Doubting Possibilities - Doubts
As the crimson skies faded to allow the stars to come out and shine, the chill of the evening settled in with us while we sat on the bench facing towards the bustling highway of Daedalus Bridge. A lamp post dimly illuminated the area Aki and I sat in, giving much needed visibility as we spend the evening there. We just came from Aki's workplace, the local hospital because she received a call to come down even though it was Sunday. Aki was visiting me at Poppo Time so when she received the call, I decided to follow her. She brought along her D-Wheel and I really had no business going either; I, to my dislike, held the title of doctor but I wasn't a medical doctor. Yet I was compelled by a strange influence, a good kind of heart-pumping and magnetic force that made me decide to accompany Aki to her work place.
This strange force was taken over by another, this time the feeling being heart-stomping and defensive when upon reaching the hospital, I let Aki go about her job while I hanged out at the lobby. It was there that I overheard some of the nurses talking about Aki… and her boyfriend. I went hunting for Aki, spotting her talking to what was probably the person over the phone, a guy. I had stood afar from them, not wanting to be discovered yet I couldn't help but keep both of them in view distance. He was acting too friendly to Aki in my opinion; grazing his hands over hers multiple times and both of their laughter reaching my earshot got on my nerves. Even after the whole meeting, with the moon prominently in the skies above, my emotions felt like it was being pulled in two opposite directions, threatening to rip me apart figuratively. Why was I feeling this way?
Ten years would have passed since we last parted ways at the bridge that we were facing towards. Ten years since Aki and I had an unspoken promise in the garage of Poppo Time. Although we parted physically; I had stayed behind Neo Domino City while Aki went to Germany to study abroad at a medical college, we kept in close contact with one another. I chatted with her whenever I could over the internet, spending hours on end talking about our day, sharing our thoughts with each other and occasional a duel or two. On other times however, we took out our beloved dragons, Stardust Dragon and Black Rose Dragon and we started talking through them; Aki changing the pitch of her lovely voice while I just couldn't bring myself to follow suit, discussing things like love, relationships, what we wanted from our life partner, etc. You get the idea. It was silly to me at first, but doing it with Aki made even silly justifiable. Yet, there was still a lingering sense of doubt in my mind.
So Aki studied college, graduated with flying colors, enrolled into the most prominent university hospital in the capital of Germany and eventually becoming a full fledged and respectable doctor working there as well while still making time for dueling here and there. For me, I spend most of my time in the hands of duel monsters, continuing my research on the Planetary Particles, working on Momentum as well as maintaining Fortune; the program that manages the lifeline of not just Neo Domino City but to the ever increasing number of cities around the world joining the system. While I'm not busy with my work or dueling, I've attended, to my chagrined, award ceremonies giving me multiple honorary degrees from a vast amount of prestigious Universities as well as attaining a proper degree; I would like to think my parents would have wanted me of that. I would have thought that this would make me feel more worthy of Aki.
So we continued our daily chat for a decade, until the announcement of the Pegasus J. Crawford Cup Trinidad Riding Duel Grand Prix came out. In this long decade I had my fair share of tournaments I participated and won in, of note would be the Legend of Duelist Kingdom and Riding in the Battle City. I even teamed up with my rival and close friend Jack Atlas once more for the Cross-America Golden Tag Tournament and we clinched victory together. This Grand Prix was the same as the original that my friends and I, Team 5D's won before and would require three duelist to participate. I brought this up to Aki; more of an excuse to get her to come back than for the Grand Prix and the next time I saw her was in front of the arrival gate at the airport. I came with her parents of course but the moment her amber eyes locked onto my own azure, I uncharacteristically threw myself at her, hugging Aki and she did too, joy was all I could describe in that moment. While in our embrace I could hear her whisper something to me, "Ich liebe dich".
"What does that mean?" I asked sheepishly, her German striking me as being extremely fluent and as some of my sleazy colleagues… complemented, made her hotter.
"It means…" She paused for a while which prompted me to let go of our embrace; her eyes looking away from mine and seeing her cheeks redden, before we reconnected and she replied with her adorable smile, "It means I love seeing you again."
Her father gave a loud cough, gaining the attention of their daughter and she embraced both of them while I flushed in embarrassment for daring to greet Aki first over her parents and in such a manner. Mister Izayoi gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder that he meant no hostility for his interruption, but my mind had already wandered towards the endless crowd in the airport; still half-expecting for a European to emerge and introduce himself as Aki's boyfriend or fiancé.
So I ended up choosing a long-time friend of mine, Kyosuke Kiryu to join us as the third duelist in our team, much to the disappointment of Mukuro Enjo who I was surprise to meet after I defeated him twelve years ago. So while Aki resettled herself in Neo Domino City, Kiryu and I started planning and training for the Grand Prix; me finally taking my long overdue vacation leaves much to the delight of the still Mayor Yeager while Kiryu left his duties as sheriff to his deputies to handle.
Before Kiryu returned to Satisfaction Town after we won the Grand Prix, he had privately told me that he was expecting good news to come soon, throwing glances at Aki waiting at her D-Wheel a distance away from us, both of them had bonded during the tournament; punching my left shoulder for emphasis. I gave him a smile and wished him all the best, his words lingering in my mind as he said his good byes to Aki.
"When are you going to marry me?" She broke the silence that had covered the evening but all I did was react to the question by turning towards her wide-eyed only to see the beauty giggling at my reaction; embarrassment washed over me once again.
I still remember the first time she threw me off guard with the same question; it was after the Grand Prix had ended and she told me she landed a job at the local hospital as a part time doctor. I quizzed her, wondering why she didn't apply to be a full time doctor instead. She didn't give me a straight answer; all she said was that she had bigger plans, bewildering me because she had never mention of such plans to me before. I, with what I would consider a microscopic amount of jealousy, probed further about her secret plans but she instead stunned me with the question of marriage. The conversation ended with a blush on my face and a woman with a secret that I wasn't allowed to know.
"Are you alright?" Concern was now on Aki's face after recomposing herself from her fits of laughter. "You've been acting like something is troubling you since I needed to go to the hospital." Her lips slowly forming into a cute pout as she leaned forward.
My mind felt like it was in a state of frenzy now; normally I was comfortable with talking to Aki about anything and everything but now... The matter was about her. Ever since she left for Germany, no; even before that, this feeling has always been there; this feeling that I have been avoiding all this time because it goes against logic and reasoning. It was a type of bond, but more than friendship. Upon seeing Aki curious and worrying look on me, there was suddenly a bold part of me that had cut through the struggles in my heart that I have been having. Like a cloud had been lifted and I knew what I had to do at that point; reaching a state of Clear Mind identical to when I'm dueling. Ten years of hiding and avoiding this feeling I had about Aki. I… I wish to know, I want to know, it's time I face the truth.
"Aki," I begun, my eyes tried to make contact with the lady I called but I ended up darting everywhere but her while my heart beat was loudly audible to me as she waited for me to continue. "What…" I was blinking rapidly at this point, trying to articulate a decade worth of suppressed feelings without scaring her off.
"What… Do you think of me as a person?" I spilled out the most neutral question I could possibly come up with while still having some relevance to what I really want to say.
"Well, you treasure your friends, your thoughts driven by logic, you are very serious with your work and dueling yet calm when faced with a problem. You are a very nice person Yusei." I listened to her answer attentively, thinking- no, feeling that this wasn't the moment.
I posed another question in search of this moment, "So what am I to you?"
Underneath the light coming from the lamp post, I could see a shade of pink beneath her honey-brown eyes. Did I ask an overly sensitive question? Is this the moment where she tells me that I am only a friend to her?
"You're a very important person to me…"
"As important as that guy you just met?" My thoughts slipped out, my jealousy audible with my tone which I both quickly regretted.
"What did you just say?!" Aki raised her voice, shocked at what just came out of my mouth, the scowl on her face made me shrink in fear and yet a hint of allure but I couldn't stop now.
"I overheard the nurses in the hospital saying that you had a boyfriend and you were meeting someone." I admitted.
Aki's scowl changed to an embarrass look, giving a sigh next and then bursting into laughter. I was left in a very confused state; what was all that about? Is this the part where she revealed that they already were engaged to each other?!
"The person I was talking to was one of my patients. He had suffered from a major depression, a break up that he took to heart to the point that he contemplated suicide. I became his reference doctor when I got my job and he recently got better enough that he wishes to go aboard; he was taking the flight out tonight and wanted to say thank you to me before leaving." She explained to me.
Two things went through my mind; one, I couldn't bring myself to fully believe her explanation and two, if this wasn't her boyfriend that the nurses were talking about, who is he then?
"Then who is this boyfriend of yours…" I swapped between jealousy and sorrow, my entire concentration directed to the floor.
"Well… He's not exactly my boyfriend…"
Were they already married?
"It's kind of a joke in the hospital really…"
Was he one of the staff there?
"I've known him for over a decade…"
But that would mean… Kiryu? Crow? Jack?! Lua?!
"We haven't even gone on an official date yet…"
No. It can't be…
"But I've been treating him like my boyfriend ever since."
Divine.
"I'm not really sure what he thinks of me…"
Do I still have a chance?
"But I know my feelings aren't unrequited…"
What would happen if I confess right now?
"That person is…"
The calm and collective person that I normally portrayed myself to others was shattered as my emotions overwhelmed me. I started sobbing uncontrollably; my heart felt like it was dying. I knew how much it hurts when I lost a valued friend, but this… This was even worse; it was more than losing somebody I treasured, it was losing somebody I was willing to spend the rest of my life with.
I felt a pair of hands bringing me closer and I didn't care as I collapsed into Aki's arm. The embrace made me felt protected, similar to a mother's warm but yet it was more. I cried even more when I felt her rubbing my hair, cooing to my ears that it was okay. I love Izayoi Aki, I love her.
"You. I love you Fudo Yusei. I love you." She whispered, tightening the embrace that we shared.
"But… I thought…" I lifted my head, tears still coming out as I blinked rapidly, trying to understand what Aki had just said.
"You fool." She gave a playful punch on to my chest, "all this years you just couldn't see; you may be intellectual amazing but you are the densest person I have ever met."
I didn't know if I should feel joy or embarrassment; the fact that my love was reciprocated or that I didn't even realize I was already with the woman of my dreams for ten years.
"At times, I even wondered… That maybe you would one day just get sick of me and then just leave me." It was her turn to begin to tear. "That all the hints that I've dropped on you were ignored because I just couldn't reach you. I didn't dare tell you my feelings in fear that I was pushing you into a relationship, so I just waited… waiting for you to give me an answer."
I held Aki even closer, the doubts that we had imposed on ourselves flowing away with our tears.
"Do you still remember the words I said to you at the airport when I got back?" We were wiping away each other tears, doing our best to smile at the same time. I tried to pronounce it correctly but I messed up, making Aki giggle; leaving me blushing. She spoke the line perfectly, "Ich liebe dich", and it really made her hotter. She asked then if I remembered what it meant, that I could do and I echoed what she said, it meant I love seeing you again.
"No. I lied about that. It really meant... I love you." Our faces were now both red, Aki placing her head onto my chest while I bit my lower lip. "I should have said that line before I left for Germany."
"I love you, Izayoi Aki." Like two lost souls meeting each other at long last, we nudged as close to one another until our noses were touching, my azure eyes finally locked to her amber's; our cries soon turn into blissful laughter.
Author's note:
So there are three things to be thankful this Christmas:
1. So a very long time ago a reader wanted me to write a happy-ending sequel to one of my stories: Vine of Thorns. So this is sort of the happy-ending AU wrap up (like a Christmas present) for both of my stories Vine of Thorns and the DnM Series.
2. A special thank you goes out to melan anime for supporting me since I started writing on Fan-fiction. :D I deeply appreciate your support! This is the story that you wanted a sequel for.
3. This also commemorate 3 years since the day I posted my very first story: Let it Snow. A very big thank you to everyone who supported my works throughout the years.
I don't own 5D's or any of its characters. If you could, please leave a review or favorite the story if you enjoyed it. If you identified a spelling or grammatical error feel free to just point it out.
Merry Christmas!
