Normal p.o.v.

Somewhere unknown inside the network was a huge black dragon with 3000 att points attacking an unknown world, leading chaos in its wake. A man dressed in white and red jumpsuit of some kind where controlling it. His dark crimson hair with red highlights were sticking out like a wildfire and surely burning with passion in his attempts of destroying this world. The white mantle was flapping in the wind behind him as his monster flew around and created wind and devastation in its wake. He lifted his red armed glove in the air to signal an order to his flying beast.

"The Cyberse will be no more. 'Cracking dragon' destroy this world!" he yelled fiercely, and fire sprouted out of his dragon's mouth to burn down everything in sight.

At the sky was what looked like a red energized digitized circle shown and inside was 5 beings captured. All each in a different color.

"How did the knights of Hanoi find us?" the yellow being questioned as it fought its confinement "He is gonna wipe us out! We gotta do something!".

"Do what? He's got us trapped!" an orange being responded as it also tried to force itself out of there.

In the meantime, a single being in dark colors were still floating around in the sky and were dodging the cracking dragon's attempts in destroying it.

"But not me!" the dark being then suddenly bragged "Because no one can capture this fellow and I mean no one! And since you are all tied up at the moment; I mean really all of you. Embarrassing. Anyway, I guess it is up to me to save the day".

"Cracking dragon! Don't let that stray escape!" the man in the jumpsuit shouted. His gleaming yellow cold eyes were glaring at the dark being now as his dragon once again attacked this stray.

"Watch out!" one of the beings, the female in the colors of blue, shouted, making the dark being aware of the dragons attempts in slaying it.

As a means to escape the dark being jumped up in the sky and broke the barrier between this world and the network, leaving the other 5 beings still trapped inside the energized circle.

"Did he just bail on us? Just like the Queen. Why would she leave us in a time like this?" A green being questioned sorrowfully.

"I am sure she has a good reason for not being here to save us. She is our beloved Queen" the red being replied with in pure loyalty.

"We still need to do something, or we are cooked" the green being replied back with.

It had just said that, when a familiar buzz ran through them all and they knew that the dark member of their group now had did the unthinkable.

"No! That Ignis is cutting off the Cyberse from the rest of the network!" the knight shouted in pure distress.

"He is hiding our world in order to protect us!" the red being or ignis uttered stunned.

"But won't that mean, he can never come home again?" the green being questioned "I hope for all our sakes that the queen is here somewhere in our world, or she might not be able to come home either".

"Where is she? I really miss her" the blue being said and sighed.

"Does it matter?" the yellow being replied in a firm tone "The odds of Him succeeding are less than 10 percent...".

Before long, the Cyberse world were digitized into a small code pierce hidden inside the right eyeball of this dark ignis. That was the last thing it saw before cracking dragon took a huge bite of it. Its digitized code being ripped apart and soon reduced to that exact eyeball who were holding the code piece, before disappearing into the network. Red boots hit the fragmented floor of a new server inside the network and the knight of Hanoi were glaring intensely up in the sky at the spot of the network where the Cyberse world had been a minute ago but was now hiding somewhere inside the network. Just as the dark ignis.

"Find every fragment of that Ignis!" the knight ordered firmly "It's the only one who knows the precise location of the Cyberse".

5 years later.

Somewhere, inside a giant city named Den city's network is a black eyeball hiding inside a gargoyle watching two duelists deck it out on a suspicious bridge. The first one was dressed in similar ropes as the man attacking the Cyberse, while the other were dressed in a tight black and green jumpsuit with a golden strip going down his body to his belt and his left leg. His hair was styled in three different colors. Red, yellow, and pink. He was currently having his 'Link slayer' with 2000 att points on the field, while his opponent had a 'Hack worm' who only had 400 att points. With quick moments the boy made his monster attack and destroy the Hack worm, reducing the other duelists life points to 0.

"You dare attack and defeat a knight of Hanoi boy! You made a fatal mistake!" the man in white clothing uttered angrily "Once you cross us, you are marked for life".

"Good then you will be seeing a lot more of me, so you ought to remember this face, or better yet, my name. It is playmaker".

Hissing sounds could be heard from the knight, before he logged himself out of there, leaving the boy Playmaker alone of this almost finished structured bridge. His green eyes flickered to something behind him.

"I know you are there" he said, "Cut out the stealth already".

Chuckling laugher could be heard as a former transparent being weren't so transparent any longer. A girl with shoulder long orange hair sends him a cheeky smile of innocence, which were clearly not the case, since Playmaker knew her and her sneaky tendencies as a witch. A fitting personality really since her avatar really were dressed as one. Her long black pointy hat with a red ribbon tied around it. Her black and red blouse with shoulder less sleeves tied up with a strops to the black color around her neck, with that red ribbon tied on her chest as accessory. Her white skirt with her black dueling belt, who was not only holding her dueling gear, but also her latest brooking conquests and wand. An item she herself uses as her hacking skill. Surely only as a nice accessory since your avatar wasn't in need of all this, but then again Asteria witch had already been a girl for dramatics. Her red and black striped knee socks and black boots finished her look along with several star symbol accessories. Like at the edge of her hat and the lines of stars in her skirt. It was said to glow when she summoned monsters from her extra deck when dueling, but Playmaker had yet to see those skills in action himself. Not that he really cared.

"Aw you found me and here I thought I could stay unnoticed and blackmail dear playmaker with the footage I am having" she pouted innocently "I am sure the knights of Hanoi pay nice for hints at their nemesis".

"Unknown already paid this month's payments and you know it" Playmaker growled "You are just doing this to annoy me. Why else are you here?".

"Can't a dear little Witch-ling watch her own hints getting paid off the right way? After all, I tipped you off about the knights of Hanoi in the first place" she singsong "Call it investments of the future. I wanted to see if dear old Playmaker in action that's all. To see if you were worth my time helping. If you can't deal with this low scum of a knight, how will you deal with their leader?".

"I will. I promise you that. I will take them all down" Playmaker growled dangerously. On the outside however, he was calm and collected. "You just fulfil your end of the bargain and snug out their whereabouts".

"That's the spirit. Now I will be going. This footage doesn't sell itself you know" Asteria witch waved and were about to leave when...

"You never told me your reasonings for helping me or Unknown in all this" Playmaker then said as he looked at the little Witch "Your payment isn't even money related, so why? What has the knights of Hanoi done to you that does make you want to me to take them down for you?".

The orange haired girl froze slightly for a second, before turning around and sending him a fake cheeky smile.

"Well, that is a business secret you know. You don't ask a lady like that, or you will ruin the mystery. Don't you have any manners at all". She waved lecturing with her wand now "If you really wanna know, you as a gentleman, will have to reveal your reasonings first. It is only polite".

All which made Playmaker growl at first. He did however not break the silence between them and after a while they both logged out. They did however not know they both had been watched.

Crissy's p.o.v.

Time skip.

The white room flickered statically all around me. An act that had me instantly shutter. The memories of this dreadful place. The screams. The voltages. It was so horrible that it made my stomach curl, and I was sure if this continued, I might end with throwing up. I forced myself over to the walls as I desperately tried to find something, anything, that could leave me out of here, but it was impossible. There was no way of escape anywhere. Fear creeps around me as I bowed down and curled into a ball. I was trying to escape reality by thinking of something else. Someplace nice with a bed and food and... I shook my head as voltage once again ran through me and I felt the ground screaming in pain. Or that was at least what I wanted to say. No sound left my mouth. I wanted to scream out my distress. I wanted to be heard. I wanted someone to save me.

"Shh my child. It is going to be okay. This is not real" a female voice then suddenly said and instantly got my attention.

It sounded warm and inviting. Even caring in some way. As I lifted my head I was surrounded in a warm golden light and the thought of a deity showing itself to me did enter my mind.

"Who... who are you?" I then managed to say which surprised me a great deal. Usually, I was not able to talk to anyone. "Yusaku...".

"No child. We are not him" the golden voice spoke and chuckled "That is not to say that he isn't waking you up. This is all a dream after all".

"A dream, but... I don't understand, who are you? Why are you entering my dreams?" I asked. Only to hear them chuckle once again.

"You needed my light. But don't worry. One day we will meet child. That's a promise...".

"No wait. Don't go! You didn't explain yourself!". But it was pointless since the dream and the glowing light were beginning to get hazy.

"Crissy! Crissy! Wake up! You are having a nightmare!".

I groaned slightly as my eyes flustered upwards, making me realize everything really was indeed a dream. Right now, I was in a now empty classroom inside Den city Highschool. Beside me was a very worried classmate of mine as well as my only close Friend Yusaku Fujiki. We had been friends over 6 years now. As unbelievable as it was, considering our poor social skills. I could still remember that time we meet in elementary school. Yusaku had saved me from some known bullies that loved making my life miserable. Why he had appeared that day still had me wonder. Sure, Yusaku states it is because we share a link in some way and that was why he had come to my aid that day. It had been a blessing in disguise really considering the rumors who had been fluctuating around Yusaku. The weird child with barely any emotions and spoke his three reasons. That made the children in our school avoid him thinking he would bring a curse upon them or something. Of course, it was all rubbish. Yusaku was not like that. Not at all! That said, the rumor did keep the bullies away from me after we began hanging out together. Just as he promised. It took me some time to realize that he had been in the same incident I had been as a child and that was the reason for his standoffish behavior. Could be that link he spoke off, but it still had me pondering. What were the odds of two children who have had the same dreadful experience in the past were to meet up in the future the way Yusaku and I had met? Not very likely, I am sure. Even if it was, shouldn't we be repulsed by each other because it reminded us of our own trauma? In my head that made more sense really. Not that I ever regret meeting Yusaku ever. He is my best and only friend in this whole wide world!

"Easy. Calm down. You are shaking. Take a deep breaths" Yusaku told me as I finally returned back to reality.

He was holding my hand in a light touch. It was first now I realized my heart was beating like crazy and I was gasping for air. I of course did as Yusaku said and took a deep breath to calm my nerves. Sometimes I wonder if my mind fitted my body at all. I mean was it normal that I could think rationally thoughts while also having a panic attack? Why had I first realized this now?

"Better?" Yusaku questioned minutes later when I finally had gotten my breathing under control. I quickly responded with a nod to his question.

"Good. You had me worried" he replied with and returned back to what he apparently had been doing before he attempted in waking me up.

Packing his things inside his school bag. I bit my lip uncomfortably before grabbing one of my most used paper signs from my backpack. The well-known 'I am sorry' sign. All which made Yusaku turn his head to read it, before humming softly.

"There is no need to be sorry and I can give you three reasons for why that is" Yusaku began and were holding up his three fingers. "For 1. You are not doing this to seek attention or worry me. 2. None of us can control our own nightmares and 3. You have Ptsd. In my book that states that it is not your fault in the first place".

I let a tiny growl escape my lip at that statement. Yusaku might think I had no reason to be sorry, but the guilt of being a bother to him or everyone else was still getting to me. I was about to roam around in my backpack for yet another sign when another classmate of ours decided to show up.

"Well, you look at that. You two are both finally awake. I thought you were going to sleep through the whole semester".

I turned instantly towards the newcomer and sighed deeply inside. It was Naoki Shima, a boy from our class who had made it his mission in befriending Yusaku, for unknown reasons. It was interesting display though considering the rumors Yusaku had been having over his head most of his life. Not that it bothered him really. However, he had taken in my suggestion on staring anew and enrolled in Den city high school who was known for its technology and classes that revolved around network engineering and the network itself. Something Yusaku of course found fascinating and were the reason we enrolled here after middle school. That and it was a fresh start. No one knew of our past and the rumors that followed. That said, Naoki Shima was a special case itself. I mean many people leave Yusaku alone because of his standoffish nature, but not Shima. It was like Yusaku's continuously rejections just spurred him on instead.

"Yeah. Had a long night Shima" was Yusaku's only responds.

"Oh yeah Yusaku. You two are going to have a long time in detention if you keep sleeping through all the classes" Shima sneered and chuckled "Instead of books you should have brought a pillow".

"Hey not a bad idea" Yusaku replied and got up from his seat.

"Yeah, I am full of them" Shima said and chuckled at his own joke "Like my idea to snatch this".

He was now holding up the latest trend in duel disk for both of us to see. It was wrapped around his left wrist. It was the newest developed duel disk created by Sol technology, the biggest company in Den city. They were also responsible for Link Vrains, the virtual world of dueling and other sorts of technology. I went down to my own wrist who was also having a rare Sol tech rainbow-colored duel disk. My own perks of having a sister who worked at Sol tech.

"That is a nice watch" Yusaku told Shima off, which only made the boy yell up that he had been standing in line for 10 hours to get this. That had had me lift an eyebrow at his tantrum. However, then he noticed Yusaku duel disk.

"Wait is that your duel disk? Dude it is time for a trade in. That thing is older than a dinosaur" he stated and chuckled.

I was sure he was going to say something about how his new duel disk had an A.I. and that he would get the latest update from Vrains instantly, but all that was cut short when he noticed my duel disk.

"Wait?! What? That is a super rare one-of-a-kind rainbow duel disk. Only few people got their hands-on this" he uttered and had rushed over to me, holding my left hand, as he was staring in awe at it "Where did you get one? Can't you tell me? please!".

I flinched instantly at his touch and instantly redrew my hand, only to find myself hiding behind Yusaku of all places. I just didn't like people getting too close to me. Especially people I barely knew. I was very sensitive to other people's touch too. A redraw effect from the lost incident. Yusaku and my sister were the only one able to without make me flinch. Shima of course got offended by this.

"What? Don't tell me I scared you, Catherine. I was only looking" Shima growled out rather annoyed. "So, the rumors about you are true? That you Catherine Aidos are an extremely shy person and that you couldn't duel to save your life".

"You shouldn't state such assumptions on rumors alone Shima" Yusaku bit him off in a cold tone. He was sending him a stern look "I will give you three reasoning's for why that is. 1. You didn't scare her. Catherine just dislikes human contact...".

"Really then why didn't she just say so?". Shima began but got cut off by Yusaku.

"2. Don't assume she is shy just because she is hiding and 3. She has selected mutism and cannot talk to any who is the same or above age of herself. She couldn't tell you off Shima. Even if she wanted to".

Shima was stating in disbelief at me. I understood why. People usually didn't get selected mutism. To them not choosing to talk was a problem, and I get where they are coming from, but since the incident I have just not been able to. Instead, I wrote down my words on paper or signs. My therapist says it is a coping mechanism. After all, placing a paper sign in front of people makes them instantly back off to read it. I was holding up my 'sorry' sign now so Shima could see it, which did in fact get him out of his bewilderment.

"Well, eh okay. I guess it is cool" he began, not knowing what to say at first. Then... "But you two have heard about Playmaker, right?".

"Playmaker?" Yusaku responded with.

"Oh yeah he is seriously my hero. He is fighting against the knights of Hanoi. This no-good group of hackers, who is trying to destroy Link Vrains" Shima began explaining. All which of course caught my attention in full.

"That sounds like quite the job for only one man" Yusaku replied with slowly.

"Yeah, you are telling me, and like a true hero, he keeps his identity a secret" Shima exclaimed rather cheerfully "Oh man I wish I were his side kick, and we can side kick Hanoi's annoying butts".

Yusaku hummed at that before he turned his back to Shima and were looking at me. Then at my empty desk. He saw that as a sign that I was ready to leave as well. Our hands intervened with each other as we began leaving the classroom.

"Well, have fun" Yusaku waved at Shima as a greeting.

"Hey, wait hold up. Don't you two want me to teach you how to duel?" Shima asked.

An act I felt rather offended by to be honest. I was not a terrible duelist by far. I had even dueled in link Vrains on occasions. Not that anyone knew that of course.

"Unfortunately, I doubt you have the ability to teach us how to duel. For three reasons" Yusaku began holding up his three fingers again "For 1. You require the support of an A.I. to help you duel and 2. You prejudged me and Crissy. Me by my duel disk, and Crissy by her mannerisms. Not by our skills or cards, and 3. You haven't made any appearance on Link Vrains, even though you claim you wanted to be this playmakers side kick. So how can you teach us.". I could see Shima's shocked expression as Yusaku finished his deductions. I found it rather funny to be honest.

"But I believe you are on your way to become a good duelist. For 1 you love talking about dueling and that passion can't be taught in a classroom. And 2 acquiring that new duel disk shows you are on the cutting edge of the latest dueling trend and 3. Since you have no qualm speaking your mind you must have tough skin when others speak their minds and say that you have much to improve as a duelist" Yusaku continued lecturing which had in some way had Shima ears steam with rage now.

"Oh yeah Yusaku, I have three things to say about you, but I don't want my grandma to wash my mouth with soap!" Shima yelled up furiously before he stormed out of the classroom in a big hurry. I could hear Yusaku hum thoughtfully at that.

"There are three reasons why he shouldn't be so upset, but I guess it is too late to discuss them with him now" he mused out to himself.

I smiled inside. Something I couldn't show on the outside though. Yusaku was so cute when he spoke his three reasoning's. Not that I ever would point that out. Instead, I tugged a little in his hand, getting his attention.

"Hmm oh yeah. Sorry about that Crissy. Got distracted". I was clicking on my duel disk and soon showing him a picture of Café Nagi.

"Sure, I can treat you to a hotdog before I go to work. I am sure Kolter wouldn't mind" Yusaku replied sending me one of his rare smiles. I lit up by that. I was sure light were actually shining in my eyes. Unlike everything else, time seem to be slowly moving forward, when I was with Yusaku.

Normal p.o.v.

Inside the network was certain eyeball being tracked by security robots. That being was of course the dark ignis, but this time he was not traced by the guys in the white ropes who called themselves knights of Hanoi. No, he was traced by this giant company called Sol tech. It was them who oversaw the virtual world called Link Vrains and were the world where the dark ignis were currently hiding. Right about now their chief of security Akira Zaizen were having a meeting with one of the executives whose avatar inside the network looked like the bishop chess piece.

"Is it true Zaizen? You have detected the Ignis?" Bishop asked.

"I have confirmation Bishop. It appears the Ignis is lurking somewhere within the network system" Akira replied with.

"We finally have a lead to the Cyberse. The source that generated new data material to grow Sol technologies virtual world. Or it used to, until that Ignis, that rogue A.I. program hid the Cyberse from us 5 years ago" Bishop mused in a cold tone "Without the Cyberse our network is slowly deteriorating...".

"But if we locate the Cyberse our network will be fully restored" Akira quickly added in "We find the Ignis and we find the Cyberse".

"Hmm yes. You have permission to use all of Sol tech's resources to find the Ignis. You never failed us before Zaizen. Do not start now" Bishop warned.

"I will see too it right away" Akira only promised.

Somewhere else, on an unknown server inside the network were two men present in their avatar forms. One of them being the same person who attacked the Cyberse world 5 years ago. The other was a man dressed in a white suit and had white/grayish hair. Both were of course part of the knights of Hanoi.

"Varis, the Ignis has finally reappeared, but if we have detected it, Sol tech must have too" The guy with gray hair spoke. "They will use it to find and revive the Cyberse".

"Then we must simply capture it before they do Specter. The Cyberse is to be destroyed. Not revived" their leader, Varis said in a firm tone.

"I don't doubt your abilities, but what if this Playmaker dares to interfere with us again" Specter questioned "Rumor has it that the rogue Broker Asteria Witch is helping him. Either that or she just loves to taunt us with that footage of Playmaker defeating our knights...".

"So, you didn't manage to persuade that Witch-ling to join our side?" Varis said and chuckled "No let me rephrase that. You didn't find her, did you?".

"I... ahem... she is a formidable hacker who is said to have magically powers inside the network. None of our top hackers has yet to find her when she doesn't want to be found. Both in Rl. and Vr. The same goes for Playmaker" Specter admitted. "I cannot find anything to tempt her with...".

"Ah. Well, it doesn't matter. Let those two have their fun. They are no concern to me. Only a minor nuisance" Varis replied in a confident tone.

"May I suggest that Playmaker is at least a bit more formidable that you think Sir? I mean not only is he difficult to trace, but he is also defeating our lower members left and right. And now with that mysterious broker on his side...".

"Focus on the task at hand Specter. Hunt down that Ignis and bring it to me" was the only responds Varis was giving him.

Yusaku's p.o.v.

"So, tell me about the nightmare you had" Yusaku said before taking a bite from the hotdog he was eating "Is it the same one as usual?".

They were currently at the popular moving café called café Nagi, which was right now at Den City courtyard. It was also the place Yusaku was working at. The owner Cal Kolter was one of the few friends Yusaku had, and he gracefully gave Yusaku the job of helping him in his hotdog van. Not that things were always as they appeared, but right now Yusaku was treating his only female and best friend to a hotdog, while they were talking about the day's event like normal friends would do it. Also here was things not always as it appeared, since both of them were having Ptsd and Crissy could barely mutter a word, but surprisingly enough it still worked between them. At that Crissy nodded slowly. Yusaku froze slightly as his mind wandered to the white room he experienced and the voice of hope that had saved him in his days of captivity. It made him shutter at the sheer thought of it. The lost incident. The duel field. The elocutions. The tedious existence. It had all been so dreadful for him. So, so... A hand touched his, as Yusaku finally returned back to reality, finding Crissy holding his hand between hers in a very caring gesture. It was her way of reassuring him everything was going to be okay. For the both of them. That itself made Yusaku send her one of his rare smiles. He really was fortunately to have a friend like her by his side who understood him in a way no one else did.

"Right. Let's talk about something else" Yusaku agreed and squeezed her hand before letting go.

Nothing was going to help them by reminiscing the past anyway. No matter how much it dragged them down in the present. He soon noticed Crissy make a sign with her fingers that looked like glasses, or in this case meant a mask, before putting it up to her eyes, thereafter she pointed at him. All which made Yusaku sigh deeply inside. He had walked right into that one didn't he?

"You know we cannot discuss my hidden identity" Yusaku then whispered back.

Only for Crissy to hold up a sign saying 'but you promised me'. All which made Yusaku sigh deeply again. Guess that was his own punishment for being careless inside the virtual network as Playmaker. To think that Crissy of all people confronted him about it several month ago was still hard for him to comprehend. He didn't want her involved in his vengeance under no circumstances and properly became the reason why they had the agreement that they had. She was allowed to help him in the real world only, just as Kolter did, and that of course did mean she needed to know his latest activities.

"I have been fighting hard against the knights of Hanoi lately" He then mused "To send a message". He could see Crissy tilt her head. Her big innocent green eyes were looking at him now, making Yusaku heart skip a beat.

'Like advertising?'. Crissy was holding up another sign for him to read.

"Partly" Yusaku then admitted and send her a little smile "But not correct either. For 1. I do it to get their attention. 2. I do it to make them pay for what they had done and 3. It will at some point draw out the leader of the Hanoi...".

'To defeat him and stop the organization?' Crissy were holding up another sign, cutting Yusaku out from his train of thought and making him read the text written. It was a common tactic of her. It was her way of interrupting a conversation.

"Yes" Yusaku nodded and tried to recall if he had told her that before or not before continuing "I am doing this for...".

Once again he was interrupted. This time by a loud beeping sound coming from Crissy's pocket in her jacket. Crissy was frantically trying to reach the beeping phone and soon entered the call coming from it.

"About time. You know I am busy!" a grumpy female voice answered that had Yusaku frown. She continued "But never mind that. Where are you right now?".

Yusaku were soon meet with the video phone camera turning towards him, while at the same time showing Café Nagi to the caller. A long brown haired girl, with her hair sat up in a ponytail, and blond brags met his gaze.

"Ah, hello Yusaku. Treating Crissy to a hotdog as usual" The female sighed.

"Yes" Yusaku responded with in a cold tone. "Is that a problem?".

"Not per say, but you should really eat something healthier than hotdogs. Which reminds me... Crissy! Go to the store and buy me some meat for dinner! I am coming home early from work and the maid bot send me a notification that we are lacking meat for the meatloaf for tonight!" She almost yelled in a demanding tone.

Sure, to everyone else that might not be that loud, but for sensitive people like Crissy and himself, it felt like their ears were ringing. It was one of those reason Yusaku disliked Crissy's older sister Kristina by a good word. Secondly, being her distinct personality and thirdly the way she treated Crissy sometimes. It made him angry inside. Crissy turned her phone back towards herself again, as she was nodding eagerly.

"Good" Kristina mused out slowly "See you at home. Oh, and pick some kind of desert you like. Let's have a treat for tonight".

Then she hung up the phone. The last piece of the conversation being her way of kindness or in this case an apology. She knew full well Crissy was sensitive but yelled at her anyway. Yusaku could never understand the family dynamics between those two. Kristina being her legal guardian to Crissy after her parents died when she was young. Her sister, being 10 years older than Crissy, provided for her. However, at the same time it was like Kristina didn't want her at all, but if that was the case, why had she accepted being her guardian in the first place? That conundrum still puzzled him to this day.

"Want me to take you home?" Yusaku then asked as Crissy quickly rose from her seat and grabbed her school bag in the process.

An action that had Crissy shake her head. Her hand waved at the cafe, pointing out he had work to do, and she needed to go shopping. Or at least that was what Yusaku figured she was saying.

"But...".

A hand rested on his shoulder that had him rather speechless for seconds to come. Crissy was so close and were sending him a smile of reassuring's, before letting go. Her way of saying everything was going to be okay. Her beaming green eyes were radiating for his inner eye. The wave of her blond hair flapping beautifully in the wind as she began walking away.

"Yusaku...".

How her posture was swaying as he saw her walking gracefully away. She was so pretty, even from afar...

"Yusaku...!".

Oh, how he wished he was by her side holding her hand. Just like he did earlier...

"Hey Romeo! Wake up!" a voice was suddenly shouting, making Yusaku wake up from his daydream finding Kolter the cafe owner and friend wave at him.

"Hu?".

"Your Juliet has already left the scene so get a grip will yer. It is time to work" Kolter said in a teasing voice, making Yusaku send him an angry glare now.

"Stop calling me that!" he bit him of with. "And Crissy is not Juliet".

"How can I not? You were daydreaming of her again. You didn't even respond to your name" Kolter teased and mimicked "O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art as glorious to this night, being o'er my head, As is a winged messenger of heaven".

"Stop Quoting Shakespeare Kolter!" Yusaku hissed in a low voice.

"Okay, okay, I will. The day you stop denying your feelings for her and ask her out. On a real date. Not that I mind you taking her here, it is good for business, but..." His friend stopped up the moment he noticed the cold glare Yusaku was sending him, which only made the male roll his eyes at him "Oh come on Yusaku. You have been crushing on Crissy since... I don't know before we met. Point is if you don't do anything about it, someone might swoop in and take her away".

"That's fine. She deserves someone better than me" Yusaku only mused as he drank the soda he was having.

True, he was having feelings for his best and only female friends since... he didn't know. Suddenly, being near her and seeing her smile were all he could think about. It made him immensely happy when she wanted to hold his hand and confined in him. Not that he showed or told her that of course. He just wanted Crissy Aidos to be happy. He wished her the best of happiness in the whole world. However, at the same time he knew it would not be with him. How could it when he was a vengeful vigilante who sought revenge at the knights of the Hanoi? No Crissy was better off with another guy. That said Kolter was also his partner in crime and thereby could talk about anything. Even Crissy...

"You don't mean that Yusaku..." Kolter began but went silent after the cold glare Yusaku was sending him this time. Instead, he ended up sighing "Right back to work. Have you heard about Data storm Yusaku?".

"Data storms?" Yusaku quirked up. His curiosity had awoken.

"Yeah, I heard rumours that crazy tornados would blow through the virtual world link Vrains, and thrill seekers would ride those winds and battle on them in things called speed duels. But no one I know have ever seen a data storm, but man surfing the wind. Ha, crazy right" Kolter began explaining.

Yusaku hummed thoughtfully. Something inside of him. A feeling maybe, had awoken by the word speed duel. That along with data storms. It felt so familiar to him for some reason. Not that it mattered.

"And... any news from our little witch-ling?" Yusaku instead asked.

"Oh, you mean Asteria Witch? No nothing as of yet" Kolter replied "Why?".

"She trailed Playmaker the other day" Yusaku mused out as he looked up at Kolter "You sure that rogue hacker is going to help us? That Witch is very...".

"Mysterious? Yep, that is her persona when dealing with costumers I am afraid" Kolter said and chuckled at first, but then became serious "Don't worry she won't jeopardize the mission. I already paid her in full and she did send the video on the web, so everything is good".

"I guess" Yusaku mumbled "But if she is so good why have she yet found the location of the leader of the knights of Hanoi? With such a huge organization, he is very difficult to find".

"And there you have it Yusaku. He is difficult to find. I am sure Asteria Witch is trying her best. You know how the dark net is" Kolter then said and went thoughtful for a moment "Speaking of which, she did send me a file the other day...".

"And you are first telling me this now Kolter" Yusaku snort back "What did it say?".

"Well, it didn't per say have anything to do with the Hanoi, but according to her, word on the dark net is that sol tech is hunting for something".

"Hunting for something?" Yusaku asked curiously.

"For an artificial intelligence program" Kolter replied.

"Hmm why do you need to hunt for a program? It must certainly be quite the A.I." Yusaku mused thoughtfully.

"Yeah, but if Sol-tech wants it, you know who else wants it right?".

"Yeah, the knights of Hanoi would too" Yusaku mused thoughtfully as he recalled the event with the knight he battled earlier.

That gave him an idea. He rushed towards the back seat of the hotdog truck and opened the door there. Leaving a perplex Kolter to look at him. Yusaku didn't care. There were barely any customers now anyway, so closing up early really didn't matter. He turned the screen around, closing the hotdog vendor into a now high-tech truck no one knew even existed here. To them it was just a normal truck now.

"Eh? Yusaku. I was just grilling dog's man" Kolter complained "I hope this new idea of yours are worth it".

"It is" Yusaku said and began explaining "If we capture this A.I before anyone else. Instead of having to search for the knights of Hanoi. I can lure them to me".

"Seriously?! You actually think you can catch this A.I. when everyone else has failed?" Kolter questioned bewildered.

"Yes, because they are doing it wrong. Instead of chasing it you must guide it. By hacking and shutting pathways in the cities grid, I can lead the A.I. to where I want it to go. Play things right and it will lead the A.I. with a single escape route. Into here" Yusaku explained and were now holding up his duel disk. He was intending to capture this A.I. in there.

"That's a lot of coding for one person" Kolter mused slowly.

"Yes, you are correct" Yusaku responded with a little smile "But it is not too much for two". Kolter send him a grinning smirk now as he had caught Yusaku's drift, and they both began hacking into link Vrains in order to capture this mysterious A.I.

A,N: Well, that is all for now. As a first chapter I think it is a good start. Vrains world is a little bit tricky so, yeah. Not sure if I will post regularly at all. But needed something new and are totally in love with Crissy and Yusaku dynamic. That said Kolter is right. If Yusaku does not step up, someone might swoop in lol. No clue if it is a love triangle yet though. However, hope you like it so far. Please comment on what you think. Would like some feedback.