what Carly told him.

Carly...

"I'll go there," he finished, not wanting to elaborate.

"I'll take the twins to the monkey unit," Ushio suggested.

"We'll go with you. In case you need backup," Joel added on with Etho nodding.

"Aki, you and I can go in my car," Mikage suggested and Aki gave her a nod.

"And G and I will go with you. Right?" Scar turned to Grian but he didn't respond and turned away from the group. He walked away and slammed the door behind him.

"..." Scar looked somewhat hurt by this action.

Things got a little awkward in the room which Mikage coughed to break the silence.

"I guess it's just going to be us three," she said to Aki and Scar.

Is Grian still upset by the loss of Martha or is something up with him? Joel thought.

"Well then, guess I'm staying here. Don't worry, I'll take care of the children," Seiya assured them.

Yusei gave him a look to show that he was grateful for this. The children don't need to worry any longer.

Before they all left, Scar went to track down where Grian was. He eventually found him in the room that they shared.

He was laying on the bed and had his eyes shut tight.

"G? Grian? Everything ok with you?" Scar asked but Grian didn't respond.

"...look you're the one who kept on insisting that we go with the Signers because you have a 'feeling' of something. That we're supposed to be following them and now you're not going with them in a battle of destiny. That doesn't seem very...Grian of you," Scar told him.

If Grian was listening, he didn't show any signs of it.

Scar walked up to the nightstand and placed Grian's duel disk down alongside with his deck.

"In case you change your mind. The map has been left on the table in case you need to find where the lizard unit is," Scar told him and turned to leave.

Before he walked out the door, he turned his head back to his soulmate.

"...I'm sorry for disappointing you when you found out that we were soulmates for the Double Life game. Sorry I couldn't be a BigB to you. Oh and by the way, I knew about the secret soulmate from a long time ago...I just wished that it wasn't true all along," Scar said and walked off.

"..." Grian could feel something wet on his face and laid still on the bed.

It never hurt like this before...not even when he had to kill him before.

Back with the Signers, Ushio and Mikage's cars, that looked more than Jeeps if anything, were lined up besides Jack and Yusei's Duel Runners.

It was time. Time to face their destiny.

"Remember, from here on out, your survival is based on your dueling skills!" Jack shouted.

"Since we're friends, our bond is strong enough to connect with all of us even when we're apart," Yusei assured them.

"Good luck," Jack added on before racing away in his Duel Runner with the rest of the them behind him.

There were multiple forks in the road and they call took a different one.

Jack reflected on his time with Carly and how she helped him.

Why Carly? Why did you become a Dark Signer? He thought.

It was eerily quiet and creepy when Ushio, the BoatBoys and twins entered an area where ravens with red beady eyes stared down at them.

Rua was at edge and he gripped the sides of the car. Something felt uneasy about it but what?

He felt something tap on his shoulder and he screamed, making the rest of them flinch.

"D-don't scare me like that," Ruka said. She was the one who tapped his shoulder.

"Sorry but you scared me first. Those birds are making me feel uneasy," Rua sighed.

"Yeah...sorry for making you come with me," Ruka apologized.

"Nah, it's fine. I'm here to protect you like I always do," Rua explained before digging into his bag and pulled out his Duel disk.

"Ta-da!" He cheered.

"Why did you bring that here?" Ruka asked.

"For spirit," her twin replied.

"You do realize that I'm going to be the one dueling right?" Ruka asked with Rua nodding and replying with, "Yeah but who says I can't support you with my deck?"

What a naive child, Ushio thought and chuckled at this.

!

Ruka heard a whisper and looked around.

"I hear...a voice," she informed.

"A voice?" Joel asked, turning around because he was in the front with Ushio.

"Do you think someone is around here," Rua looked around but Ruka shook her head.

"No...it's a voice that I have been hearing since we got here but it's getting louder and clearer now," Ruka explained before gasping.

"Something wrong?" Joel asked.

"I think...I think someone is calling me from the spirit world," she hypothesized.

Spirit world? Wait that place? She knows what that is? Joel thought.

"Hmmm. She must be Ancient Fairy Dragon's chosen. I suspected it to be her when we first saw her," Giant Wall noted.

"Wait so is it Ancient Fairy calling you?" Rua asked.

"Eh? What are you talking about?" Ushio asked.

"Ruka can see Duel monster spirits," Rua replied and Joel gripped the sides of the seat.

"Spirits? What kind of nonsense is that? Must be her imagination or something," Ushio rolled his eyes.

"It's true, I'm not lying!" Rua told him.

"Well we're dealing with ancient gods and people coming back to life, I don't think seeing spirits isn't too far-fetched," Etho shrugged from the back although Joel could tell that he also didn't quite believe the twins. Rua could also tell this.

"...I believe you two," Joel spoke up quietly.

"Well thank god there's one adult that isn't lame," Rua sighed.

Ruka blinked and then saw a brown puffball with a tail and a bow appear in front of her.

"Kuribon," she said and the monster began to hectically bounce around in a state of panic.

"What, the Spirit World is in danger?" Ruka asked and Joel turned around again to see her talking to a monster he hasn't quite seen before.

What the-, he thought but got interrupted by Ushio saying, "Ruka, who are you talking to?"

"Yes, I understand," Ruka nodded and closed her eyes.

Then suddenly, a beam of bright light came upon her which temporarily blinded the rest of them.

Somewhere, Yusei noticed the beam of light and realized that's where Ruka is. He started to head over there.

Ushio struggled to regain control of the car and by the time he did...

"Ruka is gone," Etho noted.

"The light took her!" Rua cried.

"C-come now, there has to be a reasonable explanation for her disappearance," Ushio said.

"She must have gone to the Spirit World then," Joel noted, ignoring Ushio.

"Oh come on! You don't actually believe what the kids were saying," Ushio sighed.

"Joel is probably right, no not probably. He is right!" Rua said.

"Christ. Look, she probably fell out of the car and didn't get transported to another world. Let's go and look for her," Ushio said.

"Lame but whatever," Rua sighed and the four of them went looking for Ruka.

Eventually, Rua wandered off to a pillar that was bearing a mark that appeared to be a monkey.

"Maybe Ruka is in there?" He asked even though he wasn't quite sure. Wouldn't hurt to check.

"Ruka! Ruka are you there?" He asked and got closer.

And then, a booming voice came from within the pillar and it said, "I've been waiting for you, Signer..."

Purple flames appeared and spread to form the mark of the monkey with the sky mirroring the shape.

The other Signers believe that the first battle has started...

Then Dimark appeared and noticed that the child was not the same that he saw previously.

"Who are you? You're not a Signer," he said.

"I-I promised to protect Ruka. So i-if you're going to battle her, th-then you'll have to go through me first," Rua stated, trying to sound brave.

"You area fool, entering a geoglyph despite not being a Signer is just a death wish waiting to happen," Dimark told him.

Ushio, Joel and Etho arrived and saw that Rua was in the geoglyph.

"What the hell?" Ushio gasped.

"L-Listen, I challenge you. If I beat you, then Ruka will be spared from being in danger," Rua stated.

"Heh, I admire your bravery but a non-Signer cannot beat me," Dimark told him, amused.

"Oi, Rua!" Ushio called out.

"Get out of there! It's not safe!" Joel shouted which caught Etho by surprise.

Well he's not wrong but why is he sounding so worried for him? He wondered.

Then a red Duel Runner arrived and Yusei stepped out of it and raced to their side.

"Yusei?" Etho asked.

"I saw the beam of light and got worried. I raced over here as fast as I could," Yusei explained.

"Yusei, Ruka disappeared into the light. She is in the Spirit World of Duel Monsters," Joel explained.

"What? She must have gone there to free Ancient Fairy Dragon," Yusei concluded.

"Oh great, you too?" Ushio asked, rolling his eyes.

"It's true about her abilities but now isn't the time to discuss that," Yusei said and motioned to Rua and Dimark.

"We have to stop this duel before anything happens," Joel nodded.

"Enough! That child isn't a Signer; stop this duel at once!" Yusei shouted down at Dimark.

"A Shadow Duel cannot be stopped until it reaches its conclusion and a soul is given up," Dimark explained.

He then turned to Rua and said, "And now, we duel."

"DUEL!"

Rua - 4000 LPS

V.S.

Dark Signer Dimark - 4000 LPS

"I'll start," Rua said and drew a card.

"I summon Morphtronic Magnen (ATK: 800. DF: 800) in defense mode and I set this card down," he started.

A blue metal monster appeared and shapeshift into a magnet as it went in defense position.

"That's all," he finished.

My set card, Morphtransition, will allow me to protect Magnen during his turn so by the time my second turn comes around, I'll be able to form a lock by summoning a second Magnen, Rua thought.

"Rua, stop this duel and try to find a way to get out of there," Yusei told him.

"No. I need to protect Ruka and the best way to do that is to defeat him with my own hands," Rua explained.

"...Rua," Yusei looked worried and Ushio turned his head to look at him.

"All we can do now is hope that Rua can win," he told him.

Rua...we haven't met for that long and yet...just don't lose your soul, Joel thought.

(In the Spirit World)

...

Ruka opened her eyes and sat up. Where was she?

She heard a coo and spotted Kuribon was hovering over her, worried.

"Kuribon? Are we in the Spirit World?" Ruka asked and Kuribon nodded.

She got up and looked around. There was a large stone tablet off in the yonder and she recognized the the figure on it.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon! So that's where you're being kept," Ruka gasped.

She must go and save her!

(In the real world)

"It's my turn now," Dimark drew a card.

"I summon Magician Ape (ATK: 800. DF: 1200) in attack mode," he started and a rust colored ape wearing a green cape and holding onto a staff appeared.

800 attack points? It's the same amount as Magnen's defense points, Rua thought.

"I discard a card to activate its effect. I can now take control of your monster," Dimark said and discard a card into his graveyard.

Magician Ape held up its staff and a beam of light appeared which dragged Magnen to Dimark's field.

"He's wide open now," Etho noted with Joel making a small noise at this.

"Direct attack!" Dimark shouted and a beam strike down at Rua.

Rua screamed out in pain as he felt the shock from the attack which also lowered his life points.

4000 —> 3200 LPS

His scream didn't go unnoticed by Ruka who still heard it from the Spirit World.

"Huh? That sounded like...Rua?! But why is he fighting?" She asked.

Rua fell to his knees and tremble in pain.

"N-no way. It felt even worse than when I dueled Divine," he said.

"This is the pain of a Shadow Duel. I will try to send you to hell without too much pain. Consider it my way of showing mercy," Dimark explained.

I'm fighting for my sister. I have to stay brave and persevere as much as I can, Rua thought as he got up.

It's what he has to do.

A/N: Ello there! It's been a while. This is the first Dark Signer duel but what's this? A Signer isn't dueling?

Tbh, Rua is my second favorite 5DS character so i feel kind of bad, torturing him like this. Well in canon and in non-canon (dw about it unless you *cough* Jasper *cough* know).

Cya in the next one -Flare

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]