Pookles: I AM BACK
Luna: Holy crap. She's actually back.
Pookles: Right! And I want to talk about why!
Luna: I'm listening.
Pookles: I tried reading through some of my old fics, trying to see if there was anyting good enough to use as a sample of my fictional writing and wow was there nothing I could use. I cringed harder at reading my old fics than anything else in my entire life. So I've decided to rewrite and/or revise my old fics to get my intentions across better. This fic is a good example of my intentions not coming across clearly. This fic is a rewrite of my fic "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's: Aki's Birthday." When I wrote it the first time, I used it as a way to vent my frustrations with my own birthday parties, causing Akiza to be very out of character. This time around, I wanted to give Akiza's personality another shot while comparing the quality of my writing from back then to now.
Luna: That sounds cool. So are you just gonna compare them or are you gonna base it on the fan response?
Pookles: Some of it is my own criticism, but if fans want to read both stories and give me constructive critcism and comapre and contrast the two stories, I'd greatly appreciate it. If you're interested in helping me with this experience, please check out my profile for full details.
Luna: What about the stories you havent' finished?
Pookles: That is a topic for another day. Read the intro!
Luna: This fic is a rewrite of Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's: Aki's Birthday. Pookles doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's. Also she wrote this in about six hours, so it's not her best work.
It was a year of firsts.
The first time she dueled in a tournament.
The first time she made a friend.
The first time she made several friends.
The first time she learned to control her powers.
The first time she learned empathy and compassion.
The first time she saved the world.
The first time she learned how to turbo duel.
The first time she fell in love.
The first time she felt free.
Some of these firsts seem like they'd happen to most people when they were children, but for Akiza Izinski, these were all firsts that had happened in the seventeenth year of her existence. It was a year with its ups and downs, but a new challenge in the WRGP was on the horizon, with Yusei, Jack, and Crow determined to win it.
While she, Bruno, and the twins, Luna and Leo, were more or less along for the ride, there was always time to celebrate and spend time together.
Today was no different, as August 16th was Akiza's birthday.
School was about to start up again, and the last thing she wanted was to be reminded that it was her senior year, that she was graduating, and that she'd have to figure out something to do with her life in the next six months.
Despite her top grades and immaculate planning and multi-tasking skills –not to mention her dueling prowess- Akiza didn't want to have to think about leaving her current life behind.
It just wasn't something she was prepared for.
It was like society expected her to be able to be a perfectly functioning adult the moment she turned eighteen.
Yusei, Jack, Crow, and Bruno were all older than her and none of them had their lives together.
But she was different. She was the daughter of a senator. She had expectations to live up to.
She had to be beautiful.
She had to be polite.
She had to be smart.
She had to be kind.
And even though she had all of those traits in spades, she didn't enjoy using them for the enjoyment of the press, the other congressmen, or anyone else whom needed to be reassured that her father was a good person. Of course when they asked she still said: "He is now. He wasn't always."
Her eighteenth birthday was sure to be a spectacle in which all of those expectations and pressures would come to light and pile onto her shoulders all at once.
After glancing at her phone to see the "Happy Birthday" notifications piling up, Akiza pulled herself out of bed, and dragged herself into the bathroom.
She took a long shower, and very clearly heard the door to her bedroom outside open and eventually close. When she emerged in her towel, she saw a plate with breakfast sitting on her bed, and a gown hanging on the door of her closet.
Her parents had taken the liberty of making today a "Sweet Eighteen" since they'd missed her "Sweet Sixteen." Sayer had taken her to dinner with a few of the other psychics to celebrate, but birthdays were something that many people at the Arcadia Movement didn't like to dwell on.
The Izinski Estate was going to host an unimaginable amount of guests, events, and foods to celebrate, and Akiza was not mentally prepared for any of it.
Only in the Fortune Cup had she ever had a greater amount of people focused on her, but it was because they hated her, and she could handle that significantly better than she could handle people being nice to her.
When people were mean to her, she didn't have to tolerate it and could easily get out of the situation by walking away.
When people were nice to her, she had to sit there and take their praise, their pity, or whatever it was they wanted to share with her, and couldn't do anything about it.
She realized it sounded rude and mean to not want to talk to anyone, but she was an introvert; she couldn't help it. She just didn't have the energy or patience.
But she still put on her brave face and a robe and began to eat. The second she lifted the fork, her mother Setsuko, entered the room almost on cue.
"Good morning my little rose!" Her mother greeted her with a smile and a hug.
"Morning mom," Akiza replied less than enthusiastically.
"Are you excited for today?"
"Not in the slightest."
Setsuko understood to an extent that her daughter didn't like many people to begin with, and had tried to reason with her father, Hideo, to have a smaller party with only people Akiza wanted.
But Hideo was still trying to get the Father of the Year award, and thought that blowing his daughter's eighteenth birthday out of the water was a requirement, in addition to getting him some brownie points with the other congressmen.
Setsuko hugged her daughter again, "Don't worry. Today will be great. Yusei is coming, remember? If you want to, you can just be with him all night and no one would bother you."
Akiza smiled and returned her mother's embrace, "Thanks mom."
"Molly is already downstairs helping your father," Setsuko told her. "Go out with her for awhile before the party. Just be back by five, and dressed by six."
"Okay mom," Akiza answered and went to her closet as Setsuko slipped out of the room.
Minutes later, Akiza descended the stairs in leather pants, boots, and wore a white t-shirt under her bomber jacket.
"Lookin' good gurl!" Molly shouted from across the living room. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, let's head out," Akiza answered. "We'll be back later Papa!"
The pair rushed out to the garage before Hideo could respond, and sped out of the driveway before he could catch up to them.
"Where are we going?" Akiza asked her best friend.
"Martha's Place," Molly answered. "The guys thought you might like a barbecue or something more casual before tonight."
"You mean Martha thought I might like something more casual?" Akiza corrected her.
Molly smirked, "Something like that."
The pair shared a laugh again as they drove across the city, eventually reaching Martha's Place. Akiza and Molly parked their runners by Yusei, Jack, Crow, and Bruno's before heading to the backyard where they distinctly heard music.
Upon entering the backyard, Akiza was flanked by Molly and Crow, whom both loudly announced her presence.
"THE BIRTHDAY GIRL IS HERE!" They shouted in unison.
Immediately Akiza blushed and covered her face with her hand, and then a ton of children flooded out from the house and gathered around her feet.
"Happy Birthday Aki-nee-san!" They shouted in unison.
Akiza began thanking the children as they led her over to a rose-petal throne, made of large, metal petals.
"This is incredible,"Akiza commented as she ran her hands over the armrests.
Mister Bashford stepped forward, "Thank you dear. The boys seemed to enjoy making it as much as I did."
Akiza's smile grew as she stood to hug the old man before sitting down and looking over it again. She chuckled and after a moment said: "Screw you Cercei, my throne is better."
Luna nodded approvingly and high-fived the elder signer as Yusei approached; missing his jacket, and still wearing metal-working gloves.
"Was it fun to make?" Akiza asked with a smile.
"Yeah," Yusei answered as the kids ran away. "I learned something new too."
"It was awesome welding stuff together," Jack commented with a reserved tone.
"Hey kids, don't you have a present for Akiza?" Crow called to the group of children.
The kids came rushing back with something wrapped in newspaper, which Akiza carefully took and unwrapped. Inside was a gold circlet, decorated with small roses and thorned vines.
"You can wear it tonight at the party!" One of the little girls told her excitedly.
Akiza was so in awe of the gift, that she didn't notice Yusei take the circlet and place it on her head. The kids cheered and Akiza smiled before glancing up at Yusei.
"Thank you so much guys," She told them as she proceeded to hug each one of them. "You'll have a lot of fun tonight. There's an ice cream bar and a candy bag bar."
She watched the kids cheer and stood from her throne to kiss Yusei, Jack, Crow, Bruno, and Leo each on the cheek as a thank you for their hard work.
"You guys are the best," She told them before strolling over to get food.
After making the rounds to Martha and later Misty, Carly, and Kalin when they arrived, Akiza returned to her throne to enjoy her double bacon cheeseburger.
"Doesn't your gown have a corset?" Carly asked after a minute.
"Nope, and this is why," Akiza answered as Misty and Luna chuckled.
The guys had made a fire and everyone circled around it while they ate and talked. The time and her anxieties seemed to just melt away as she felt the warmth of the fire gently lick her skin. Looking around the fire she saw smiles, happiness, and excitement; something she'd rarely seen in the past.
Akiza smiled even more when she realized that she really needed this today.
Spending time relaxing with close friends was something she could do day in and day out with no problem. It wasn't a burden and it wasn't exhausting. It made her feel like she wasn't some kind of misanthrope that just wanted to be alone to do her own thing all the time.
Akiza smiled to herself before checking her watch.
"Something wrong?" Crow asked through a mouthful of food.
"I don't wanna go," Akiza whined and hung her head briefly.
"We can just stay here," Crow replied nonchalantly.
Jack scoffed and gently cuffed him, "You just don't want to wear the suit."
Kalin laughed, "I doubt Yusei wants to wear one either."
Yusei nodded in agreement, and Akiza stood.
"I have to head back," She told them. "It's gonna take me an hour to get that dress on."
The children protested until Martha shushed them, and Akiza said her goodbyes before heading to her runner. Misty, Molly, and Carly joined her; the supermodel getting on the back of Akiza's runner, and the reporter was riding with Molly.
"That was nice," Akiza admitted as they sped through the city.
"Yeah," Molly added. "We need to do that more often."
They eventually reached the Izinski Estate, and rushed Akiza upstairs; out of the view of some of the congressmen and diplomats that had arrived already. The girl growled out her frustration and once she and her friends were safely in her room, she let out a scream.
"Akiza what the fuck?" Carly asked, looking very startled while Misty and Molly seemed unsurprised.
"I'm anxious as hell," The rose duelist answered slowly as she tried to collect herself. "Just give me a minute."
Misty, Molly, and Carly watched as Akiza walked over to her bed and began to meditate. Misty took this as a signal to start getting themselves ready, while Akiza mentally prepared herself.
Misty's makeup was dark and sexy to match her red, skin-tight gown, while her hair was contained in a bun and held with oriental hair sticks. Molly left her hair down, but curled it slightly to compliment the mysterious combination of her makeup and emerald-colored gown. Carly's dress was a typical A-line gown, with a ruched peach bodice on top, and a flowing orange skirt on the bottom. Her hair was braided and hung over one shoulder, while her makeup supported the innocent look she was going for.
Once they were all ready, Akiza finally opened her eyes; having found some inner peace for the moment.
"Okay, let's do this," Akiza announced with a serious expression.
Akiza's gown was long-sleeved and black, with illusion black lace covering her upper body and arms, except for a deep V-cut down the center; her signer mark hidden well beneath. The skirt had a small train and a cut down the left side, exposing part of her leg and the heels she was wearing. Since her hair had gotten longer, she could do more with it, and left it to Misty to style into a low, braided bun on the back of her head; her bangs hung freely on either side of her face, but were cut to chin length. Her makeup was a mixture of signals since Carly and Molly were both working on her at once. Her eyes were accented well with a minimal amount of mascara and eyeliner, while her lips very much contrasted with the rest of her appearance.
"I like it," Misty commented after a moment. "It says both 'come hither' and 'that's close enough.' Very fitting."
"Have any more guests arrived?" Akiza asked slowly as Molly placed the circlet on her head and put some gold bangles on her wrists.
"I'll go check," Carly volunteered and stepped out of the room.
The group watched her go and Molly chuckled after a moment.
"What's so funny?" Akiza asked.
Molly smirked from behind her hand, "Just that we have to do this all again when prom rolls around."
In response, Akiza took off her shoes and sat back on her bed to meditate; once again filled with immense anxiety. Misty shot Molly a look, and the latter mouthed "sorry."
Carly came back in a moment later with Setsuko, whom saw her daughter meditating and smiled sadly, but waited for Akiza to finish before speaking.
"We're ready for you," Setsuko spoke slowly after Akiza opened her eyes. "We moved everything into the gardens because of all the people and tables."
Akiza nodded slowly, and put her shoes back on before following her mother out of the room. All she had to do was descend the patio stairs into the gardens, and find Yusei.
The second she stepped outside, she left Misty touch her back and steer her in the direction of Yusei, whom looked in awe of her presence at that moment. The rest of the guests wore similar expressions, while some of her fanclub from school were drooling, some celebrities looked jealous, and some shadier characters snickered.
Akiza noticed all of this, and held her indifferent and slightly superior expression steady as she looked over the crowd from above, then descended the stairs.
She couldn't bring herself to look happy; because she wasn't. Her father's colleagues and several of the visiting diplomats looked as if they would be having strange fantasies about her later that night; to which she shot scathing glares. If only looks could kill.
At that moment she was itching for someone to give her an excuse to knock someone out. Was it bad that when she was anxious that she leaned toward violence as an escape? Yeah. Was it bad that she was in a situation that not only made her anxious, but was more than likely to present her with a situation where someone would test her patience? Absolutely.
When the crowd closed around her, she treated each greeting with a fake smile and an even faker "thank you for coming." Misty and Molly stayed close to her while Carly went to go fight over Jack with Mina and Stephanie. The pair were using their own star power to deflect guests from Akiza while they searched for Yusei. Misty of course was still world-famous for her modeling, and Molly was gaining traction as a turbo duelist and stand-up comedian.
But after a while Akiza had been separated from them, and could hear their voices, but not see them. Someone bumped her from behind and then a large hand firmly grasped her ass while she heard laughing.
With no hesitation, Akiza turned and smashed the creep's face into the cobblestones of the terrace; effectively bringing all activity at the party to a stop. The man was barely conscious and bleeding from the back of his head as Akiza stood over him looking angrier than anyone who had known her previously, had ever seen her.
"Trudge," Akiza called to the detective. "Arrest this man for sexual assault."
Without questioning her, Trudge took the man away, and Akiza shot a glare at the group of men whom were laughing.
"Is there something you'd like to say?" Akiza addressed them, crossing her arms.
The men were stunned silent, and Luna brought Akiza her duel disk and deck. The stunned expressions changed to curiosity; these people clearly not knowing what she was capable of.
"Black Rose Dragon, to me," Akiza spoke as she summoned her dragon.
The petal-plumed dragon leaned down and snarled at the men, scaring them enough for a few to topple over. Suddenly Yusei was at her side, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't hurt them," He whispered to her. "They're not worth it."
Akiza turned to him, "Anyone who thinks that groping a woman whom has not given permission needs to learn a lesson-" she then turned to the six men on the ground- "right boys?"
They immediately realized their position, and began groveling at her feet.
"We're so sorry!" They cried.
"We heard you were beautiful and single!" Another added.
"We just wanted to impress you!"
Black Rose Dragon roared and Akiza frowned, "Women do not enjoy being touched by men they do not know, nor men they have not given permission to touch them. Nothing about that is impressive. Your ignorance makes me want to feed you to my dragon and spare every other woman on the planet from your twisted logic."
The men began crying further, and Yusei didn't say anything. Akiza was more than right.
"However, if you take the time to be polite and try to better understand that person, and get permission, then that can be acceptable behavior. Do you understand what I'm trying to show you?"
The men nodded eagerly, and even though Akiza knew it was out of fear and not understanding, she lowered her arm.
"Good, now get out," She ordered. "And if I hear of any of you doing anything like that to any woman, your head will have a place on my mantle, and my dragon will pick her teeth with your bones."
Black Rose Dragon roared at them again, and they bolted from the garden with Trudge sending a few officers in pursuit.
Akiza allowed her dragon to disappear, but kept her duel disk on her arm. Yusei looked for some sort of hint to what she wanted him to do, but he just stood there. Akiza gently took his hand off her shoulder and held it in hers for a moment before Jack approached and pointed out the bloodstains on her dress.
"Ugh. This is why I hate this stuff," Akiza commented as Jack and Yusei chuckled.
Misty and Molly quickly found her and brought her inside to try and get the stains out. They succeeded for the most part, due to the fact that the dress was black, and reentered the garden to see that many of the guests had decided to leave, and that Martha finally was letting the kids destroy the dessert bars.
"Are you okay?" Yusei asked as she approached.
"Yeah, but I still enjoy hurting people," Akiza answered, surprising everyone present.
"This is different," Yusei told her as he lowered his head and closed his eyes. "They deserved it."
Jack and Crow seemed surprised at his answer to her, and Akiza would've thought it was jealousy if she didn't remember that this was Yusei, and he always got angry when someone hurt his friends.
It was the first time in a long time that Akiza had seen Yusei defer from his unintentionally selfless persona, and she laughed. When it came to her, he was always comforting, always ready to take on her problems and help her through them or hold her while she cried. It gave him this superhuman look to her, and it always brought her back down to earth when he was being human with her.
Akiza stepped forward and hugged Yusei briefly before withdrawing, "You're right."
She knew that he was far too dense to ever understand her feelings for him, and part of her accepted that in this moment. Yusei was always there to support her, and as long as he did that, she would be just fine.
The music started again, and Molly dragged Akiza to the dancefloor where several of their classmates had gathered and were eagerly singing and dancing. She saw Yusei sitting by Martha from between the people, and smiled again to herself; remembering that Yusei doesn't dance.
As Akiza danced the night away in shoes that were less-than-equipped for dancing, she looked back and on the events of the evening and smiled to herself.
Not the best birthday...but definitely not the worst.
Pookles: I think that was pretty successful. I was a lot better at staying on topic, and at staying on the topics I wanted to talk about. I still diverted some, but that's what makes it fun right?
Luna: I guess so. Please review, follow, and favorite to keep up with Pookles and her rebirthing of her fics!
Pookles: That just sounds gross but...accurate.