I had to admit, I was a little disoriented arriving at the Daimon Port with nothing but me and my Duel Runner. A couple businessmen were walking around like they had important stuff to do, and there were a few dozen construction workers who were either piling onto the boat, or trying to push past me to get off.

I sighed, bringing my Duel Runner to the side of the hatch, letting everyone breeze past me as I then became mixed in with those who were struggling to cart on crates or unprotected building materials. As an opening revealed itself to me, I wheeled my Duel Runner off the ship and walked it past the fencing.

My attention was drawn to a sign stating 'Duel Runners are not to be ridden in this area'. I shrugged, wheeling my Duel Runner to the next fence, which automatically opened upon my approach.

I smiled, now unrestricted, getting onto my Duel Runner and bringing it up to a safe and comfortable speed as I explored the town. I had been shown the more upper class parts of New Domino City before, such as the Tops Plaza, the East District… and the Arcadia Movement, but I had never been shown what was in the Daimon Area before. To me, it looked like a sort of middle-class neighborhood: a couple cracks in the sidewalks here and there, one or two abandoned cars, but a perfectly liveable place overall. Maybe after Sector Security were finished fixing up the Daedalus Bridge and the Satellite, they could give this place a little makeover too…

I had my doubts about you before, but this right here, you're just plain awesome!

I'm very pleased that you're feeling alright today, Tyler. I just hope it was nothing too serious.

Two blurred figures caught my attention as I rode passed a garage, causing me to slam on the brakes. I turned to the two individuals, locked in a Duel with each other that seemed to be nearing its end. I wanted to pinch myself, to see if I was dreaming, but I knew I wasn't, and that's what surprised me.

In one move, the tan-skinned boy had ripped through his opponent's defense and managed to knock his Life Points to zero. The opponent, who had messy blond hair, got up off the ground and dusted himself off, before walking over and accepting the handshake of the other boy, both wearing the clothes I had just recently abandoned.

I kicked my Duel Runner into park just as the two boys turned to me.

"Hey, Tyler. Feeling good?" Liquid asked.

I couldn't believe it. He was alive. They were alive. They were standing right in front of me, smiles on their faces, and yet, I had no idea how to react. I shouldn't have been so surprised, especially considering everything else that'd happened, and everything else that I had been a part of, but I was. They didn't seem at all surprised to see me, so maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised to see them.

I pushed all of the confusion out of my head as I answered Liquid's question as best I could. "Umm… f-fine…" I muttered, neglecting to mention all that had gone on in their absence. They didn't need to know about that.

"That's good to hear. I'm afraid I can't say either of us are doing all that well, though." Okita explained.

"Oh, c'mon! Why do you have to say such depressing things?!" Liquid asserted, turning to him.

"Well, because the Arcadia Movement is ruined, we don't have anywhere to go." Okita explained.

"Hmm… But it all just depends on how you look at it, right?" Liquid smiled.

"I think perhaps we should get straight to the point instead!" Okita shouted, somewhat catching me off-guard. Okita turned to me. "Tyler, we have a favor to ask you."

"Y-yeah?"

"Could you help us find a place to live?" Okita asked.

"Whoa! Hey, now! You can't just come straight out with it like that!" Liquid snapped.

"Why ever not? It makes no sense to just beat around the bush!" Okita retorted, focusing his attention on me once more. "We don't know anyone in town, and you're the only one we can rely on, Tyler."

It took me a while for Okita's plea to sort of sink in. But when it did, everything hit me hard. I didn't have a place to live either. I had just come from the Satellite, my prior plans thrown astray by a mother who didn't want me. The three of us were in the same boat, except that I had my Duel Runner.

"C'mon, Okita! Isn't there a better way to ask that sort of que-"

Okita quickly turned to Liquid. "Quiet, you!" he shouted. I narrowed my eyes, wondering if Okita and Liquid somehow switched bodies at some point. "So, you see, for that reason, we'd really like to ask for your help." Okita smiled at me, before turning once more to Liquid. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Shouldn't you be asking, too!?" he hounded.

"Yeah, please…!" Liquid begged after several seconds of silence.

I couldn't just ignore the pleas of my friends, but I knew that I wasn't really in much of a position to help them. The best I could do was try and contact some of my friends who might have been able to help. "Alright, just… Just give me a sec. I'll see if I can make some phone calls."

"Yes! Thank you!" Okita shouted, clasping his hands together as I nodded, taking a couple steps back.

I scrolled through my contacts until I found Jack's number. As far as I knew, he was still staying with Mina, so I figured that Mina might've been able to help me out a little. I tapped on Jack's number before putting the phone to my ear. It rang four times before I heard a pop on the other end of the line.

"Tyler…" Jack groaned. "What's up? Why are you calling so early in the morning?"

I pulled my phone away from my ear to check the time before replying. "It's twenty-six past eleven…" I muttered.

"Why are you calling…?" Jack repeated.

"Well, you're still at Mina's, right? I was wondering if I could talk to her about something real quick."

Jack sighed. "Mina's gone to go get food for her cats… Why do you need to talk to her anyway…?"

"Well… see I've just met up with a couple of friends from the Arcadia Movement, you know, the ones that I thought had died? And, well, they don't have a place to live or anything since the Arcadia Movement is, well… destroyed."

"That it…?" Jack mumbled. "I'll tell Yusei to give you a call. He'll sort something out. Where are you now?"

"I'm in the Daimon Area. Just came through the Port."

"Alright…" Jack yawned. "You… stay there… I'll give Yusei a call…"

"Thanks, Jack." I smiled.

"Don't mention it…" he mumbled before he hung up.

I turned back to Okita and Liquid. "So what's going on?" Liquid asked.

"We just need to sit tight for a little bit. One of my friends should be coming by soon to help us out."

"Oh?! Really?!" he asked.

"You know, Tyler, you sure are a peach! I can't thank you enough!" Okita shouted.

"You're really helping us out, Tyler! I'll never forget this!"

"Well nothing's set in stone yet." I began. "But if anyone can help us out, it's my friend Yusei."

"So what do we do until he gets here?" Liquid asked.

"Why don't you tell us about that?" Okita smirked, pointing at my Duel Runner.

"Hey, yeah, where'd you get that from?"

"Turns out it was mine." I chuckled.

"Wait, but you said you'd never ridden a Duel Runner before!" Liquid shouted.

"Well at that time, I didn't think I ever had."

"What?" Liquid asked.

"Yeah…" I murmured. From the shared expression on Liquid's and Okita's faces, it didn't seem as though we were all on the same page. "Hold on, just so we're clear, you guys know that I'm an amnesiac, right?"

"What?" Liquid repeated.

"He means he suffers from amnesia, you moron!" Okita glared at Liquid, before turning to me with an unmistakably sympathetic look on his face. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Do you know what kind it is? How long have you had it? Is there anything that the two of us can do to help you?"

"Oh. Nah, don't worry about it. I've had it since before I met you guys, so it's a non-issue." I laughed. I regretted bringing it up the moment I said it. After all, I didn't want them to pity me. I'd had enough of that. Besides, if they wanted to pity me, I'm sure they could have easily found something else about me to pity.

As the sound of a roaring engine drew closer, the three of us turned to the direction of where it seemed to be coming from as I saw Yusei racing through the streets, taking a sharp turn, pulling back and parking near my Duel Runner.

"That was pretty quick. How did you get here so fast?" I asked him as the three of us walked over.

"I was in the area when Jack called. So what's this about needing a place to live?" he asked as Okita stepped forward to act as the group spokesperson.

"Yusei, sir. My name is Okita, and this is Liquid. We need a place to live now that the Arcadia Movement's gone."

"These friends of yours?" Yusei asked, turning to me. I nodded.

"Yep. These guys were brainwashed by Sayer like me, but they can still, you know, remember stuff." I sighed, before laughing a little.

"Well I know just who can help us. Follow me." Yusei motioned, moving forward on his seat. "Liquid, was it? You ever been on a Duel Runner before?"

"Yeah… I'm not very good at riding one though. At least not as good as Tyler."

"That's fine. Just get on." he motioned once more.

"Alright, Okita. You're with me then." I said, getting back onto my Duel Runner and scooching forward on my seat.

"Splendid!" he grinned as he and Liquid got onto mine and Yusei's Duel Runners with a little effort.

"Okay, Tyler. Just follow me. It's not that far." Yusei said as he began to pick up speed. I revved my Duel Runner once as I felt Okita grasp my shoulders tightly.

"Sorry…" I apologized. "I should've told you I was gonna do that."

"It's fine… engine's just a little loud…" he murmured as I looked ahead. I took off at a slow speed behind Yusei, paying close attention to his movements. I followed him left around a corner and up until we reached the site of an apartment complex, where Yusei brought his Duel Runner in through the doors as he jumped off of it. I watched as Liquid got a little fright from this, so I decided to slide my Runner into neutral as I instructed Okita to get off, before I wheeled it in through the doors manually.

"There's parking on the basement level." Yusei explained as he hit a button near the elevator. A light at the top of the elevator doors illuminated right as they opened. "I'll head down first. You three wait here." he instructed, walking into the elevator with his Runner as Liquid got off of it.

"Is he always this… serious?" Liquid asked just as the doors closed.

"For the most part, I think. To be honest, I haven't really seen Yusei be anything except serious."

"I must say that, aside from the sound of the engine, I really did enjoy that ride, however brief it was." Okita beamed.

"I'm glad." I smiled.

"Oh, hey. Did you hear about Rex Goodwin?" Liquid asked, turning to me. "Apparently something happened to him a few days ago, so they're looking for a new Director."

"Who's 'they'?"

"The New Domino Public Administrations Bureau. I heard they were gonna have another election soon."

"No they're not!" Okita protested. "They have a Vice-Director specifically to avoid having to do things like that!"

The elevator doors opened and Yusei stepped out. "Take your Duel Runner down to the basement by pressing '1B' on the control panel. There's a ton of free spots down there, so you shouldn't have difficulty finding a place to park. Come back up here when you're done, okay?"

I nodded, wheeling my Duel Runner into the elevator with me. Thankfully, my Runner was able to fit inside the space, and I still had plenty of room to move. I punched in '1B' as the elevator doors closed. I felt my entire position shift as the elevator brought me down to a small room which seemed to branch off into a large concrete parking lot. An automated gate lay far to the left, possibly allowing for an easy exit, which I was all for. I sincerely hoped I wouldn't have to bring my Runner up through the elevator again when I went to leave.

My footsteps echoes as I wheeled my Runner over to a vacant bay, throwing it into park, bringing down the stand, and then disengaging it. I walked back into the small room and into the elevator, hitting 'G' on the control panel as the doors closed. When they opened again, Yusei, Okita and Liquid made their way onto the elevator with me in silence, Yusei pressing '4F' on the control panel.

"Here we are." Yusei said as the elevator doors opened, walking out as Okita, Liquid and I followed Yusei as he took a left, and then another, stopping at a rosewood door with a steel handle. Yusei knocked twice, the three of us waiting until we were eventually greeted by a slightly older man in a white shirt and brown pants.

"Hey, Yusei. What brings you here?" the man asked.

"Blister, this is Tyler, Liquid and Okita." Yusei said.

"So you're the famous Tyler. Yusei's told me a lot about you. Nice to meet you finally." He smiled, extending a hand for me to shake.

"Hi it's… nice to meet you too…" I muttered, accepting his handshake.

"Anyway, Yusei, what's up?" Blister asked.

"I was wondering if you had a spare room where these two could stay." Yusei began.

"Our home was destroyed and we've got nowhere to go!" Okita added.

"I see… A tough break, huh?" Blister murmured. "No, problem, though. There's another apartment on this floor that's under my name. I'll let them use it."

"Awesome!" Liquid shouted.

"So… could you show us around right away, please?" Okita asked.

"Alright. It's this way." Blister said. Yusei, Liquid, Okita and I followed him as we walked out and past the elevator until we reach another door which had an identical frame to Blister's room. Blister reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, opening the door before giving it to Liquid. "There you go…" he muttered.

Liquid and Okita made their way inside, the joy on their faces undeniable as their smiles practically went from ear to ear. "This is a sweet place! I kinda dig it!" Liquid smiled, slowly observing the room, Okita doing the same before turning back to me.

"Tyler, we can't thank you enough." Okita smiled.

"Please, this was Yusei and Blister's doing." I smiled.

"Maybe so, but none of this would've happened without you." He smiled, taking a card out of his Deck box and handing it to me. "This is a small token of our appreciation. Please accept it."

I looked at the card that Okita had given me – Hyper Psychic Blaster, a Synchro Monster that I had neither the Synchro Materials or Tuner Monster to Summon it with. Regardless, it was an incredibly kind gesture, and from the looks of things quite a rare card. It wouldn't have been right of me to be ungrateful. I looked back up at Okita and Liquid and smiled. "Thanks guys…"

Okita nodded, before turning back to Liquid. "Okay. Now that that's taken care of, I think it's time we decide who's the boss of this apartment, don't you?" he asked.

"Well we'll leave you to it then." Blister smiled, unfazed by the argument that had since broken out between the two boys. "Tyler, I've got something for you as well."

"Huh?"

"Follow me…" Blister murmured as Yusei smiled, the two of them leading me back to Blister's apartment. They went back inside and motioned for me to come in as well. I did, and Yusei and Blister looked to each other and then at me in silence for several moments.

"I don't understand…" I muttered.

"This apartment is yours… if you want it…" Blister said casually.

My heart skipped a beat. "Are you serious?!"

Blister nodded. "I've been given an offer by Martha to come and help her manage the orphanage in the Satellite. And trust me, if you've tasted her cooking, you'll know that's an opportunity that I can't pass up."

"I… I don't know what to say…" I stammered.

"Yusei told me everything that you've been through. If anyone deserves this apartment it's you. You won't need to pay for utilities or anything like that since the super owes me a huge favor, so if you're worried about that, then don't be."

"Go on, Tyler. It's a very generous offer that Blister's making…" Yusei added.

"I-if I say yes, you'll give this place to me…?" I muttered.

"I can go and put your name on the lease right now for you if you'd like." Blister smiled.

I was so happy, I couldn't even begin to describe it. For the most part, the past few days had been Hell on Earth for me, what with the Dark Signers, my mother and everything else, and to have been given something so fantastic like a home from somebody I had literally just met all because of Yusei… There was really nothing that I could say or do to show how appreciative I was of such a kind gesture.

"Yes, please…" I said, nearly choking on my answer.

"Alright then. I'll get that sorted for you, and then I'll come back and help you settle in."

"So…" I began. "Are there any cool places I can go around and check out?"

Blister seemed to think for a moment. "Well there's a card shop, there's an underground Duel arena, there's-"

"How 'bout something that's not related to Duel Monsters?" I asked.

Blister turned away from whatever he was packing and looked straight at me, trying to discern whether or not I was being serious. He sighed. "There's a bar called Bootleg. Right from where you come in from the Port, head past the empty garage and it's on your left. There should be a sign out front, so you'll know if you're in the right place."

"Alright, thanks. I'll go check that out." I smiled.

"Well depending on how long you're there, I might not be here when you get back. I'll lock up when I'm done, but here's a spare key just in case." Blister searched through his pockets, before he pulled out a key and gave it to me.

"My Duel Runner will be safe down in the lot, won't it?"

Blister laughed. "O'course. If you've configured the recognition system correctly, only you'll be able to access it."

"Alright, so I've got nothing to worry about then?" I asked, double-checking just to make sure I understood.

"Nothin' to worry about."

"Awesome! Thank you!" I bowed, putting the key to my new apartment in my pocket as I left the room, closing the door behind me. With a spring in my step, I walked down the hall and to the elevator, making my way to the ground floor in a matter of seconds. With haste, I walked out of the apartment complex, and made a left past the card shop.

I found my way from there back to where I came in from the Port, at that point following Blister's instructions to keep walking until I reached an intersection where, right next to me, there laid a sign which said 'Bootleg' in faded letters. My eyes traveled to a set of wooden doors which seemed to give a little even at the slightest touch.

I shrugged, pushing both doors forward with my hands as I walked in.

The place seemed dark and sinister, the smell of smoke and alcohol almost consuming the place. From where I stood, I could see an old jukebox, along with a glass cabinet which housed several different bottles, cans and glasses.

Aside from two men having a Duel in one of the booths, the place was basically deserted. I took cautious steps walking down the stairs, holding on to the handrail until I reach the bottom. I don't know why, but I really was expecting more from the place. Nevertheless, I walked over and took at seat the bar, where an older gentleman was cleaning a glass behind it.

"Whaddya want? Ya got any ID on ya?" he asked.

I straightened up. "Uh… n-no, sir. I don't."

"Well, have ya got any money?"

"Umm…" I paused, searching my pockets and taking out the small amount of money I had. "Not much…"

"Not really enough for anything…" he noted.

"Alright. Is there anything I can get to drink which doesn't cost any money and doesn't require me to have an ID?" I asked.

"Water." The bartender replied as I sighed in response.

"Okay, can I get a glass of water please?" I asked.

"Still or Sparkling?"

I sighed once more. "Still. I dunno."

The bartender nodded, fetching a tall glass and filling it with water from a bottle nearby. He then dropped two ice cubes into the glass and slid it over to me. "Enjoy."

"Thanks." I smiled, taking the glass into my right hand as I took a sip from it. I closed my eyes, listening to 'Sweet Child O' Mine' playing on the nearby jukebox. I took another sip of my water and looked around. Where do I go now, I asked myself. I realized that I hadn't really thought that far ahead in the grand scheme of things. I mean, I had an apartment, and a Duel Runner, but not much else. With all the Dark Signer stuff over, I knew that now was the time that I could try to get my life back on track. I had to get my life back on track.

In the midst of my intense considerations and reflections, I heard someone approaching me from behind. I put my glass down and turned to see who the person behind me was. I was neither prepared for, nor expecting to see this person any time soon. Actually, that was a lie. I was never expecting to see this person again. His eyes met mine, and I was at a complete loss for words.

I struggled to think of what to say, trying desperately to put a sentence together, but I couldn't. All that could escape my lips was his name.

"Taze…"

After much consideration, I decided to put a little something at the end of the story (rather than throughout it, as I thought that would disrupt the flow of the story) to properly acknowledge all who helped me out with it. A special shout-out to two very special people: 2dayIsUrDay and AnimeAndMangaFan. Without them, this story would never have been attempted, much less completed, so I owe them a great deal of thanks.

Below you'll find a short list of the people who had a hand in making this story what it was, and what stage of story development that was at, with the chapters they had a hand in creating in brackets next to their name.

Concept

2dayIsUrDay (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 12)
AnimeAndMangaFan (8)
Eye_Cannot_Fathom (8)
MissyD (8, 18)
Tyler Nator (4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
Tole (8)

Drafting

2dayIsUrDay (all)
AnimeAndMangaFan (8, 11, 18, 19)
Tyler Nator (all)

Writing

2dayIsUrDay (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17)
AnimeAndMangaFan (8, 11, 18, 19)
Tyler Nator (all)

This isn't the end of Tyler Nochi though. There's a sequel, called "Pains of Identity", and a third story called "Arc of Eternity", which you should be able to find on my profile page. Be sure to give those a read if you're at all interested.

Finally, a special thank you to all the readers. I hope you enjoyed reading the story just as much as I enjoyed writing it.