Chapter 1!
A/N: Here's my new story! I had tossed around several ideas and I honest thought of this as just an idea out of the blue. It slowly grew on me until I started thinking it might be a good idea for an actual story. However, unlike my last story, I don't have a detailed plan on how it will go, so I'm not sure how long it will last.
Also, there are a few key things in this story that are a heads-up:
All of the characters in the Nazca group have -ka added to the end of their names. I'm trying to make it similar to a TV show or movie, where it's the same person only at a different time. For example, Yusei would be Yuseika. I tried to make it sound somewhat tribe like, which gets to my next point.
I apologize to anyone who might be offended by me trying to write about a tribal group. I am not trying to insult any tribe of any kind. I am not trying to make this similar to the real life Nazca people, most obviously with the next two points...
The Nazca people will have duel disks. I know it sounds odd, but I think it would be hard and boring for them to play putting cards/rocks on the ground. Not to mention, it would hard to describe Akiza's/Akizaka's psychic powers. I will also have, what I can best describe as, "semi-duels." I do not know the card game and I do not want to force someone to write a duel for me. So, I will skim through the duels, trying to focus more on the story and talking points, and less on the dueling aspect.
Some characters, most notably Dexter, will still wear glasses in the past.
The couples in this story are: YuseixAkiza, JackxCarly, CrowxSherry, and LunaxDexter. I hope there is at least on couple that you can support. However, it will most focus on YuseixAkiza.
This is AU, after ZONE and the Dark Signers. However, no one has left the city.
I thank you for giving this story a try and I hope you enjoy it!
In the town of New Domino City, a woman sighed as she put books on a long cart. Since technology had gotten so advanced, all of the libraries were closing. As she set the book down, she heard a door open. She smiled once she saw the woman that was coming in. "Martha!" she exclaimed, "How nice to see you!" Martha smiled. "It's good to see you too Alexa. So how is the book selling coming along?" Alexa frowned.
"Not so good. People just don't read books anymore Martha. They have the internet to do it and can buy books online. I have all these physical books and no one to sell them to." Martha smiled. "Well, I'll be more than happy to buy a few of them and get them off your hands." Alexa smiled. "That'd be great Martha! Take as many as you need!" Martha nodded and started looking through the books.
As she looked, she found a variety of books: animals, kids, and storybooks. She grabbed a few kids ones, knowing that Crow could use them for his orphans. Suddenly, one book caught her eye. She picked it up and looked at it. She opened it up and flipped through a few pages. She gasped once she saw it and looked around, as if she was at risk of getting attacked. She then stuffed the book with the other ones and paid the librarian for all of them. When she got home, Martha quickly got onto a video chat.
Across town, all of the Signers were at Popo Time. Jack and Crow were in their latest feud, as the rest of them looked on. Jack accused Crow of drinking his Blue Eyes Mountain Coffee, as Yusei, Akiza, Leo, and Luna all despised coffee. Crow tried to claim that Zora took some, but knowing her, she would not come to his defense. As the two continued to argue, the rest of them hoped for a distraction, that could get them out of there. They were in luck, as the video phone rang, and Yusei went to his laptop to answer it.
"Hey Martha," Yusei said as the twins and Akiza surrounded him. Jack and Crow stood behind and looked from a far, pausing their disagreement. Martha had a serious look on her face. "I need you all to come over here, as I have some important news." Everyone quickly became worried. "Is it bad?" Leo asked, as he knew he spoke for all of them. Martha shook her head.
"No. In fact, I think it might even be some good news. Now, I need you to all come over as soon as possible." Jack spoke up. "Lets take our Runners!" he proclaimed, but Yusei saw a flaw in his plan. "But how are the twins going to get there?" he asked. Jack loosened his fist. "Uh...well..."
"We'll ride with you!" Leo suggested. "I'll ride on the back of Jack's and Luna can ride on Crow's." Jack frowned. "No way! I'm not letting someone ride with me!" As Leo tried to make his point, Akiza spoke up. "Yusei," she said quietly as she tugged on his blue blazer, "My Runner's at home and it's been quite a while since I've driven it. Would it be okay if I rode with you?" Akiza's looked down, as she was nervous to Yusei's reaction. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Of course," he replied, "And I'll be sure to give you a spare helmet and I'll drive safely, just like I always do. I'll obey the speed limits and traffic signals as well." Akiza smiled. "That sounds great Yusei! Thank you so much." Yusei gave a rare smile back. "No problem," he replied and they both turned to see Leo and Jack arguing.
"All right!" Yusei said as he spoke and stood up. "Leo will ride with Jack and Luna can ride with Crow." Leo cheered as Jack gave a saddening look. "We should all head over there as soon as possible," Yusei finished, "So lets get going." Crow pointed his finger. "But what about Akiza?" he asked, "Her Runner's all the way back home!" Yusei tilted his head down. "Uh..." he replied a bit nervously, "Akiza's going to be riding with me."
Suddenly, Crow and Jack got sly grins on their faces as Leo and Luna giggled. "All right!" Crow replied, "Lets get going!" Jack and Crow quickly mounted their Duel Runners and, before Yusei could even take out his helmet, they were gone in a flash. Yusei unhooked some wires on his Runner as Jack and Crow wanted to see if his engine was working properly. As Yusei untangled them, Akiza asked a question.
"Since you like Duel Runners so much Yusei, do you think you'll do that for a living?" Yusei paused for a moment before answering. "Not a chance," he replied and Akiza was a bit surprised. Why didn't Yusei want to do that for a living? There had to be a reason. Still, Akiza saw Yusei looking almost angry at her question. She was worried that she had upset him. Once he was all set, Akiza quickly put a hand on his shoulder.
"Yusei, I'm sorry if I upset you." Yusei looked surprised, before smiling at her. "It's all right Akiza. You asked a perfect honest question. The fact is that I don't want to work on this kind of stuff all day long. It gets rather stressful and frustrating." Akiza nodded and Yusei got on. "Okay, you all set?" He looked over his shoulder and saw Akiza still standing there. "Um...Yusei?" Again, Akiza looked nervous, like she would upset him. Yusei stood up and took off his helmet.
"Akiza, what's wrong?" he asked, looking worried at her. Akiza looked away. "Could...could I not ride on the side? It's quite a distance to get to Martha's and I don't want to fall off." Yusei gasped and hadn't realized that before. "Could...could I ride behind you?" Akiza asked, still sounding a little scared. Yusei looked away. He had only let one person ride behind him before.
_Flashback_
Yusei had just met Jaden Yuki. After a quick conversation, Yusei knew that they had to head over to Yugi's time right away (plus the Crimson Dragon wouldn't stop whining and roaring like a baby). Anyways, as Yusei debated on how they should travel on his runner, Jaden quickly got an idea. "I'll ride in back!" Jaden proclaimed. Yusei sighed. 'This is going to be awkward,' he thought. He was a perfectly straight guy having to have another man sit behind him. After Jaden got seated behind him, Yusei was about to get going, when suddenly, he felt two arms wrap around him.
"Jaden! What they heck are you doing?" Yusei shouted. Jaden just smiled. "I'm holding onto you bro," he replied as he looked down, "Man you're skinny! You must look like like a stick!" Yusei growled and was upset, even if Jaden was telling the truth. "Hey! My body is perfectly fine!" he replied as he put his hands on Jaden's wrists, "But what is not fine is you putting your arms around me!" Yusei wiggled and tried to pry his hands apart. Jaden couldn't hold on and he managed to let go. However, even as Jaden let go, Yusei suddenly felt something else touching him. Something a lot more awkward.
"Jaden, why is your crotch touching my butt?" Yusei shouted as he looked over his shoulder. Jaden shrugged. "I have to sit close to you." he replied and Yusei's eyes narrowed. He quickly turned halfway around."No you don't Jaden. Plus, I'm not comfortable with it, as I am perfectly straight." Jaden fell back onto the seat as Yusei leaned closer to him. "Listen Jaden, I know we have to save the world, but I'm not having you wrap your arms around me and having your crotch rubbing against my butt!" Jaden became quiet. "All right, but I have to hang onto something." Yusei sighed.
"Just...hold onto my stomach with only your hands," he replied, "But don't put your hands any lower!" Jaden nodded and put his hands on his waist. Yusei leaned forward on his Runner, trying to make sure Jaden didn't try any funny business. 'Is this guy always this serious?' Jaden wondered as Yusei leaned very noticeably forward, trying to avoid his touch.
_End Flashback_
Still, back in the present, Yusei knew that Akiza was a woman, and that he was much better friend with her. Up until this point, Yusei had forgotten about just how dangerous riding a Duel Runner could be, and with Akiza on board, he wanted to make sure he was extra safe. "All right," Yusei replied, "You can sit behind me." He put both hands on her shoulders. "After all, I want you to be safe Akiza." Akiza looked down. "Thank you Yusei. That...really means a lot to me." Yusei nodded and stuck out his arm, motioning her to get on. Akiza did and Yusei followed. They each put on a helmet and smiled. "You all set and comfortable?" Yusei asked.
"Just a second," Akiza replied and Yusei waited patently for her. Suddenly, Akiza wrapped both arms around him and leaned in close. Yusei could feel her hands rubbing his black shirt and something that made him turn red. 'Oh crap!' Yusei thought. He could feel Akiza's chest, not only on his back, but also spilling onto his sides. He gulped. The only time he had felt this was when Martha gave him a hug, but even Martha's large chest was tiny compared to Akiza's. Yusei felt so many emotions right now and he scrambled to arrive at what one he was suppose to feel. "Yusei?" Akiza asked as Yusei was sorting out his thoughts,
"Um...yes?" Yusei asked in a high pitched tone. Akiza looked up. "We don't wanna be late." Yusei nodded. "Oh yeah. Right." He gently started the engine and slowly made his way out onto the street. Even as Yusei sorted out his previous thought, he noticed Akiza was holding onto him rather tightly. Was she scared? No, because she had a Duel Runner. Was she worried about Martha? No, because Martha said everything was all right. Yusei had to ask.
"Akiza! Is everything all right?" Yusei shouted. "What?" Akiza asked. "I said is everything all right?" Akiza looked confused. "I can't hear you!" Yusei sighed. Stupid engine! Stupid Runner! If only it was quieter, Yusei could find out what was wrong. "I'll tell you later!" he shouted, but Akiza still didn't hear him. She put her arms back around him. She sighed as she felt the fabric of his shirt again.
He was the man she had a crush on, but Akiza figured that he would never be her's. She had been this close to him before, as she had hugged him after defeating ZONE and the Dark Signers. However, this was the first time she had gotten to hold onto him for more than a couple seconds. She could feel her body become weak from sadness, as she knew that Yusei could have any woman in the world. He could have one that would make him happy in many different ways, which made Akiza realize that she could never do enough to deserve him. She had tried to repay him for everything he had ever done for her, but she knew that Yusei deserved a woman who needed less out of him and could give him more that he gave her. Akiza closed her eyes and rested her helmet against his shoulder, as she continued to play with his shirt. It wasn't tucked in perfectly (like a typical man would do). Akiza sighed, forgetting about what Yusei had asked her a few minutes ago. She just let Yusei drive and she mentally kicked herself for ever thinking Yusei could be her's.
When they got to Martha's, Jack, Crow and the twins were standing outside waiting for them. "What took you so long?" Jack asked as Crow and him folded their arms. "I went the speed limit," Yusei replied. Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but even going the speed limit couldn't make up for how long you two took." Yusei sighed. "Akiza and I also talked for a little bit before we left, that's all," Yusei replied, "So just forget about it." They all headed for the door. "Don't worry Yusei, I caught Jack going way over the speed limit when we were on the freeway." Jack growled, as Yusei smiled, and the door quickly opened.
"Why hello everyone!" Martha smiled as she stepped aside. "Please come in!" Martha let them come in and they each took off their shoes, to keep the floor from getting dirty, Martha hugged each one of them tightly as they came by. Yusei took notice of Martha's chest pushing on him a lot more than he normally did. They each took a seat on the couch. "So what did you want to tell us?" Crow asked as Martha gave them each some water to drink. Martha smiled.
"I got some books for your orphans, that I thought they would like to read." Martha went by a chair and picked up a stack of books. She then handed them to Crow and she took a seat in a separate chair. "That's it?" Leo asked, "We came here for some books?" Martha shook her head. "No no. The library was closing, so I went and got some books. However, there was one that caught my eye." She picked it up and everyone looked at the cover.
"Stories of the Nazca People?" Crow read aloud for everyone to hear. Martha nodded. "Why would we want to hear about some stupid people living a long, long time ago?" Jack questioned, as he gave the book a mean glare. Martha smiled. "Because your Signer marks were related to these people and you'll never guess what the character's name is..." Everyone didn't get it.
"Main Characters," Martha read, "Yuseika." Everyone gasped and turned to Yusei. Jack was furious. "What? So there's a story about Yusei in the past?" Martha shook her head. "Not just a story and not just about Yusei." Martha smiled and looked down at the book. "The next character's name is Akizaka." Everyone gasped and looked to Akiza. She looked away and blushed. Martha continued. "Then there's Lunaka, Leoka, Crowka..." Jack smiled as he knew what was next.
"Then Dexterka." Jack frowned. "What? Who the heck is Dexterka?" Leo smiled. "Hey! Maybe that's our friend Dexter!" Luna nodded. "Yeah! Who else is there?" Luna asked excitedly. Jack growled and gritted his teeth as he turned to Martha. "Let see," she replied, "There's Sherryka, Carlyka, and lastly..." She turned the page. "Jackka." Jack stormed up to her. "What? Am I really last one?" Martha nodded and showed him the page. There were two pages of the others, followed by a third, with just him on the last one.
"Well, at least I'm at the top of the page" he replied. Jack then looked closer. "What is there written after the names?" As Jack tried to look closer, Martha pulled the book away, "Ah, ah ah," she replied, "I was going to go over that next. Now sit down and lets go over them." Jack went back and sat down on the floor, with his arms crossed and rolling his eyes.
"First up, there's Yuseika. It says that Yuseika was the leader of the Signers. He was of average height, tan skin, lean, and not muscular at all." Yusei's eyes widen as Jack and Crow went up to him. "Yeah! That totally Yusei!" Jack replied as he was suddenly in a good mood. He pulled Yusei's blue blazer off and Jack and Crow pointed and teased Yusei. Crow poked Yusei's soft bicep as Martha frowned. After the ZONE incident, Jack and Crow had decided to use their portion of their winnings, as the Fortune Cup had no prize money, for gym memberships. Yusei decided against that, as he had no idea of when he would ever go to it. Plus, the treadmill Zora offered him was just fine. Jack and Crow insisted that she only gave it to him, because Zora liked him and she herself still sometimes used it. Ever since then, Jack and Crow had never stopped barking that Yusei should bulk up, but Yusei insisted that he loved his body just the way it was. Plus, Yusei had noticed that Jack and Crow had bulked up rather quickly and seemed a lot bigger than a normal person. Finally, Martha couldn't take their teasing anymore.
"Quiet!" she shouted and everyone became silent. Martha smiled and straightened herself out. "Yusei looks fine just the way he is," Martha replied more calmly, "And he doesn't need to bulk up if he doesn't want to." Leo stood up. "Yeah! Yusei looks great just the way he is!" Luna stood up and they both faced Yusei. "You look great just the way you are," Luna added, "And besides, we wouldn't want Yusei to look all muscular, because we know that just isn't him." They both gave him a hug together and everyone, except Jack and Crow, smiled. Akiza, Martha, and Yusei were glad that the twins supported a healthy body image instead of having one that the media could force onto them. Akiza suddenly felt like she should put her word in too.
"Yeah, you look amazing," Akiza added, but it seemed as though no one heard her. Akiza looked away, knowing she blew her chance. They all sat back down and Martha continued. "Yuseika was a kind hearted individual who cared about his friends, but..." Martha suddenly stopped. "Why did you stop?" Yusei asked and Martha smiled. "That's pretty much where it left off," she replied, "As the rest of the information you will learn about in the stories." Everyone gasped.
"Really? How many stories are there?" Leo asked excitedly. Martha smiled. "It's a secret," she replied, "But anyways, lets now look at Akizaka." Everyone turned to their real life Akiza and Martha explained. "Akizaka was a strong individual, who could stand up for herself and her own opinions. Despite this, she was a very soft hearted woman with a caring heart. She loved to help others, most notably Yuseika." Yusei and Akiza both looked away, as everyone else giggled at the similarity of the present day. "Akiza had psychic powers that could turn her monsters to real life." Everyone was surprised.
"Did Akizaka ever learn to control her powers?" Akiza asked. Martha shrugged. "You'll have to wait and see," she replied and looked down. "That's pretty much it for Akizaka, without going into further details. Next up is Lunaka." Martha went over each of the twins and they both were amazed at the similarities. Leoka was one who loved going into to battle. Leo cheered when he heard this. "But he also didn't think things through," Martha added and Leo sat back down. Lunaka was the opposite, thinking before she acted. The both them were very also close. It even said that Leo liked playing with stick figurines, which Leo thought could be action figures.
Martha then described Crow and how he got into constant disagreements with Jackka. Everyone looked at the two of them, knowing that event well. Martha then talked about Dexterka, who was described as shy, kindhearted, pessimistic, but also lonely. Luna and Leo wondered if maybe the current Dexter felt that way as well. Martha then talked about Sherryka and Calyka, who matched up well with their current living personalities. "And now it's finally time for Jackka." Jack sat up straight and smiled happily.
"Jackka was very tall and one of the tallest of the Nazca people." Jack nodded. "He's very muscular, powerful, and had a booming voice." Jack smiled and liked what he was hearing. "However, he is also very hot and bone headed." Jack stood up and steam could be seen coming out of his ears. "What? Hot and bone headed! That's not true!" Crow smiled. "You're being hot headed right now," he noted and Jack looked furiously at him.
"I'm just being hot headed, because I care about myself. I don't want to go down in history looking like a fool!" Crow rolled his eyes. "All right Jack. You're not a fool. Can we please move along?" Jack shook his head. "Not until I get everything straightened out," he replied, "First off, I'm not a bone head, because I'm Jack Atlas. Secondly, I'm just as smart, if not smarter than everyone here, except for Martha." Akiza laughed.
"Okay Einstein, what is six times two-hundred and twelve?" Jack frowned. "I don't have a calculator, so how should I know?" Akiza shrugged. "You said that you were smarter than everyone else here," she noted. Leo put his hand in air. "I know! I'm great at math!" Akiza pointed to him. "1272," he responded. Crow checked his phone. "He's right." Everyone laughed as Jack became annoyed.
"Okay, I think that's enough for today about the book and making fun of Jack. However, you can all come over soon and hear what the first Chapter is about." Everyone groaned. "Can't we at lease get a preview?" Leo asked. Martha sighed. "All right. I'll let you in on the first Chapter.
_Flashback_
Years and Years ago, the Nazca people lived in a group. There were four areas in the North, South, East, and West. Still, the people of each group discovered that there was going to be a battle. Not a war or weapons battle, but a battle of dragons. The messenger told each area and they called for a meeting. There were four leaders, one of each group, that met in a very important meeting. "How will we decide who has the dragons to fight the Dark Signers?" one leader asked. Another one stood up. "We'll have a tournament!" he proclaimed and the search for the Signers began.
_End Flashback_
"Cool!" Leo exclaimed, "A tournament! Who wins? What happens?" Martha chuckled. "In due time Leo. In due time. In the meanwhile, why don't you guys stay for dinner?" Everyone agreed and they all pitched in to help Martha make supper. Once it was done, they said grace and started digging in. As they ate, Martha couldn't, but take notice in the fact that Yusei was sitting next to Akiza. It was just begging for her to tease the two of them.
"Akiza, may I ask you a question?" Akiza turned to the older woman. "Sure thing!" she replied cheerfully. Martha smiled. "How have been things going at the garage?" Jack spoke up. "They're fine," he replied. Martha frowned. "See, that's the answer I always get from those three. I was wondering if I could get answer from someone who's not in their party." Akiza nodded.
"Well, I think everything's going okay. Crow and Jack are always fighting." Jack and Crow looked up from their food. "Are you keeping Yusei in check?" Martha asked. Yusei looked up, stunned at the question. He turned to Akiza, who wiggled in her seat. "I hope I keep him in check. He's a really nice guy, but...I..." Everyone wondered what she wanted to finish her statement with. "You what?" Martha asked, concerned about her.
"I...it's nothing," she replied as she faced away from the table. Everyone else sat in silence, not sure what to do. "Um...uh..." Yusei said as he tried to break the silence. "How about the...uh...local baseball team?" Jack instantly got emotional. "Oh they suck!" Jack shouted and they all started talking about something else. Martha frowned as everyone seemed to forget about Akiza. Akiza just sighed, knowing that no one cared.
After eating, everyone talked to Martha for a little bit. Instead of reading everyone the entire book right away, they would come over every week. That way, Martha could get occasional visits from them, but not every single day. As everyone said goodbye, Martha gave them each a hug. "Take care. I'll see you in a few days to tell you about the first Chapter." Everyone said that would be great and they went on their Runners. Like before, Jack and Crow sped off. Martha watched Yusei and Akiza leave.
"Here you go," Yusei replied as he handed her a helmet. Akiza took it without a word. Yusei looked at her. "What's wrong?" he asked. Akiza sighed. "Nothing," she replied as she sat down on the Runner. Yusei felt bad and sat down. Akiza wrapped her arms around him and looked off to the side. Yusei gently started going and made sure to obey the driving laws.
When they got back, Yusei and Akiza got off. Akiza handed him her helmet without a word yet again. Yusei frowned and looked at her once the helmets were safely inside the compartment. "Akiza," Yusei said quickly as he put his hands on her shoulders. Akiza had her back towards him, but he didn't want her to leave just yet. "What's wrong?" Akiza turned to him, looking down at the ground, and still looking sad. "Please Akiza," Yusei stressed, "We're friends." Akiza frowned.
"So is everyone else," she replied, "So am I really that different?" She turned around and everyone watched her leave.
A/N: What will Yusei do to respond to Akiza and will the book provide any answers? Find out in the next Chapter!