"Yusei!"

The dark haired teen smiled as he saw the familiar teal haired duo bobbing over the crowd toward him. School at duel academy had just let out and he had promised to go with Rua and Ruca to a special event the local card shops were holding for a new pack of duel monster cards being released. Rua jumped and waved excitedly, nearly knocking into another student.

"Rua, calm down!" His twin sister scolded. Yusei laughed and leaned against his parked D-wheel. Life had returned to a relative sort of normal these past few months, and it was nice to see the twins acting like their usual selves. The dangerous situations that seemed to follow him and his friends around made normal moments like these all the more enjoyable.

"Yusei! Are you ready to go to the card exhibition?" Rua chattered excitedly as the twins finally made their way to him. "I've been saving my allowance for it, I know I'll score some great new cards. It's all I've been thinking about all day!"

"He was thinking about it so much that he failed his dueling practical exam today. Miserably." Ruca added with a shrug.

"Ruca, be quiet!" Rua exclaimed angrily.

"Well it's true."

"Alright you two," Yusei interrupted. "Let's get ready and go. Have you seen Aki yet? She said she would join us if her workload wasn't too big."

"Big sis Aki?" Rua pondered, quickly forgetting about the squabble. "Nope, she's usually busy with her clubs and activities these days."

"Well, she's trying hard to graduate top of her class." Ruca added.

"Probably to impress Yusei." Rua snickered. "Ow! That hurt." He added as his sister smacked him over the head with a binder.

"Anyway, Aki's grade lets out in a different section of the school, doesn't it?" Ruca continued as if nothing had happened. "She's probably making her way over here now."

"Then let's wait over there," Yusei pointed across the street. "She'll be able to see us easier out of the crowd. Do you two have your duel boards? The nearest card shop is still a few blocks away."

"Ah!" Rua exclaimed panic-striken. "I was so excited I must have left it in my locker! Be right back, Yusei!"

Ruca sighed. "Rua, what are we supposed to do with you? I'd better go with him Yusei. He's so forgetful he'll see something shiny and forget what he went in for." She smiled apologetically and hurried after him.

Yusei chuckled to himself. If being a few minutes late to a card shop was the worst they had to worry about right now, that was fine with him. He waited for a group of students a class or two older than Rua and Ruca to cross the street, the wheeled his D-wheel over to the sidewalk. He had just settled sideways onto the seat to wait when another voice called him.

"Yusei, over here!" Aki had already changed out of her school uniform into a simple blouse and skirt. The girl wore no makeup, which was unusual for a teen her age, but Yusei thought she didn't need it. She was casually beautiful, her schoolbag slung carelessly over one arm, the other waving at him. She had let her red hair grow out a bit, and now kept the sides pinned as carefully as her long bangs.

"Aki, I'm glad you weren't too busy to make it." Yusei stood up in greeting.

"Of course not!" Aki smiled cheerfully, stopping to pull a book out of her bag. "I hope you don't mind I brought my physics homework. I was hoping you'd double check these equations for me."

"I'd be glad to," Yusei smiled, glancing over the page in the book. "I had hoped you would still make it. Rua and Ruca thought you might be too busy."

"Rua and Ruca? Where are they? I thought they would be here with you already."

"Rua had to run back in for something, Ruca went along to hurry him. They should be back any second. We can be looking over those equations while we wait."

"Perfect." Aki laid her schoolbag in the seat of his D-Wheel to sort through it and pull out a notebook. Yusei noticed it was black and had a hand drawn design of a rose on the front. Fitting. "Oh, is it alright if I ride behind you on your D-wheel if it's just to the shop? I can't exactly bring my own to school with me."

Yusei blushed slightly, stammering "O-of course I don't mind. We're friends aren't we?"

Aki's smile dazzled him. "You're the best Yusei. Now the part I'm having trouble with-"

Exactly what part it was Aki was having trouble with Yusei didn't hear, because at that moment, the mark of the dragon on his arm pulsed with a throbbing pain. Aki gasped and gripped her mark as well. "What was that?" She looked at him in wonder.

"I'm not sure, but it's probably not good. Be on your guard."

No sooner had Yusei given the warning than a series of explosions rocked the city around them.