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headinthestaticsky · 3 years

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Frozen Within the Night Wind: Jasper Hale x Fleur Swan, Chapter 10

None of the characters in Twilight belong to me, all rights go to Stephenie Meyer.

"Having you close My head is damaged I get closer, everything trembles me

Now I have the certainty That I have not lost the desire Wake up with you in the morning But I'm looking for your gaze And your eyes, baby, don't tell me anything."

Nuestro Planeta by, Kali Uchis Featuring Reykon. Translated lyrics.

Jasper, Jacob, and I were all standing in a large field awaiting the arrival of Bella and Edward. The very field we were standing in would be the battleground between us and the newborn army.

"Hey, le... Fleur?" Jacob asked."

"Hmm?"

"Why haven't your diluted eyes at all? They still look like a rose." Jacob observed.

"I mean it hasn't been a full year yet."

"Yes, darling but... they should've at least diluted a little by now, amber should start to peak through." Jasper added.

"That's strange...I haven't had any human blood I swear."

"Yeah right..." I heard Jacob mumble.

"Oh shove it, Jacob, at least I'm not in the middle of a toxic, manipulative, love triangle."

"Can it leech. You know nothing about Bella."

"Keep telling yourself that."

Before Jacob could rebuttal, Edward and Bella finally showed up. Edward didn't look thrilled at all and Bella had a blank look on her face.

"I don't like this idea at all." Edward grumbled.

"And we need you for the fight but you aren't coming to that so...tough, get over it." I rebutted.

"Leave him alone Fleur...he's doing it for me. Bet Jasper hasn't done that for you." Bella said a dreamy look was in her eyes.

"Uh...he didn't have to, because I didn't cause chaos where ever I went and didn't piss off nomads you dumbass." I heard Jasper let out a short laugh.

"Wait, pretty boy isn't fighting, aww did you pull a muscle?" Jacob mocked.

"Can we get on with this... I wanna be anywhere but here." I interrupted.

"Whatever, just tell me the plan." Jacob said.

"Edward and I are going on a campsite, even if he carries me they’ll still pick up our scents." Bella explained.

"Your stench, however, is revolting." Edward interrupted

"Dude, you really don’t wanna start comparing stinks." Jacob snapped

"What he means is that your scent will mask mine if you carry me," Bella said.

"Done."

"This is not a good idea."

"You've already established that Edward," I said.

"Edward, they won’t wanna get anywhere near his... odor." Jasper carefully.

Jacob picked Bella up before saying... "Odor-de-wolf comin’ up."

Edward glared at me when Jacob was gone. Jasper noticed this and tensed up.

"You need to stop talking to her like that!"

"Like what? Truthfully, honestly?"

"It's not truthful it's insulting!"

"Dude...have you been living without any of your senses? The amount of shit she has said and done to me is a lot more disgraceful than how I am acting. Like I am petty, I know I am, but her pretending to be all innocent is hilarious."

"Oh please..."

"Okay so when she insults me and brings up that my mother completely hates my guts it's fine but when I rebuttal it's like I'm opening the gates of hell huh?"

"You don't know anything about her... she isn't malicious!"

"You sound just like Jacob."

"Don't even compare me to that...fleabag."

"What are you gonna do about?" I said he then got up close to my face, he looked like he was going to hit me.

"Don't test me Fleur... I will put you in your place if I have to."

"I'd love to see you try...boy." Jasper said getting between the two of us.

Edward snarled at us and walked away, stalking off to the far side of the field.

"Man... being a vampire has definitely amped up my attitude. Good thing you're here to stop me from doing something stupid." I joked.

"I think you're spending too much time with Rosalie darlin." Jasper said, smiling at me.

"This whole love triangle thing makes me want to set myself on fire. I kinda feel bad for Jacob...I know she's just manipulating him."

"I wouldn't put it past her darlin."

"I really wish we didn't have to do any of this...we should be getting married right now... not fighting a battle they could possibly be getting us killed." I confessed.

"Well one, we just have to wait until November... and two we will be fine, we've been training all this time."

"I know but...it's still a terrifying thought, this is the first fight I've ever been with another vampire."

"Did you forget about James love?"

"Well... with me as a vampire."

"You're going to be fine... Alice told me the vision she had of you fighting James, you cracked his skin by throwing a rock.... if you're that strong as a human I'm scared to see what you can do as a vampire."

"Okay, okay... stop trying to boost my ego." I said smirking, I pulled him in using some of my strength. I kissed him before pulling apart, biting his lip to tease him."

"You're cruel darlin, just cruel... Oh forgot to say something..."

"What is it?"

"Bella and Edward got engaged."

"Oh my god... are you serious?"

"Yeah, and Alice said they planned on eloping in Vegas."

"She must be really angry with those two..."

"Actually, she isn't really that mad."

"Okay, what happened to Alice?"

"I think she's starting to get a little... annoyed with Bella."

"It was bound to happen... Dad is going to kill Edward."

Edward ran toward us again and told us to be quiet. Before I could ask why Bella and Jacob came back into view.

"Well Jasper and I will do a quick sniff check... you three can stay here and.... mingle." Before they could protest we took off into the woods.

"The stench is revolting."

"It is pretty bad."

"I can't make up any Bella though, so the plan worked."

We quickly ran back down to the field, both of us had stepped down off of a broken tree laying on the ground.

"Just picked up wolf stench, no Bella." Jasper stated

Timeskip: 2 hours later

I was waiting for Alice in the Cullen's house, knowing that Alice told dad we were all going on a camping trip. I thought it would be good if we all hunted before the battle to power up. I needed all the strength I could get.

"I swear if Bella and Edward do anything in our room I am going to kick Edward to the moon." I grumbled.

"Don't worry Fleur...I'm sure Edward won't do anything." Jasper reassured, a guilty look was on his face, however.

"You threatened him didn't you?" Not buying his innocent act.

"Yes, yes I did."

"Alright everyone, we can go!" I heard Alice say outside, Dean, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Esme, Carlisle, and I all made our way outside quickly.

Timeskip: 6 hours later

"Damn Emmett, at this point you're going to put bears into extinction."

"Serves them right short stack."

"Dude I am 5'9, that's pretty tall for a girl."

"But pretty short for someone who's 6'5."

"Oh shut it and hit your head in the doorway again."

"Darlin, if he keeps doing that the support beams are going to give out in the house." Jasper added.

"Nah they'll be fine, he's as tall as a support beam." I joked.

"Can't wait to kick some newborn-vampire ass," Dean said, jumping up slightly in excitement. Alice giggled and wrapped her arms around him

"Are the newborns still making their way to the field Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, they should be here at 5:15 pm tomorrow."

"We'll be ready," Carlisle said.

"You guys go ahead in, I need some quiet. I'm going to try and track Victoria."

They all nodded and went inside, I saw them all however observing me through the glass walls."

I got into my trance, rolling my eyes behind my head and I was flying through the city once again. I stopped in an underground tunnel, the likes of which was located in Seattle. I finally found her, she was talking with that man that turned me... the name I finally found out to be Riley Biers.

"You’re not coming with us?" He asked angrily.

"It’ll be a last-minute decision. I told you how it works." Victoria replied she seemed bored.

"The Cullen’s have powers according to one of your friends," Riley said skeptically.

"Yes, my friend told me... my DEAD friend. Don’t underestimate them, Riley. One of them made me have hallucinations of my friend. You’ll have the numbers, but they’ll be able to anticipate your every move. You don’t trust me do you?"

"I trust you with my life. I’m just saying…"

"I’m doing this for us so that we can feed without their…retaliation and I can’t live in fear anymore waiting for them to attack."

"I won’t let them. I’m going to end the Cullen clan. I swear."

I broke out of my trance before I could get anything else out of the conversation. I rushed inside, eager to tell them what I found.

"It was Victoria guys!" I said.

"What? I would've seen it." Alice replied.

"She was hiding behind that kid, Riley... She's letting him lead the army to us..."

#jasper whitlock x oc #jasper whitlock #jasper hale x reader #jasper cullen #jasper hale #jasper hale x oc #rosalie hale #carlisle cullen #emmett cullen #esme cullen #edward cullen #alice cullen #twilight saga #bella swan #twilight

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bumbershots · 3 years

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A CERTAIN ROMANCE

CHAPTER ONE: JUEVES

Author’s note: Hello! I’ve decided to give it a go, this is my first chaptered fic in this website. This story just occurred to me a while ago and I’ve tried my best to make some sense out of the concept which honestly is forever changing on my mind. I hope you don’t find many grammar mistakes, if you do please let me know. Enjoy! (:

Story masterlist ** Word count: 2.3K **

It's been years since Harry last had to use the tube, but it's not as hard as he thinks, buying the ticket was fairly simple and soon enough he was sitting on the train comfortably. The northern line wasn't too busy, no delays were announced through the speakers, his journey to Ladbroke Grove station was going to last around thirty six minutes. He suddenly can't remember how long the ride would be on a car. Maybe it's time to start using the London Underground a bit more, contributing to saving the planet, lessen his carbon footprint. With all the aeroplanes he takes a year, he should use it from now onto the rest of his life, he thinks with a bit of guilt.

He changes to the Hammersmith and city line with ease, passing by lots of people, no one truly pays attention to him. The school girls that would usually come up to him and ask for a picture are too busy gossiping among themselves, the grown up adults that are more fond of his solo work are too immersed into their own thoughts about annoying bosses. Harry likes to blend into the crowd that's gathered now at the station and awaits for the train. In the eyes of the others, he's just another guy patiently waiting for the train to hop on and get to his destination. Even though he was on his way to meet with the team that will take care of his house renovation, a property valued approximately on £4.175 million.

The train arrives and he follows the multitude that pile into the wagon, he isn't lucky to find a seat this time but doesn't mind as he finds a good spot to lean against, the doors close just as he skips the ABBA song he doesn't feel like listening at the moment and settles for Hanson instead. He bops his head along the tune before slipping back the mobile in his pocket, eyes traveling along the passengers' faces, trying to guess what they're up to.

A group of lads wearing the Tottenham jersey discuss the latest game, one of them praising Kane's goal and regretting him missing the next match. Harry knows a thing or two about football, he even plays it regularly with his friends not so far away from his home, but he doesn't keep up with Manchester United, perhaps he can do that from now on he thinks before letting his gaze fall upon the pack getting down on Baker Street and the few ones hopping on. Most of them are tourists chatting about the Sherlock Holmes museum, the singer smiles, remembering the first time he visited it with his family, many years ago. Sometimes he longs for those days to be back, so he can do the typical touristy things with the people he loves the most once in a while or have a date without a good amount of lenses focused on his every move.

Not that he regrets being a well known musician, actor, model. It comes with a lot of perks. But he's just moving on from a breakup that might have been his fault. He's a workaholic for sure, even though he's supposed to be taking it easy, his mind can't help but keep throwing song ideas for the next album. That is why Jeff suggested the home renovation, knowing that the project will keep him busy for about three months, maybe more if the contractors up sell their ideas.

Harry makes his way out of the station in one piece and without being spotted, he checks the address again on his phone, confirming the place where the meeting will be held is within walking distance and makes his way before choosing a Pink Floyd song for the six minute walk. He pulls his coat tighter around him, relishing in the forever changing weather of the city, this time he will stay and enjoy it in full, maybe even delight in the autumn too, have his mum over for a couple of weeks, maybe he'll even stay longer and take her to the ice rink.

Just as Harry plots on where to go when his favourite person pays him a visit, he reaches the private front garden off a beautiful car-free garden square. He remembers to text Jack, who doesn't take long to appear in the distance and unlock the gate for his friend.

"You're impossibly early mate," the man greets with an amused chuckle.

"Sorry, had to take the tube because of what you said about car-free development, probably miscalculated the time." Harry admits sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck as Jack leads the way through the garden. "Is this where they filmed Notting Hill?" He wonders with another look around.

"Couple of scenes that didn't make the cut, our neighbour Mrs. Black will tell you all about it, if you happen to run into her around Hugh Grant's birthday." Harry laughs as they reach a private entrance with a well-maintained front garden adorning the forepart of the property, he follows Jack inside the home where a strong coffee scent greets them both.

The musician quickly scans the large open plan kitchen/reception room with large glass sliding patio doors to a delightful independent garden where a round table is surrounded by four mismatching chairs. He doesn't remember Jack's old place, but it certainly didn't look as the dream home they're standing in right now.

"Thanks for agreeing to do the meeting here mate," Harry's words are sincere his companion can tell, he tries to shove it off as if it's nothing, handing him the mug with coffee while he pours another one for himself, "I know it can be a handful, the NDAs too." Now he's almost blushing.

"We should be thanking you H, work from home for the next couple of months, my dream come true." Jack manages to make him laugh and feel at ease again, just before the steps of a third party come from the stairs and grow closer towards them. "Just in time, Harry this is Fernando Gonzalez, my housemate and architect of the team." He introduces the tall man to his friend and watches them shake each other's hand, "Fernando this is our client, Harry Styles."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Mr. Styles," his voice is soft and melodic, like an aerophone instrument.

"Please call me H, all my friends do," the musician knows this is business, but he wants to have fun too, like Jeff suggested. And the guy looks way too young to be calling him Mister Styles.

"I warned you Fer, he likes to keep it easy, breezy." Jack says motioning both of them to follow his lead and sit down in their dining table that is covered with house design magazines, floor plans of Harry's home and a couple of what the pop star assumes are sketch notebooks. "Alright, tell us about your vision for this project." In all honesty, Harry doesn't know how to answer that.

He fights the urge to say that he had purchased the property knowing that not much is needed to be done to the décor. The style and the flow of the house is already lovely. After a quick glance at the plan he thinks that maybe, more room is needed and, most importantly, a new kitchen-dining-living space that would be grand enough to entertain in, but cosy enough to be the central 'hub' of his home.

"The windows, for starters, have to be replaced." He begins with a tone so confident that the pair before him don't suspect he's improvising the whole thing. "New bathrooms, perhaps from Lusso Stone, demolish an existing rear extension from the top and design and build an entirely new expansive ultra-modern one, like the one at Lou's home." Jack nods understanding what he means, "I also want a kitchen diner extension, pink granite worktops, if possible." Harry finishes before grabbing one of the magazines and starts flipping pages just to look busy.

The whole project can take six months, they let him know, through the summer and autumn. He's elated at achieving double the time he hoped for in the beginning.

"We'll send the paperwork to your team and see you next week to sign it once they approve it," Jack concludes the meeting as they all finish their coffee. "Are you busy on the nineteenth?" His friend's voice is warmer now that he's not on business mode, it makes Harry smile.

"I don't think I am, why?"

"It's Freddie's birthday, you should come, catch up with the lads," Harry nods while thinking about it, a bit unsure because it has been a while since he's seen the rest of the pack, he's not sure they'll welcome him just like that. "They're always asking about you, could be like old times, lads doing laddy stuff," the green eyed musician chuckles at that, not sure if he wants to go back to those activities of their youth.

"Sure I'll go, text me the address a few days before," his friend nods in approval to his request, "I better get going, I have to pick up my sister for dinner, see you both next week." The youngest nods and shakes Harry's hand before Jack leads the way out the house and square. The sun is setting now and the sky is a mix of pink and purple hues just as the two men bid their goodbyes until they meet again in a week's time.

Harry scolds himself for buying a one way ticket earlier instead of sorting out an Oyster card, he'll do that next time, he thinks before stepping into the train and finding a seat in the middle section of it. Led Zeppelin is a good soundtrack for his journey back home, for some reason he is craving the powerful, noisy, speedy rebellion that came with the band's songs, he loved to get so lost in the music that whatever activity he did came in second, every single time. Which is why he almost didn't get off at the King's cross stop, he hurried out of the vehicle, laughing to himself for being so immersed into the music.

The way back to the northern line was now familiar, but not as busy, he decided not to walk too fast after confirming that he had enough time to go home and take a shower before going over to Gemma's. Waiting at the platform he decides to change his playlist, again. Just as he's about to settle for Wings, out of the corner of his eye he spies what the person next to him is listening to and he stops from hitting play on his own device.

The who.

It's been ages since he heard them, three years if he is being honest. The train arrives and the girl next to him puts her phone in her coat pocket as she prepares to board the wagon, Harry does the same, but instead of training his eyes on the descending passengers, he lets them focus on her. She's wearing a nice burgundy coat, a black newsboy cap, high-waisted jeans with a blue polka dot blouse tucked underneath them. She's much shorter than he is, probably about Helene's height, he thinks as they make their way inside.

Without meaning to, he follows her and leans on the wall, across from her. She doesn't seem to notice how his stare is burning holes into her face, he's itching to ask her where did she buy the red boots she's wearing. Harry knows the moment he speaks to her, it will all go to shit. Some of the school girls sitting nearby might recognise his voice, his dimple could pop out to play and give him away too. She might also think he's a creep and kick him in the shin, leaving a nasty bruise that would heal in about a week, unlike the invisible one in his ego.

"Are you telling me, you developed a ten feet tall crush on someone you saw on the tube?" Gemma asks later that night, her fork full of linguine was stopped mid-air, making her brother roll his eyes but nod bashfully. "I'm speechless." The fork resumes its trajectory and she chews her pasta slowly.

"It happens to everyone, only because you both know that there's almost no chance to see each other again." Harry shrugs and bites a piece of bread, still feeling weird about the situation.

"Did she make eyes at you?"

"What?" He's completely taken off guard by his sister's question, his northern accent coming out and making him drop the 't' at the end.

"Yes, did you flirt with each other making eyes," Gemma's eyelashes flutter as if she was a Disney princess meeting her love interest for the first time, Harry shakes his head in denial, "what was it then?"

"I don't know! It was weird, couldn't take my eyes off of her but... she didn't even notice, I sound like a dirty man," he does, his sister agrees but the pink spots on his cheekbones tell a different story.

"I once had a crush like that, with a cashier at Waitrose," she remembers before sipping her wine, "he was nice to look at, one day he wasn't there anymore, just like that." Gemma sighed and took her younger sibling's hand on hers before adding. "If our lives were a Nicholas Sparks novel, perhaps we would be getting ready to have a date with those lovely people but..." Harry laughed and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"How's the sunnies collaboration going?" He asked before taking the last of his gnocchi. Listening to his sister talk about things that she enjoyed was the highlight of his days, he managed to push his silly underground crush to the back of his mind.

But there was the truth of what Harry couldn't see, or say. He'd probably like to have a shot with a girl like that and if Gemma could only see her, she would agree. Agree that there might be a story around there.

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#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles oc #harry styles series #harry styles fan fic #harry styles ou #harry styles imagine #a certain romance

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z-iridest · 4 years

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Yu-Gi-Oh!: Renegade

Chapter Two: Dragon vs Phoenix Part 1-

Just as Yuko reached her garage in Underground City, the metal door to it slid open, a small figure bursting out. "Yuko's back!" The shout of a tiny but loud voice rang out, the small figure bolting towards her. Yuko couldn't help but smile as she moved the kickstand down with her foot, setting the old Duel Runner down and bending down, extending her arms just in time to catch the child in front of her. Giggles left the child's mouth as Yuko gave the young one a big hug before smiling down at the six year old in her arms.

The child was one that Yuko had known since the youngster was a baby, having been raised by the same foster mother. The child's name was Holden, a young boy left on the steps of their foster mother's home with a right arm missing. Thanks to Yuko's older brother, Holden had a metal arm in place of his missing limb, however it did have a tendency to act up from time to time. Since Yuko had first held the little boy, they'd grown attached to each other, so much so that Holden was practically Yuko's little brother. Big green eyes met her own, shinning in happiness with the biggest smile. Holden's small head was covered by dark brown hair that hung in his eyes, and Yuko was reminded that at some point she needed to take him to get his hair at least trimmed out of his little face. There was a bandage over the bridge of his little nose, as well as one on his left cheek, a reminder of just how clumsy the poor kid really was.

If Yuko had been paying attention, she would have seen the rest of her chosen family running out to join them. "Big sister, did you get all the parts you needed to finish your project?" Holden asked, practically bouncing in Yuko's arms with excitement. Yuko nodded in response with a smile and gently patted the Duel Runner beside her with her gloved hand. "That's not the only thing I found." She told the young boy, turning his attention to it. Holden's little jaw dropped, making Yuko laugh as the boy gaped in awe at what he was seeing.

"Is that the Phoenix Whirlwind?" Yuko turned her attention to a girl around her age. Since no one knew her true name, she had been called Raven as a joke and it had stuck with her. What gave her the nickname was her raven-black hair, the girl's eyes a warm, dark chocolate brown. In response to her friend's question, Yuko nodded. "They got him... I was hoping the rumors about Jack Atlas getting caught by the Chasers were wrong but..." Raven cut herself off, not wanting to finish the horrifying sentence in front of Holden, who was innocently blinking at her.

"Of course they got Jack Atlas. They got Yusei, and Yusei was the champ of Turbo Duels back in his day." One of her other friends, this time a male, piped up. He had a slim, but athletic build, short jet black hair, his eyes being a striking crimson red that could be warm with kindness or ablaze with hatred depending on who you were.

"But, Adom, what if Jack was able to get away and crashed his Duel Runner so they would never find him?" Holden asked before looking up at Yuko with his big green eyes, a determination there that caused a smile to come to Yuko's face. "It's possible, isn't it, Big Sis?" Yuko nodded in confirmation.

"It's possible all right, Holden." Yuko replied before noticing the look on Adom's face. "What? He's got a point." Yuko shrugged at him.

"Even if Jack managed to away from the Chasers, -and that's a very big if- he's more than likely dead by now or a really, really old man. But, we'll argue about that more later. Let's get this inside before Chaser Rejects see it." Raven put in, Yuko standing to full height as she, Raven and Adom worked together to wheel the old, broken down Duel Runner into the garage. Hilariously, little Holden marched in front of them, acting like the little leader of a marching band. Yuko's shoulders shook in laughter as she pushed the Duel Runner, eventually getting it inside where the rest of her friends were waiting for her. Her other two friends were both male, muscular in stature, and both tall. One had piercing cobalt blue eyes with dark red hair that made him stand out like a sore thumb, meanwhile the other had golden blond hair and dark chocolate brown eyes. The boys watched as Holden led the way into the garage with the older three teenagers behind him. As Holden raced off to grab Yuko's tool box, the two boys closed the metal garage door, the outside of which had been spray painted with a jade green phoenix rising from the ashes, the symbol of the 5 friends....

"Any luck on finding the parts you needed?" The blond, Jacob, asked Yuko. Yuko nodded in response.

"I have all the parts I need to finish it today." She answered him, putting the kick stand on the Duel Runner down and letting the old Duel Runner rest as she began walking over to her work desk in one of the corners.

"Will it work?" The redhead, Isaac, asked her, a brow raising.

"I'm hoping it will. If it does, this'll change dueling as we know it." Yuko answered as she removed her messenger bag from her shoulders.

"It'll definitely work, Big Sis!" Holden excitedly told her as he came back into the room, setting Yuko's tool box down on the work table next to her. Yuko smiled down at him in thanks and ruffled his hair, making him grin.

"How was business while I was away?" Yuko asked. Being the main prosthetic mechanic in Underground City meant that Yuko had her own shop, the base where every and all repairs and replacements took place.... Part of which was the garage they were currently in.

"Only a couple people came in, mostly the old geezers again... All they really needed was the joints on their prosthetics oiled... Is it me, or is DracTech's prosthetic quality going downhill?" Jacob asked. Yuko shrugged.

"That or they're just giving us the ones that barely work." Yuko answered as she opened a drawer, pulling out the unfinished Duel Disk and setting it on the desk in front of her.

"Figures. In the past month alone, business has been extremely busy when you're here." Isacc reminded her as she pulled out the parts she had gathered and began fixing the ones that needed minor repairs before the parts were put in the Duel Disk.

"Something shady's going on, and I don't like it." Raven added, keeping an eye on Holden as the boy pulled up a chair next to Yuko to watch her work.

"It's Dracnus, of course something shady's going on." Adom pointed out. "The guy might as well be a coin, there's two sides to him."

"A face that he shows to the people of Cypher City, and then there's his true face... I still can't believe he manipulated people into thinking that the destruction of Daedalus Bridge was caused by Duelists." Isaac told them.

"Anything to avoid blame being put on himself. If he had to, he'd blame everyone that worked for him before he took the fall. Dracnus is a coward." Jacob replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"One of these days, we'll show everyone the truth." Raven put in.

"That won't be enough." Yuko spoke up, having stayed silent until that point. "If we expose what he did to everyone without taking him down first, we run the risk of him covering it up and labeling it as propaganda."

"Propaganda? Yuko, we're not in a war." Adom told her.

"Not yet, we're not." Yuko stopped what she was doing to look at Adom for a moment.

"Look around, you two. We may not be locked in a war with Cypher City, but we are fighting our own war down here... Ever since Chasers started losing Derby Duels and retreating down here, Duel Gangs started resurfacing and taking over Underground City. It's been an all out war between Duel Gangs ever since the first five came down here about 15 years ago." Isaac added in.

"It hasn't been much of a war nowadays. Ever since the Dragon Kings first showed up in Underground City, they've taken over almost all of it, taking down the rival gangs along the way." Raven's brows furrowed as she spoke, reminding everyone of the tyrant Duel Gang that ruled the streets for years.

"For sure... The Dragon Kings are getting stronger, and it doesn't help that they're the Duel Gang that normally recruits the recent ex-Chasers. Besides, they're upholding the same rules Dracnus and the Chasers enforce topside." Jacob added in. "They take away and destroy any Duel Disk they find, and any duelist that loses against them loses their deck."

"Which is why the design I created for this Duel Disk is so crucial." Yuko said, having resumed her work while the others were talking, not looking up from her work as she talked. "If it works, this prototype'll make it easier on us duelists to hide in plain sight."

"Yeah... If it works." Isaac retorted.

"Don't be so negative!" Everybody turned to look at Holden, seeing a little scowl on his face. "It's gonna work, I just know it!" His little arms quickly moved up and down, the force causing the chair to tip backwards a bit. Yuko quickly put her hand behind Holden's chair, catching it with one hand before it could hit the ground and returning it to the correct position.

"I hope you're right, little man. It'd be a step towards reviving Duel Monsters for the people if this is complete." Jacob told him, everyone stopping as they heard the last part click into place. Holden's green eyes widened in excitement, looking up at Yuko. Yuko placed the bottom cover on.

"Speaking of which, time to test it." Yuko replied as she rose to her feet again, clipping the brand new Duel Disk to her gloved arm.

"Moment of truth." Raven added, crossing her fingers. Yuko nodded in reply and tapped the engraving of a phoenix on the underside of the Duel Disk. Just as she had hoped, the Duel Disk's nanotechnology activated, transforming from a Duel Disk into a small, silver ID bracelet with the engraving of a phoenix rising from the ashes. All the teenagers except for Yuko went wide eyed, meanwhile Holden could barely contain his excitement.

"It works, it works!" Holden exclaimed excitedly, jumping down from the chair and jumping up and down in excitement.

"The transition part at least... That was a lot smoother than I thought it'd be." Yuko told him.

"Looks like you programmed it just right... You still gotta test it in a Duel though, don't you?" Raven asked. Yuko nodded in reply.

"Yeah, but that'll be later on... Right now, I gotta get up to the shop before more people come in." Yuko replied as she cleaned up the spare parts. Just as she reached for her tools, a little bell went off, letting Yuko know that someone was in the shop and waiting to be helped. "Shoot... You see?" Yuko asked her friends before turning to put away her tools... Only to find little Holden already ahead of her, smiling up at her for a second. Yuko smiled down at him. "What would I do without you, little man?" She asked him, rufflinng his hair a bit before working together with him to put away the rest of the tools. Once they were picked up, Yuko grabbed her tool box and went up the stairs to put it back in it's proper place. "Be right with you!" She called to the customer, almost stopping in her tracks when she heard a familiar chuckle.

"No need to rush, Yuko. You know I don't mind waitin' for you." The old man's voice was deeper than anybody would have remembered him, his once blue-green hair had gone completely gray, but it was still pulled back in the high ponytail with the shoulder length side bangs it had been in when he was a boy, his green eyes still twinkling with the mischief of his childhood years. Yuko smiled as soon as she saw him, moving around the counter to embrace the old man.

"It's good to see you, Pops." She told him, feeling him hug her back. The old man before her was only known as Pops, the nickname he often told the duelists he mentored to call him. His real name, he kept secret, though no one was sure why. "So, how are you doing? Everything okay?" Yuko asked.

"Whelp, I'm 110 years old, and I'm feeling pretty dang good." Pops grinned before a cough racked him, making Yuko's brow furrow in worry. "Heh, that is... As good as an old man my age can feel, anyway." Pops replied. "I just came by to check on you and your friends."

"We're doing just fine, Pops, don't you worry." Yuko smiled slightly.

"Aw, come on now, you know this old man can't help it. You six are like the sons and daughters I never had. Hey now, I gotta ask you, Yuko... How's that new Duel Disk design coming along?" Pops asked, dropping his voice to a whisper and leaning in close to Yuko so she could hear him. Pops had known about Yuko's Duel Disk design since day one, and regularly checked up on it's progress, whether it was a quick drop by like that day or if he came in for a service to one of the prosthetics he had. It was a secret he took great joy in knowing. Yuko replied with a smile, showing him the ID bracelet on her left wrist. Pops' green eyes went wide, lit up with excitement. "Is that..." He started to ask. Yuko nodded, her smile growing. "I can't wait to see it in action, my girl."

"Hopefully it'll actually work during a duel." Yuko sweatdropped nervously, rubbing the back of her neck with a hand.

"It will, I know it." Pops told her, making her smile.

"There's something I wanna show you, Pops, something I found in the Junkyard while getting the last parts for my Duel Disk." Yuko told him. Pops tipped his head to one side curiously, seeing Yuko's friends walk into the shop from the back out of the corner of his eye.

"What is it?" He asked.

"If you wanna show him, we'll watch the shop until you get back, Yuko." Isaac told her. Yuko nodded in thanks and smiled at Pops.

"How about I show you right now?" Yuko asked him, Pops chuckling and going down to the garage with her. Yuko slowly descended down the steps, helping Pops down as well. When Pops stepped down the last step, he looked up to thank Yuko, but his words stopped dead in his throat with what he saw. Noticing Pops' silence, Yuko turned a worried glance to Pops. "Pops?" She asked, watching as the old man walked over to the old Duel Runner, feeling like the young man he was the last time he saw the Phoenix Whirlwind in action. He gingerly placed a shaking hand on the Duel Runner's side.

"It's been 99 years, 4 months and 27 days since the last time I saw this old girl..." He spoke, his voice shaking. Yuko approached Pops, gently placing a hand over his shoulder.

"This is my next task to complete, Pops... Restoring her. Hopefully, one day I can use her to get the people of Underground City reunited with the people of Cypher City." Yuko told him. She felt Pops place a shaky hand over hers as he turned to her.

"I hope I'm still around when it's finished, Yuko. If I'm being completely honest, this Duel Runner is the only thing left that still reminds me of the good times with my friends... and my sister." Pops told her.

"Your sister?" Yuko asked. Pops nodded.

"My younger twin... We were separated when the Hunt was ordered. If I had to guess where she might be, I'd guess the Duel Spirit world, but I'm not certain." Pops told her, gently squeezing her hand.

"You must miss her." Yuko replied. Pops nodded in reply.

"More than you know, my girl... More than you know." Pops answered before looking at the Duel Runner again. "Have you run a diagnostic yet?" Pops asked. Yuko shook her head.

"I gotta run the shop before I can do anything with it." Yuko told him honestly, causing Pops to raise an eyebrow. Yuko blinked at the sudden shift in behavior. "What?"

"Have you been pulling all nighters again, young lady?" Pops asked, his voice getting a little stern which made Yuko blink and look sheepish.

"In order to finish anything I start around here, I don't really have a choice. Especially recently, it's been so busy..."

"That's no excuse for not getting enough rest, Yuko Adonis. My word, you remind me of someone I used to know. Always wanting to do things himself until it landed him in a hospital bed over and over. That'll be you if you don't get enough rest." He scolded her.

"I'll get some rest tonight, Pops, I promise!" Yuko told him. Pops deadpanned.

"Everytime I scold you about it, you say that. You never seem to follow through." Pops replied.

"You know me, Pops, I don't like leaving anything unfinished." Yuko responded, blinking when Pops raised an eyebrow at her.

"Swear to me on your brother's grave that you'll get some sleep tonight." Pops told her, making her flinch. "You know your brother would force you to go to bed if he were here, no matter how stubborn you can get." Yuko sighed in defeat.

"Fine, Pops. I promise on my brother's grave that I'll get some sleep tonight." Yuko promised. Pops smiled.

"Good." He replied before going back upstairs with Yuko.

Just as Yuko came back upstairs with Pops, the door to the store opened, a little girl bursting through. She looked only a couple years younger than Holden, 3 at the youngest, with the biggest brown eyes and sapphire blue hair in tangles. The little girl hid behind Holden, her little face pale on fear and her entire body violently shaking. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy, little one. You're safe." Isaac tried calming her down, but she only hid behind Holden more. The door burst open again, this time a group of 5 young men entering the shop. All of them were as muscular as Isaac and Jacob, a bit taller with varying colored short hair and different eye colors. But, each of them had a taunting smirk on their face, a tattoo of a roaring dragon on their left arms.

"The Dragon Kings." Adom growled out. Yuko's jade flecked sapphire eyes turned as cold as ice as they narrowed into a threatening glare.

"Holden, take her downstairs and stay there until one of us comes and gets you." Yuko ordered Holden. Holden nodded and gently took the little girl's hand, reassuring her as they walked down the stairs together. Once the kids were downstairs, Yuko parkoured over the counter. "You boys better explain what you're doing in Jade Phoenix territory." She snarled, a threat in her tone.

"We don't want any trouble, just the kid that ran in here." The leader smirked, his hazel eyes showing an overconfidence that was often the downfall of many rivals of the Legendary Duelists.

"You mean the little girl that's scared half to death?" Jacob asked.

"She's got a Duel Monsters deck, morons." One of the thugs told them.

"You know the rules, no one's allowed to have a deck but us." A second one told them, walking toward Yuko to push past her. Yuko punched him in the gut. When he bent over to hold his stomach, she kicked him across the face, causing him to go crashing into his buddies.

"Too bad. You want the kid, you go through me. If I win, you get out of my turf and never show your ugly mugs around here again." Yuko barked.

"That so? What's in it for me if I win?" The leader snarled back.

"This becomes your turf. You'll have all of Underground City to yourselves... We're the only Duel Gang left standing in your way, right?" Yuko asked. The leader smirked.

"Oh no, I want something more than control over the last bit of Underground City that's left... I hear you have a rare card by the name of Phoenix Mage." With his words, Adom's eyes widened while Yuko's narrowed. "If I win, I gain control of your turf and your card." The leader smirked. "I'll even put up my most rare card as an ante, just to make things even. If I somehow lose the Duel, it's all yours. It's just too bad Phoenix Mage is the only card you have. According to the rules, you can't have a deck, let alone a Duel Disk." In response, Yuko held up her entire deck, making the eyes of the 5 members of the Dragon Kings widen.

"As you boys know all too well..." Yuko pressed the phoenix engraving on her ID bracelet, the nanotechnology once again activating and transforming from a bracelet into the Duel Disk Yuko had designed and built herself. "Rules were made to be broken." Yuko told them as she put her deck in place, all of the cards being shuffled. "If you boys want a Duel, let's head outside so I can use you for practice." The leader glared at her.

"Practice? You'll be sorry!" The leader stormed out of the shop, Yuko behind him.

"Be careful, Yuko." Pops warned her. Yuko merely smiled at the old man before glaring at her opponent.

"Kick her butt, Yang!" One of the boys cheered for his friend, the other three following suit.

"Age before beauty." Yuko taunted, causing her friends to snigger. The leader glared at her.

Yuko Adonis: 8000 Cornelius Yang: 8000

"I'll wipe that stupid smirk off your face starting now! I'll kick things off by setting a card and ending my turn with a facedown."

Yuko Adonis: 8000 Cornelius Yang: 8000

"With that, it's my turn. I draw!" Yuko drew a card and looked at her hand. 'All right, not a bad hand to start off with: Amazoness Chain Master, Shield Crush, Amazoness Sage, United We Stand, Swift Scarecrow, and The Warrior Returning Alive.' Yuko thought. "All right, I'll start by summoning Amazoness Sage in attack mode! Next, I'll activate the spell card Shield Crush, which destroys any defense position monster of my choosing, and I choose your facedown monster!" Yang grimmaced as his monster was destroyed, glaring at her. "Next, I'll equip my Amazoness Sage with United We Stand, which gives my Sage an additional 800 attack and defense points for every faceup monster I control (2200 attack points/ 1500 defense points). Now, I'll attack you directly with Amazoness Sage!"

"Not so fast! I activate the trap card, Negate Attack! This stops your attack dead in it's tracks." Yang smirked.

"Don't think this is the end of the Duel, Yang. I end my turn with a facedown." Yuko replied.

"I thought so, I draw!" Yang exclaimed, drawing a card.

Yuko Adonis: 8000 Cornelius Yang: 8000

"I summon Archfiend Soldier in attack mode!" Yang shouted.

"1900 attack points?" Jacob gulped.

"Yep, and that's not all! I equip my Archfiend Soldier with the Sword of Deep-Seated, giving my Archfiend an additional 500 attack and defense points!" Yang shouted. "Now that I have everything I need to destroy you... Archfiend Soldier, attack Amazoness Sage!" Yang commanded.

"You've got her now! With 2400 attack points, Archfiend Soldier easily overpowers her Amazoness Sage!" His friends cheered.

"You mean he would have.... If I didn't activate the special ability of Swift Scarecrow from my hand. By discarding it to the Graveyard, I can negate your attack, and end your Battle Phase." Yuko replied. Yang growled.

"I end my turn, but don't think you're going to win this." Yang told her.

"Then it's my move now! I draw!" Yuko drew another card, a smile coming to her face when she saw the card she drew. "I summon Amazoness Chain Master in attack mode, and since I summoned her successfully, my Amazoness Sage gains an additional 800 attack and defense points." Yang's eyes widened as Amazoness Sage's attack and defense points rose from 2200 attack points and 1500 defense points to 3000 attack points and 2300 defense points.

"3000 attack points?!" Yang exclaimed.

"Wow, I'm surprised you can do math that fast. But, I'm not done, because now I'm activating the spell card Black Pendant from my hand, which allows the monster I equip it to an additional 500 attack points, and I'm equipping it to my Amazoness Chain Master!" Yuko smirked.

"That means Amazoness Chain Master now has 2000 attack points!" Isaac exclaimed. Yang's face paled.

"Now, I attack your Archfiend Soldier with my Amazoness Sage!" Yuko exclaimed. Yang grunted as he took 600 points in damage. He growled. "Oh, I'm not done yet, Yang. I still have one more attack to make. Amazoness Chain Master, your turn! Attack Yang directly!" Yuko exclaimed, Yang exclaiming in pain as he lost 2000 more life points. Yuko smirked. "And with that, I end my turn. Let's see what you've got for me this turn."

Yuko Adnois: 8000 Cornelius Yang: 5400

"I draw!" Yang drew a card, looking at it. He smirked before his eyes turned to Yuko. "I activate the spell card, Mind Control! With this, I take control of your Amazoness Sage! It's just too bad I can't attack or tribute her." Yang laughed, the spell card activating and switching Amazoness Sage to Yang's side of the field.

"Even if you could, she loses 800 attack and defense points due to her being the only card on your side of the field." Yuko pointed out.

"She won't be for long. I summon my level 4 monster, Dragon Hunter!" Yang told her. "And with 2200 attack points, this is gonna hurt... Dragon Hunter, take out her Amazoness Chain Master!" A grunt left Yuko as she lost 200 Life Points.

"You better be ready to pay the price for that move, because now I'm activating Black Pendant's second ability. When it's destroyed, you lose 500 Life Points!" Yuko yelled.

"What?!" Yang asked, his voice going up a pitch before he lost 500 Life Points. He growled. "I end my turn, and Amazoness Sage returns to you due to the effect of Mind Control."

Yuko Adonis: 7800 Cornelius Yang: 4900

"Then it's my turn! I draw!" Yuko shouted as she drew a card. She smiled when she saw the card she had drawn and looked up at Yang. "Before I do anything more, I'll activate my facedown card: The Warrior Returning Alive. With this card, I'm allowed to bring a Warrior- type monster back from the Graveyard and add it to my hand, and thanks to you, there's only one Warrior Type monster! Return to my hand Amazoness Chain Master!" Yuko shouted, the card returning to her hand. "Now, I summon Amazoness Swords Woman in attack mode, and due to my United We Stand spell card still equipped to Amazoness Sage, her attack returns to 3000, her defense rising to 2300."

"Uh-oh..." All of Yang's friends said at the same time.

"Uh-oh is right! Amazoness Sage, you're up first! Attack Yang's Dragon Hunter!" Yuko yelled. Yang groaned in pain as he lost 800 Life Points. "Now, Amazoness Swords Woman, your turn! Attack Yang directly!" Yang cried out as he lost 1500 more Life Points. He growled.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Yang yelled.

"From where I'm standing, you're the one about to pay! You're about to pay for picking on a toddler! You've got 2600 Life Points left, whatever you're about to do during this move, I'd make it count if I were you! If I happen to summon something strong next turn, your goose is as good as cooked!" Yuko yelled.

Yuko Adonis: 7800 Cornelius Yang: 2600

"I draw!" Yang drew, a smirk crossing his face when he saw the card before he started laughing. "This duel's gonna end real soon, but I'll just end my turn with a facedown! You're up, Birdie!"

Yuko Adonis: 7800 Cornelius Yang: 2600

"My move then! I draw!" Yuko yelled. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw Phoenix Mage. 'What the? Why now?' She thought before shaking it off. "I summon Amazoness Chain Master to the field, which increases my Amazoness Sage's attack points to 3800 due to the effect of United We Stand. Now, I attack you directly with Amazoness Sage! Amazoness Sage, time to end this!" Yuko yelled, getting thrown off when Yang started laughing.

"That's what I was hoping you'd do! I activate the Trap Card: Mirror Cylinder! This handy little trap takes your attack and directs it back at you, destroying all your monsters along the way and inflicting damage equal to the combined attack points! Say goodbye to 6800 of your Life Points, Yuko!" Yang laughed as the trap activated, inflicting the damage. Yuko cried out as she was thrown backward by the force of the attack, hitting the ground hard with a groan.

"Yuko!" Raven cried.

"She's only got 1000 Life Points left!" Jacob shouted, his eyes wide.

"I can't watch!" Isaac replied, covering his face with his hands.

"Quitting on your friend already?" Pops asked, directing the other's attention to him. For a majority of the Duel, he'd been silent, smiling with Yuko's moves, but chose now to speak up. "You forget that I'm not the only one who taught her how to Duel. You remember her older brother Liam? That young man never gave up until the final Life Point was lost, and Yuko's no different. Have more faith in her. She may have lost a good chunk of her Life Points, but this isn't over." Pops told them, scolding them slightly.

"You've got a point, Pops...." Adom trailed off. "Liam was one heck of a duelist, and he was able to pass some of his tricks onto Yuko before he passed away. Yuko's got just as much determination as he did, if not more..." Pops nodded.

"All she has to do is believe in her deck." Pops replied. 'Let's just hope it'll be enough...' He thought.

Yuko Adonis: 1000 Cornelius Yang: 2600

To Be Continued.....

#Yu-Gi-Oh! Renegade #Yuko Adonis #Cornelius Yang #rivalry reborn #Phoenix vs Dragon

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