(A/N): For those of you awaiting the next chapter of Archer, sorry 'bout getting our hopes up. ; Anywho, I've been watching the new Yu-Gi-Oh series since it came out, and I simply adore all the characters because they have such good development. Of course, I'm a fan of the obligatory shounen lead male x lead female pairing, Faithshipping/Junkshipping, and I personally think that it has potential, so I've made mah little contribution. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own -insert series title here- or the characters or the borrowed dialouge. This fic is allllll mine, though, and I'm not gonna let go of it without a fight.

Seeing Stars

A Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Shipping Tale

"That wretched mark!" And with that, she summoned a vortex of light and rose petals, vanishing at once from view, leaving nothing behind but destruction…

When she first saw him among the rubble, the first thing she verbally acknowledged was the cursed birthmark. She promptly disappeared afterwards, with the flash and bang that her other self, the Black Rose Witch, was known for causing.

It wasn't, however, the birthmark that caused her to reel in shock and flee before her mask was shaken loose from its hold. The crimson lines etched into his arm, as noticeable as they were, hadn't even been the first thing she noticed. The first things she had seen and fixated on were his eyes.

They were a unique color: a deep cobalt blue that mirrored the night sky just after sunset, and they glittered like bright sparkling stars.

Those damned eyes had not only fixated her attention, they frightened her. They seemed to pierce through her defenses instantly, as if they could instantly see the pain that she was trying to conceal from herself. She had utterly convinced herself that there was nothing wrong with the havoc and destruction she caused, that it was fun and satisfying to harm those that harmed her, and she truly believed that she reveled in every single face that she had contorted into fear.

But now, she felt drained and confused as she struggled to catch her breath. It felt as if she had been struck directly through her chest and her blackened heart…

(--)

His eyes locked with hers, freezing her in place as she felt the smirk that had sneaked onto her face slowly slide off.

"Izayoi Aki…"His eyes had narrowed into an expression that she had seen all too many times before: anger. But, she noted, his eyes were glittering again, aglow with something that she could not identify. It rather resembled the look of concern she had seen on Divine's face on occasion, although why it would be there considering she had just slammed him down from a two-story height puzzled her.

"You enjoy destruction-that power of yours. You feel joy in those powers."

Those words…they shook her. How had he noticed? She cursed herself for being weak enough to let him see through her so easily.

Although, she noted silently to herself as she again was fixated on the damned cobalt eyes, she was starting to doubt if anything could escape the intense glare of the star-eyed man.

(--)

"You need to think on your own!"

Internally, she growled. Couldn't those all-seeing orbs see that she couldn't?

"I don't care. Divine will think for me."

"Don't run away from it, Izayoi!"

"I have to. I can't do anything."

Exactly. Of course she couldn't do anything. Those impulses of destruction…she couldn't stop them from coming, could she? Even when she had been younger and had wished with all her heart that they would stop, they wouldn't. They would never stop. What else could she do but let them come forth? At least, with Divine thinking for her, she could do her destructive deeds with a detached mind.

Or she could have done so, if he wasn't looking at her with those damned eyes. With them constantly piercing through the ivy wall she had set up around her blackened heart, she could constantly feel the pain that she herself was inflicting.

"Not so fun, is it?"

"Shut up!"

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

Yes, it did. But why? All those rampages before, when she donned her other self, her mask had protected her from the pain and regret she felt with each and every blow. It had come to the point where she believed it no longer existed…

But now, it felt like all the agony that she had hidden away was bursting forth. The dam that held it back was cracking. The vines of the Black Rose Garden within her soul that had entrapped every single bit of remorse were starting to wither. She could no longer hide within it with as much security as she had done before…

"What does a witch like me need to think about? So long as Divine shows me the way and loves me, then-"

"No! You have to love yourself!"

Now, he was asking for the impossible. How could she love herself when she loathed and despised every single moment that she spent inflicting pain on others; even if she had once hidden those self-incriminating thoughts away? How could she love herself when there were people all around her, crying out curses and damning her to the deepest depths of hell? How could she?

"If I could do that…if I could…"

How? There was nowhere to start trying…nowhere that she could find a small enclave to release everything…to purify herself…to make her feel clean…

"No, I can't! Can't you see that I'm suffering?!"

It was all coming out now, every single bit of rage, fury, sorrow, regret…all of it spilled over; she was unable to hold it back.

"Black Rose Dragon's effect activates! BLACK ROSE GALE!"

A flurry of black petals enveloped the stadium, driven by fierce blowing winds.

Well…if she couldn't hold everything back…she might as well vent it out on the one who caused it to break through in the first place…

"I'll catch anything that you dish out! Vent out all your sorrow!"

What...?

The wings of the starlit dragon opened to their full extent, as if it was preparing to embrace…

He…he couldn't be…

"VICTIM SANCTUARY!"

The shining silver dragon dashed forward, enveloping the black flowering dragon with its wings, holding it in a tight embrace. The black dragon, as if reading her thoughts, struggled to free itself from the unfamiliar attack, thrashing around and whipping the silver dragon with thorny vines. It was all in vain, however, as the silver dragon held on tightly, and vanished with the black dragon in a flurry of stars as the storm of black petals died down.

As the petals floated softly to the ground, she felt…lighter, somehow. It took her a moment to realize that the pain that she was trying to vent out had evaporated, vanished.

She felt…empty. The pain and misery had inhabited her heart for so long that it had become a part of her identity. Without it, she felt lost, weakened; like she was missing a vital part of herself.

And yet…for the briefest moment, she had actually acknowledged that somewhere, deep inside her, this was what she had wanted: an enclave that she could have let everything go…

And he had seen that, with those piercing eyes. He had given it to her in that single action of sacrificing his monster to destroy her own and create that small spot, within the embrace of starlit wings.

She looked up, seeing the silhouette of the dragon behind him as it whipped up a fierce whirlwind and fired several shards of light, one striking her directly in the forehead and causing her mask to finally shatter, leaving her desperate for some sort of hope for her situation. She had lost her self-created armor and felt defenseless, confused, and vulnerable. She had no clue where to turn to next, and so, she let out the first words that she had spoken with her true self…

"Help…me…"

(--)

She didn't know what had happened next, only that Divine had helped her off the field. When she came to, she found herself back in the water bath that she had often found herself soaking in after overusing her powers. It had usually calmed and rejuvenated her, but this time, it had no effect.

She had often used this time in the water to slowly lock away every single bit of remorse and sorrow that had accumulated during the duel. But this time, her mask was gone, and there was nowhere to store the emotions except her freshly exposed heart.

She didn't know what to do at this point, feeling lost. Gazing down at the water, she noted how the light seemed to reflect off of it, making it glitter like stars. The idle thought immediately redirected her thoughts to the cobalt-eyed boy, and she knew at that point that she could never bring herself to call him a "wretched foe" ever again. She still didn't know what he could do for her after leaving her in the state she was in now, and while she wanted to hate him for shattering her mask, she couldn't. Instead, she saw him in everything that resembled a star, for that was what his eyes, his dragon, his soul was: A shining light, covering all that it touched with a sense of serenity, for they knew that he would be forever up in the skies, watching them as a faithful and protective guardian.

…Damn him and those starlit eyes…

(end)

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