-1Hey! The Jaded Fox is back with another fanfic. Something new to sink your teeth into, as well. Haven't had a lot of time to write, lately, due to work and school, but I need to keep my writing abilities up, somehow (other than school work, anyway). This one focuses on the scene between Aki and Yusei on the balcony early on in episode 44. Just kind of a longer version, I guess. Deleted scene? I dunno. But, read and review, anyways please. Thanks a bunch.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Aftermath

It was something the red-haired psychic hadn't seen, before; a sunset, painting the skyline with an extremely glorious array of colors. The clouds, tinted purplish-blue, glided gracefully across the horizon, leaving different shadows along the city. The tops of the buildings were covered with orange, and outlined in red, making it appear that they were protected by some spiritual presence. The gold reflected off of the waters that surrounded Neo Domino, allowing her to view every ripple and wave from the lake, almost as if it were a mirror of the sky. The scenery emanated a peaceful aura, that seemed to fill her body and pour out from her. It encased her with a shield that couldn't be pierced, and made her feel entirely light-hearted. It was a view and feeling unlike anything she had ever seen before.

'Rather,' Izayoi Aki mused, chuckling somewhat sorrowfully to herself, 'I never allowed myself to see it.'

True, the psychic had been previously unable to see Neo Domino like this for many reasons. She may have been kept within the confines of the Arcadia Movement curfew, so she would be unable to notice anything like this, but, then, she lacked the ability to see the beauty in simple things like sunsets. It was almost as if nature and the heavens had seen her conversion and were celebrating with the light show.

She sighed heavily, when the sound of a door sliding open next to her broke her from her reverie. She turned to see the black-and-yellow haired Fudo Yusei staring at her. Or rather, through her. At least, those blue eyes made it seem so. Every time Yusei walked into a room, it appeared he would look into the depths of your very soul. His stalling for a long moment didn't ever help that feeling.

However, unlike before, when she had met Yusei at the Fortune Cup, she had nothing to hide from him. No harsh past, no feelings of torment, no attempts to pile pain upon them; all she had to show his piercing gaze was 'Izayoi Aki'. And, quite frankly, she was extremely satisfied with that.

Perhaps to show his gratitude for allowing him to inspect her soul, or perhaps he was happy with what he had noticed, he gently nodded at her, walking to the end of the balcony overlooking the city. He stared off into space, his thoughts obviously elsewhere.

Aki felt for him. During the Fortune Cup, he was so sure of himself, but since his duel with this Kiryu Kyosuke, he had seemed shaken. It wouldn't be noticeable to those who didn't know him well, or didn't have a keen eye or sense, but she could tell.

She was pretty sure Jack noticed, too, and it made the King edgy, as well. They may have had an intense rivalry since some event that she still hadn't learned had happened two years ago, and most likely before then, but they still didn't like it when the other felt down. No matter what the two said, they were still true friends.

Friends. The word that Yusei treasured more than anything. The word that Jack hated, yet respected at the same time. The word that turned Rua into a determined and respectful duelist, and the word allowed Ruka to gain much more confidence. The word that had saved Aki.

Her second time, anyway. She could never take away what Divine had done for her, and she was grateful for it. Now, however, she couldn't exist the way Divine told her too, anymore. She didn't know how much longer she would have lasted within the Arcadia Movement, especially after the emergence of the Dark Signers. She might have taken Divine to join them, but she wouldn't have stayed with the group she had called family for years. At least until the Dark Signers were defeated.

She wondered what had happened between Yusei and his former friend, Kiryu. She had seen the video taken from Mikage's chopper of the duel. Yusei had watched the duel with him to get information he may have missed, but it was apparent that the duel itself, or the memories it spawned, had pained him, deeply. Unlike her rivalry with Misty, they had a personal relationship, beforehand. The fact that all of the Dark Signers were connected to them in one way or another from their pasts was something that frightened her slightly. They knew the Signers almost better than the signers knew themselves. It was unknown what weaknesses they would exploit to achieve their ends.

"Sunsets are like bonfires," Yusei suddenly spoke. Whether it was the fact he said something so poetic, or that he said anything, at all, was more surprising, she didn't know.

"How so?" Aki questioned. She immediately wondered what he could mean, but also figured it was a decent time to learn more about him. Yusei could go extremely long stretches without saying anything, though his nonverbal communication could sometimes speak volumes. His mastery of his stoicism was uncanny, and being able to get him to open up, even slightly, might allow her to delve into the psyche of her comrade.

Yusei chuckled once. "It's nothing." She frowned, wondering if the conversation was over as instantaneously as it had begun, when he continued, "I was just reminiscing. An old Satellite folktale was told around a bonfire when I returned there after the Fortune Cup. Whenever I look into bonfires or sunsets, I always find myself remembering the past; good times, and bad."

"I see," Aki noted, smiling slightly. She turned back to the shimmering sphere slowly setting beneath the skyline. "But I wonder…" Yusei shifted his eyes towards her, "I wonder if the sunsets 5000 years ago were so vivid."

Yusei held his gaze on her, before acknowledging her statement. "Probably." He turned back to the sun for a few silent moments. "But the future is uncertain."

'The future,' she noted. It was always uncertain. She had almost forgotten, this was just the calm before the storm. Soon, their battle with the Dark Signers would probably rip Satellite, Neo Domino, and the skies asunder. She hoped that they would get through the battles relatively unharmed, but something inside of her wasn't sure of the finality of the war there were inching towards every second.

Aki wanted to dismiss that notion a bit longer, like a child wishing for another moment's rest before waking up for class. "It's always uncertain," she sighed. "But, what do you see in the future?"

Yusei didn't respond immediately, keeping his gaze straight and firm. She wondered, after a few minutes passed with no response, if he had even heard her question. "I'm…not sure," he honestly stated. "If we defeat the Dark Signers, or even if we lose, I don't know what the future holds for us." She fleetingly wondered what he had meant by 'us'.

"However," Yusei continued, Aki listening intently, "I don't believe I'll return to Neo Domino, for a while. I'll probably drop my title as 'King', after all of this is over, as well. I only ever wanted to duel Jack and to understand where each of us stood. I'll remain in Satellite and try to rebuild it and better the lives of its inhabitants, if only by helping those I meet on the streets. It's all I ever wanted, to begin with."

Aki remained silent, contemplating on his response. Part of her felt sad, realizing that she probably wouldn't see him for a while after their battle against the Dark Signers ended. However, part of her also was glad for knowing him, even for a little while, and she was sure she would see him, again.

Plus, she knew, Satellite was his home, and where he wished to be. Even though he knew many people in Neo Domino, now, she was sure he felt out of place, and most likely invading. Though she doubted any of them felt that way towards him. She knew she didn't, anyway.

Yusei then turned to her, and, surprised her, by turning the question back on her. "What about you?"

"What?" Aki cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What do you see in the future?" Yusei wondered, his penetrating stare falling upon her, again.

Aki turned away for a moment, and pondered, again. She hadn't thought about that, before. So much had changed in the last month-or-so, that she'd need to figure out what she would need to do, if…no…when they would defeat the Dark Signers.

"I…don't know, actually…" she realized. She stared back at Yusei apologetically. His heavy gaze stayed on her for another moment, before he closed his eyes, and heaved a couple of times, then rearing back and laughing out loud for a moment. The laugh rang out in the red-haired girl's ears, causing her to giggle, and eventually laugh, herself.

The merriment died down almost as quickly as it had started. Yusei turned back to her, and made it apparent she wasn't going to ease her way out of it. "So…?"

Aki sighed again, and closed her eyes, as if reaching out and trying to divine the future. "Well…I guess…I would like to help out both Satellite and Neo Domino, in some way," she finally explained after several minutes. She kept her eyes closed and imagination running. "I think, maybe…I wouldn't mind helping out in Satellite, first. I think that Satellite achieving a better lifestyle will help Neo Domino, as well. Both cities could then co-exist. If both exist to help each other, rather than one to use the other, both cities will prosper. I might…if it's not too much trouble…come help you in Satellite?"

Aki opened her eyes and turned towards the young man. Yusei didn't move his gaze, but Aki sensed his gaze had a different feel to it, a surprised feel. Finally, Yusei's mouth propped up into a small smile, something that was extremely rare with Yusei. "We'll see," he told her. He turned his visage back towards the sun, his face serious again. "But first…we must protect this world."

Aki suddenly realized the anxious feeling in her gut had vanished. Perhaps he had noticed that Aki needed to take her mind off of the upcoming battle. She suddenly understood…if it was in Yusei's power, he would protect them all; like the sun, the star, protecting the city. "Yes," she said, turning to take one last look as the sun bade its final farewell before fading beneath the horizon. "You're right."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hmm…I think it was all right. Maybe not strictly Faithshipping, but I wasn't really looking for that, anyway. Just emphasizing on their growing bond (however you view it as). Reviews, please!