Hello all! Sorry for not updating in so long! Personal life...but I'll spare you the details. A shout out to Xerxes Glace Hydro for proofreads and advice! *claps* Anyway, here's the chapter- please remember to read and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh 5ds, never did, and (sadly) never will...

-regular talking-

-spirits talking- (you'll know it when you see it)

-/thinking/-

Chapter 3- Voices (third POV)

Back at Zora's, Yusei was busily tinkering away at the Wheel of Fortune, trying to figure out a way to increase the speed without completely blowing out the engine.

However, he was so into his work that he didn't notice Jack and Crow walk through the door, Crow casually with his hands behind his head, and Jack, hands stuffed into his pockets, muttering something under his breath about "stupid shop owners."

"Hey Yus', got the parts you wanted," Crow reported, placing a bag of mixed odds and ends on the table next to him.

All he received in response was a murmur of incoherent calculations under Yusei's breath as he moved to the computer and began rapidly typing away, still unaware of the other two's presence. Crow resisted to roll his eyes in amusement at the other's inattentiveness.

Walking up beside his dark- haired friend, Crow reached across the screen and waved his hand right in Yusei's face.

"Hey Yus'? You in there? Earth to Yusei!"

Startled, Yusei recoiled back, almost running over Crow with his chair in the process.

"Whoa there buddy! Not so fast! You almost had me killed!"

/Guess I'm just jumpy from that last episode; must be an after-effect.../ Yusei thought.

Quickly masking his inner uneasiness, Yusei sheepishly scratched the back of his head with one gloved hand and replied, "Yea, sorry 'bout that."

Just then a sarcastic mutter came from the corner of, "At least we would be rid of the loudmouth around here," and Crow immediately whipped around to meet a vaguely amused Jack standing with his arms crossed, leaning casually against the wall. A smirk was planted on his confident features.

"Is that a challenge, blondie?!" Crow immediately responded, and then the two were off yelling at each other, and Yusei could only just watch them go at it, knowing that he wouldn't stand a chance in trying to intervene.

Spinning around, Yusei attempted to once again immerse himself in his work, while simultaneously trying to ignore the heated screaming match that was going on behind him. He casually reached for his glass of water when a voice seemed to echo from inside his head.

"Yusei.." an unfamiliar voice whispered, and Yusei nearly jumped out of his skin.

Hand in mid reach, he just shook it off, downing the water in one gulp.

/That episode earlier today must have shaken me up more than I thought. I'm probably just a little jumpy../ Yusei thought, disbelieving that someone had called his name, yet at the same time knowing that neither Jack or Crow had been the one who spoke.

But, as he turned back to his work, his head was invaded by yet another voice, this one filled with malice and hatred.

"It's all your fault!" The voice screamed, and Yusei's head snapped up from his workplace as he whirled around, cobalt eyes scanning the room for something that would explain what he just heard.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

This movement didn't go by without being noticed by Jack, who happened to be facing Yusei at the time. But he made no sign that he saw his friend's distress as he continued his pointless banter with Crow, who had his back to Yusei.

/Crow was right; there's something not quite right here.../ Jack thought, and he made a mental vow that he would find out what was going on, and he would make Yusei tell them what he was really doing these days.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Suddenly, Yusei's head became utter chaos as thousands upon thousands of shouting voices erupted inside his head, and through the cacophony of voices inside and outside his head (as Crow and Jack's dispute was still going on) he was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of noise.

"Your genius father just had to come along and ruin everything, didn't he?!"

"Very funny Jack; says the guy who spends a full hour in the bathroom every morning just to do his hair!" Crow accused.

"You survive and we do not! How is this considered fair?!"

"Well at least I have some class; your hair looks like you stuck your finger in an electric socket- but then again I wouldn't be surprised if you actually did." Jack sarcastically replied.

"Demon spawn!"

The insults kept coming, and Yusei could do nothing except helplessly let each insult and hurtful word cut deep as the mockery and derision of himself and his father continued. The voices verbalized their sorrows and anger at what the accident with Momentum had done to them all, and Yusei felt a dull ache thrum through his body as the mental abuse continued.

Then, along with the pain and the deafening noise, there were gruesome images that came and went, none of them lingering at the forefront of Yusei's mind before quickly being replaced by another.

A young girl, holding a doll, looking no more than five weeping at the feet of what looked like her dead parents as the rain poured down relentlessly.

A teen with only one arm, hobbling through the mass of fallen bodies, staggering until he fell in his own blood; never to rise again.

People running, but not fast enough, as buildings collapsed right on top of them. An arm, twitching convulsively as its owner lived out the last moments of his life being crushed, then abruptly ceasing all movement as it flopped uselessly to the ground.

And they kept coming; the crying, sobbing survivors, the wails that were torn from their throats; the dead, eyes dull and glazed over as they continued to stare away, yet seeing nothing...

Yusei let his head fall into his hand as he tried to ease the oncoming headache that was quickly escalating into the worst migraine that he had ever had. Tanned fingers tangled themselves within dual- colored hair and grabbed hold; Yusei could barely restrain himself from screaming right then and there in agony- he was in more pain than when he got stabbed with a metal shard in his duel with Kalin.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When Crow saw that Jack didn't respond to his last insult of "pretty boy" he knew something was up. Now that he thought of it, Jack wasn't even looking at him, his gaze was set on a spot behind his right shoulder.

"What?" Crow asked, and Jack's only reply was to nod his head in the direction he was currently staring at.

Turning around slowly, his eyes widened as he took in the sight that he was confronted with.

Yusei, who was now facing them in his chair, looked just about anything but okay. Body tense, his elbows now on both his knees, hands cradling his head. His head was bowed as shaking hands dug into his hair, bangs covering his eyes.

Crow ran over to him, bending down and gently shook his distressed friend.

"Yusei! What's wrong buddy?! Yusei!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Crow's voice only worsened Yusei's situation, and the voices in Yusei's head sensed the concern in his friend's voice, and their jeers attacked him, but now with a new purpose. Yusei just squeezed his eyes shut- crying was against the rules now- and endured it.

"Oh, so the demon has friends? That's a laugh.."

"Lies! As if they would actually befriend the offspring of such evil.."

Hearing this, that's when Yusei just about had it. They-whoever they were- could insult him; he could take that. Heck, he could even take insults to his father, but his friends was where he drew the line. His friends, his comrades, whom he held dear to him, whom he held his treasured bonds with...

Misery changing into anger in an instant, Yusei jumped up from his seated position, knocking over his chair and a very surprised Crow in the process.

Face contorted in some unknown emotion to the two others, Yusei growled out in a very unlike-Yusei-way, "Shut. The hell up."

And with that, and ignoring the stunned stares of his friends, he mounted his signature red duel runner and took off, peeling out of the garage and disappearing into the night.

A/N: So? What did you think? I did add certain lines to separate the POVs; hopefully this prevented any confusion. I tried to go for a slighter- longer chapter; I know some readers were asking for it. Please read and review! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story so far.