Maelstrom With The Eyes of Blue (Patreon)

Living within the Satellite was tough.

The vast majority of the city was falling apart, very few buildings were even hospitable. Food was scarce and the inhabitants of the desolate city were as rough as they came.

Many grouped together in gangs to help each other survive. It wasn't often that solo acts survived long. Due to either starvation, sickness or even plain old murder.

Which was why it was a miracle he'd survived so long.

Naruto Uzumaki had left the run-down orphanage of Satellite at the tender age of eight years old. Now fourteen, many of the other inhabitants called it a miracle from god that he'd been lucky enough to make it thus far – and to the astonishment of many seemed to thrive.

But no. Naruto disagreed, it wasn't by the power of a god did he survive.

It was by the power of a Dragon!

(............)

His home wasn't much at all.

In fact, it was a giant stretch to even call it a home. It was once a home for sure, but in the aftermath of the zero-reverse incident all that was left of the once no doubt splendourus house was a decently sized garage.

Thankfully, it had plumbing at the very least.

It was located on the outskirts of Satellite, near ground zero of where zero-reverse originated and went on to kill millions. Thus, very few dared to brave the journey into the desolated area.

That was fine with him. It was just two rooms, one decently large one which was the main area of the garage and a small room barely bigger than a cupboard that functioned as a bathroom with a small toilet and sink.

The main room was sparse. A deep orange rug centred in the middle with a table holding a laptop. A few tables off to the side with space between for a small power generator. At the wall behind the table with the laptop sat his duel runner. And finally on the far left of the room there was a medium sized couch-bed that was quite battered in appearance.

It wasn't much. But it was home.

Had been for five years now after he'd spent a whole year rummaging through the streets when he left the orphanage mother Martha, the other kids and the orphanage behind.

“Six years...” Naruto breathed out lowly as he sat on his folded up couch-bed, head tilted upwards and his sapphire blue eyes locked on the cracked ceiling above.

The only sounds were the wild winds picking up outside indicating a stormy night was soon to come again and the whirling noises his electricity generator made.

He ignored them though.  

Six years. Six very long years and finally he was ready.

He tilted his head downwards and eyed the card clasped gently in his hand. He gently traced the jagged line that indicated that the card had once been literally ripped in half.

It all began with this card.

He'd been drawn to it somehow. Way back, before he'd even left the orphanage. It was like the monster within the card had been calling out to him.  

The day he found this card was the day he realized just what he had to do to make his dreams reality.

Every day in the Satellite was a fight for survival, even for those of the near safest back at the orphanage. It sickened him. The fighting, the hunger and the sheer despair.

Naruto had lost count of the many corpses he'd found while scavenging in order to survive. And to his ever lasting shame, the many he'd looted for just the tiniest advantage on making his dreams a reality.

To get the people out of Satellite. That was his dream. Discard the very notion of he and his fellow Satellite residents being condemned to die in the quiet, desolate hell that was once Domino City.

But to do that, he had to first make it to Neo-Domino City.  

And surprisingly enough, it was good old Yusei Fudo who'd given him the route he needed through and to make the deal even sweeter, Officer Trudge by far the best duelist in the Sector Security force that patrolled the Satellite was pursuing Yusei in Neo Domino.

It was perfect. With Yusei chasing after Jack Atlas, it would leave the defences wide open for him to sweep on through. And with the Fortune Cup just a few short weeks away it was time to make his move.

“Tomorrow.” Naruto told himself, setting his prized monster back atop his deck.  

For tonight he'd rest. And in the morning he would make his break for Neo Domino City after packing up all of his valuables.

Though even when he turned the lights off, the card on top of his deck gleamed with a shining white light and two shining orbs of blue.