A New World

Ami's head snapped up at Zeon's last statement. She stared at him with wide eyes, surprised that he would come to THAT conclusion before she'd even thought of it. He was right. What if Allison, who already knew Ami was coming, didn't see her...then decided to take her vengeance out on someone else? Someone who wouldn't stand a chance....

Ami shuddered at the thought. "Yeah...you're right." Another point was that she was a protector of the peace now, and though she mainly dealt with dead bodies in the morgue or at a scene, she did have the authority to arrest someone. If Allison decided to cause trouble, Ami could apprehend her. "I will definitely show up and do my best then." She smiled at him warmly. "Thanks. You know, I barely know you, but right now i feel like i've known you all my life."

Zeon smiled back. "I feel like I've known you for the longest time too. It's really weird, isn't it?" Zeon could look at her without feeling weird now, which was strange itself, but he didn't mind that much anymore.

"From what I've gathered though, it doesn't look like this world isn't as used to magic and supernatural things, so would she even use her powers in a public place? Unless of course, people outside the duel cannot tell it's happening. If a shadow duel inflicts damage though, wouldn't people call off the duel if they saw people getting hurt? Or are the people of this world truly blind to such things?"

"Once a shadow game is activated, no one on the outside can interfere. Many times, those on the outside cannot see the duel inside the shadow game. Essentially, the shadow duelist sends both players to the shadow realm while staying in the same spot here in this realm." She shook her head. "It's odd, and a little hard to comprehend without actually seeing one for yourself."

"Interesting. I suppose that it was designed so that it could deal with people who would interfere with the game. The Order of Solari doesn't need to do that kind of thing though; everyone knows what they're capable of." Zeon looked at Ami directly in her eyes now. "Do you know who created the shadow realm?"

Ami shook her head. Though she had studied much about it, there was still a lot that she did not know. She supposed that it was best that way. "As far as I know through my studies....the Shadow Realm has been around since the beginning of time...evolving as the times have."

"I am curious..." Ami began quietly, looking at the wall, lost in thought. "I am curious as to what might happen if the Shadow Realm ever had a war against the Order." it was a random thought, but she couldn't help thinking it. A true battle between Darkness and Light....but there was no apparent villain or hero. The point of this battle would more than likely be for control or superiority. If she had to choose a side, she was sure she would fight for the shadows, but only because she had before, and that small bit was still inside her, like a scar. "Not that I want to explore that....just a strange idea i suppose."

"Depends on what world they fought on. In this world, the shadows would probably win since the Rules of Engagement can't be activated here. Although the Envoys might be able to hold their own here. If they fought in my world, I don't know who would win. Probably the Order, since from what you've told me, Shadow Duelists don't seem to be that organized." Zeon was feeling relaxed, which was strange considering that he normally didn't have that feeling. This place felt like his home before events forced him to fight the Order. Zeon sat down on the opposite end of the couch and put his head against the back of it.

Ami nodded. Shadow duelists certainly were not organized....and many hated each other. But even though they weren't organized, they were still powerful. "I think if they all found a common threat, the shadow duelists would more than likely become organized...and therefore becoming more powerful than they already are." Why was she defending the shadows? Not really defending...more like...siding with. She didn't want to sound like that...but it was a logical answer.

She was about to comment on her response, but then a loud noise sounded from her stomach and her hands shot reflexively towards it. "ehe....i haven't eaten since early this morning. Are you hungry?"

"Alright, i'll make us something then." Ami slid off the armrest and moved into the kitchen. She faced the counters for a moment, thinking of what to make for them. Spaghetti actually sounded really good to her right now. She began to hum as she started pulling out the ingredients as well as the pots and pans and began creating the meal. She buttered some bread and placed it in the oven, boiled noodles, and simmered some red sauce. All the while she didn't really stop humming, except when changing songs.

It took her about 30 minutes, but she finally completed everything, setting her small dining table for two. "Alright, dinner is served!" She smiled happily, standing by the table full of food with her hands folded in front of her like a waitress might.

Zeon went over to the table, sat down, and looked at the meal that was spread out to him. He gingerly poked at the spaghetti with his fork for a few seconds. Then he wrapped some of it around his fork, putting some in his mouth. His eyes widened after swallowing it.

"This is really good!" He started eating more of it. He then started eating some of the bread too.

"I haven't had something this good since.... you're a really good cook!"

Ami blushed as he complimented her cooking and she moved some hair behind her ear. "Well, its not Japanese cuisine, but its one of my favorites." She beamed as she began to eat her dinner as well. "I'm glad you like it though. I'm not used to cooking for others, so i was a little nervous about it." She watched him eat for a couple moments, then decided to continue in conversation. "So what kind of foods do you eat where you come from?"

"I see," Ami took a sip of her glass of water. He kept mentioning that word, Illuminati. She knew she'd heard or seen it before somewhere, and it was bugging her that she couldn't quite place it. "Here we have lots of different kinds of drinks, though I mostly drink water or tea. Its healthier than the alternative." She began to think of their duel earlier. She'd seen some of those cards before, and she even had one of their counterparts in her extra deck. "Those Ally of Justice cards....do you have the same cards in your realm as we do here?"

"Not exactly." Zeon finished up his meal. "When I was looking through your cards, I noticed that some of them were the same as in my realm, like mirror force, although the Solari has pretty much claimed all copies of that powerful card. Before the change, a lot of cards were made. Now there isn't much in production anymore. The only new ones come from the factions who make their own signature cards. I doubt you have those cards in this world. And of course, I have this card as well." Zeon took out the cards he took out of his deck and put them out on the table. He then placed the black card from his extra deck on the table.

"I think a lot of the cards from the days long before I was born might be similar to yours, since there is evidence that my world used to be similar to yours."

A futuristic realm? She wasn't quite sure she liked the idea of her own cards being considered old history. Not like she could do anything about it anyways. He placed a black card on the table and she stopped eating and looked at it. She picked it up and studied it.

"I've never seen a black card before. What does it do?" It looked powerful, whatever it was...and she wondered: if she hadn't finished him when she did....would he have summoned it against her?

"Oh, that card. It's a really powerful synchro monster that I managed to obtain." *I would have won that duel if I had brought that out the second turn.*

It was a synchro monster? The only black synchros Ami had ever heard of were the dark synchros...evil monsters with nasty effects. But this one didn't seem like it was a dark synchro. Its stars were in the correct place....it was just....black. Ami stared at it for a few seconds and then returned it to him. "An interesting card....may I ask how you obtained it?"

"A Powerful individual gave it to me after I freed him from a barrier someone had set up." Obviously he wasn't going to tell her it was a demon her gave him the card.

Ami's eyebrows lifted in slight surprise. "Really? That was so kind of you!" She smiled and returned to her meal, finishing what food remained on her plate. They ate in silence for a few minutes. When she finished, she pushed her plate away and leaned on her elbow casually.

"So, tell me more about this world of yours. I'm intrigued. Do they have any cool kinds of technology? what about rulers? Do you have a monarchy or a democracy? Or a tyrany, as the case could be."

Ami shook her head. "Your world seems very violent. I don't know that I could last long there." She thought about how the government worked. A theocracy was unheard of here....for the most part. Usually it was a monarchy, a democracy, a republic, or a tyrrany. She couldn't fathom a religious cult taking control of everything. "I'd like to learn more about how this theocracy works, but perhaps that's for a later time."

"If that's what you want, that's alright with me." Zeon leaned back in his chair. "So how does your world work exactly? How is it run? How come things are so.... nice here?"

"I don't know if NICE is the word i would use....as many criminals as we have...its hard for me to consider it nice. But there are good people here. Many countries here are run by the people...the governments work for the people. Sure there are opposing sides, but everything is taken on through votes...majority wins." She folded her hands and rested her chin on them, looking up at the ceiling in thought. "People come together in times of trouble and support each other." She turned to look at him. "Technology comes and goes, but when it goes, something better takes its place. I can call someone on the other side of the globe if i wanted to. Automobiles make for easy travel, as do airplanes and ships. Computers are wonderful things."