Enigma

Yusei Fudo was an enigma.

Unlike any of the other men she knew, he was methodical. Everything had to be done a certain way at a certain time. She had caught him, more often than not, going behind Jack or Crow and redoing whatever they had done whenever they weren't watching. Aki considered him to have a case of OCD, but Jack and Crow always shrugged it off when she asked them about it.

In the times he had invited her into his room to show her how to do her physics homework or the like, she had taken the time to look thoroughly around. His books were in alphabetical order and immaculate. Each one looked brand new. His spare cards were in six neat stacks upon his desk. When he had gone to get a drink once, she had gone through the cards and noticed that each stack had a different type of card, one for each: Effect Monsters, Normal Monsters, Tuner Monsters, Synchro Monsters, Spell and Traps. Again, in alphabetical order.

Everything had a label. His large, rusted, toolbox in the corner had neat white labels on it and descriptions of which tool went where and what was in each section. Even the bed was immaculately made. In hindsight, she did remember that the only time she ever saw him slightly frazzled was when a screwdriver had been moved.

Which brought her to her next point; the only time she had ever seen him show sharp emotion was when he was dueling. It was true that he was a bit softer with her than others, but he was still calculating, much like the computers that he worked with so often. Crow had once told her that he had been different when he was younger. He had still been calculating and methodical, but he had also been loud, funny and outgoing. When she asked what changed, Crow's face had dropped.

"When he was eleven he left Martha's for a while. Wanted to go off and see the world like any kid our age but the only one with guts to do it. Martha didn't know he was leaving until he was gone. We looked for him for weeks, scoured every bit of Satellite for him. We had resigned ourselves that he was gone when, four months later, he came stumbling to Martha's doorstep covered in scrapes and bruises and running like the hounds of hell were after him. He slept two days and when he woke up he refused to speak about what happened to him. Still don't know. But that was when he changed. He had always been interested in machines, but he threw himself into his work then. We all came to accept it, and you should too. We can't change him now."

Aki had thanked Crow for his help, but said she would still try to reach him the same way he reached her. "Your funeral." Was the only reply she had gotten before Crow had wandered off.

Aki knew that Martha would have an answer. She was Yusei's foster mother and the one who was probably closest to him. Up to now, Aki had only met her once, but she had all three of 'her boys' firmly under her thumb and she knew that she would have to soon be paying a visit to Martha.

Her chance occurred not too long after. While testing the new engine for his D-Wheel in the garage with Crow and Jack, Yusei had tripped over the wrench that Bruno had dropped on the floor and had fallen against the test model, scraping his calf against a sharp piece of metal and effectively gashing his leg open. Rua and Ruka had rushed to get towels while Aki had swiftly pulled out her phone to call an ambulance when Yusei's voice had stopped her.

"What are you doing?"

He wasn't paying any attention to the panicking Crow and Jack who were taking off his boot and rolling up his pants leg to the knee to see the extent of what he had done, he was looking at the phone in her hands as she frantically pushed buttons.

"I'm calling an ambulance!"

"No need. I'll go to Martha's."

This had astounded her. He was sitting on the floor, which was beginning to become soaked with his blood, while two of his friends were mopping him up and trying to stop the bleeding that was coming from the very painful looking and deep gash that went from about two inches above his ankle to his knee. He never flinched, just watched until she hung up the phone and put it away.

At this point, she went over and shoved Jack out of the way, taking a thin towel and tying it above his knee to make a tourniquet to stifle the bleeding. He grunted at this, but left her to grab the duct tape sitting not too far away and wrap two more towels along the wound itself. It then occurred to her that the only transportation that any of the guys had were D-wheels.

Before she could ask, Crow and Jack had helped Yusei onto the back of the Blackbird. Jack grabbed Rua and slipped a helmet onto his head and instructed him to get behind him on the Wheel of Fortune. Aki had grabbed her own helmet and had passed a spare to Ruka who sat nervously behind Aki on her own D-wheel.

Crow had taken off the second he was sure Yusei was secured, but Jack had waited long enough for Aki to get her D-wheel started before taking off. It had not taken long to catch up with Crow, who was going noticeably slower than normal in an effort to not jostle Yusei too much. Jack had kept pace beside Crow and frequently looked over at the other Motorcycle and say something to warrant a response from Yusei. Obviously trying to keep him from passing out or falling asleep.

It had taken over thirty minutes to get to Martha's from the garage where Jack, Crow, and Yusei lived. Jack and Crow had rushed to catch Yusei as he tipped to the side out of the seat, and Aki had decided right then that when he felt better she would slap him for putting himself in so much danger. When she had parked her own D-Wheel and removed her helmet, she was able to see that Yusei had gone chalky under his tan and was shaking slightly. She rushed ahead of the guys to bang on the door and shout Martha's name.

The woman had come to the door, gun blazing, only to soften at the sight of her boys and then for her look to change to one of shock at the sight of Yusei's leg. She had shouted Dr. Schmitt's name before she had thrown open the door and led to group to a room on the first floor that had a raised bed and hospital curtains. Jack and Crow were looking very queasy by now and Martha had kicked them out of the room, instructing Aki to sit at the head of the bed and talk to Yusei while she and the doctor worked on his leg.

She had done as she was told and had sat in the tall chair by the head of the bed and had begun chattering about a Riding Duel she had been in the other day, trying to keep Yusei's attention while Martha had removed his shoes and his pants and had covered him with a starchy blanket, only exposing his injured leg.

Yusei had then fixed his eyes on her, holding her in his sight with a vulnerability that she had never seen in him before. His eyes were a torrent of emotion that caused her breath to catch in her throat and something in her heart to tweak. She felt a love she had never felt before bloom in her chest and she had boldly taken his hand, squeezing it gently and holding his gaze.

"If this hurts, squeeze my hand. I promise it'll help."

That must have been when the pain started, because he grasped her hand and let out a pain filled grunt. She glanced down to see that the doctor had finished cleaning the gash and was starting to sew it up. She looked away quickly and locked gazes with him again. It horrified her that he was going through this without anything to keep him from feeling the pain, but began to talk to him in the steadiest voice she could muster, telling him anything that crossed her mind, be it math, physics, or dueling. She had gathered that he didn't care all that much what she was saying at the moment (he was in too much pain for that) but from the pleading look on his face when she stopped talking, she also gathered that he needed to hear her voice.

Through the entire process, he only let out a few grunts and one whimper that wrenched her heart. But, after an endless amount of time, Martha had asked her to go tell the others he was doing fine so that she and the doctor could help Yusei into a bed and into something more comfortable. By now his eyes had closed, so she gave his hand a final squeeze, before she let go and stood to exit the room, one of his eyes opened to follow her.

The others had been ecstatic to hear that Yusei was perfectly fine and that the procedure was over. Martha had exited ten minutes later to tell them that he was asleep and that no one was to bother him (she had looked pointedly at Jack and Crow). She had also insisted that they all stay while Yusei recovered, assigning them rooms and carting Rua and Ruka into the kitchen to help her prepare a light dinner. Aki had followed and offered her help, but Martha had refused and told her to sit at the table and relax until dinner was ready.

Time had flown quickly after that and all too soon Aki was left alone in the kitchen with Martha helping wash and dry the dishes. Before she had gotten the chance to open her mouth to ask the question she had longed to ask, Martha had spoken first.

"Thank you."

Aki was stunned. What had she ever done besides hurt people? What had she done to be thanked? Martha had evidently seen the emotions pass across her face and had dried off her hands and led Aki to the table.

"I've seen that look. You wonder what you have done that anyone can be thankful for." It was not a question, but Aki had nodded anyway. "I saw how Yusei looked at you. For so long the only thing to have ever brought that boy happiness was dueling and some select friends. But none of it measures up to what you have done for him. You have opened him up and given him something wonderful to look forward to. I know my boys, and he feels something special for you, and you feel it back."

She was quite stunned indeed that Martha had managed to figure her out so quickly, but this woman had raised countless children, she probably knew people inside and out.

"I… Yes. You are right." Martha had looked happily at her, a gleam in her eye. "But I don't understand him. So many things confuse me… I don't know how to approach him or where to start." At this, Martha had chuckled.

"You've already started. All you have to do is open yourself to him, and he will open himself to you." Martha had then risen and filled up a bowl with water and handed it and a washcloth to Aki. "When I went in earlier, he felt a little feverish. Would you mind…?" Aki smiled at the open invitation the older woman was offering her, and grabbed the bowl.

"With pleasure."

The room was dark when she had entered, lit only by a single candle by the bed. The window was open and a slight breeze blew through the room, washing the summer air and the scent of fragrant flowers from the garden through the room. The only thing? Yusei was not in the room. Not that this was surprising, Yusei was never one to sit still for too long. Aki set the bowl on the table by the bed and stuck her head out the window looking back and forth.

"Down here."

Aki jumped slightly and looked down beneath the wooden window sill. Yusei was leaning back against the house and staring up at the stars above him.

"What are you doing?"

He shrugged. "Watching the stars."

Aki looked at him closely. He was still pale and shaky and she could see a tint of red to his cheeks and sweat on his forehead. His good leg was folded under him and his bad leg was stretched out in front of him "Will you come inside? You don't look like you feel too good." Yusei raised an eyebrow at her, but began to hoist himself up, Aki quickly stopped him. "No, let me come out and help you in the front door." He chuckled lightly.

"I can't come in the front. Martha would kill me."

"You can't come in the window either, you might hurt yourself."

"I've done this before when I was hurt worse than this. It's not that big of a deal, I'll be fine." Aki gave him a long look before backing obligingly away from the window and allowing him to hoist himself up and into the window backwards. She helped steady him as he pulled in his good leg. He braced himself against the wall and allowed Aki to help pull in his bad leg (which caused him to go even paler and turn slightly green). She then wrapped his arm around her shoulder and supported him over to the bed where he sat down gratefully.

"Lie down, you're looking feverish." He was either too tired or he didn't feel like arguing with her about the matter, because he lay down and she pulled up the blankets. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really."

"Can I ask a question?"

A smile danced briefly across Yusei's lips, "You already did, but you may ask another."

"Why did you want to come to Martha's over a hospital? They could have given your treatment where you wouldn't have to feel any pain. It would have been safer too; you wouldn't have to ride all the way over here on the back of the Blackbird."

Yusei sighed and gave her a contemplative look, his eyes guarded. "I've been marked. The Satellite and Neo Domino might be connected and I might have taken Jack's title as king, but there are still people out there who discriminate against those of us from the Satellite. Until the tolerance level is higher, I will come to Martha's." His eyes were closed, but she could see turbulence in his defined face.

"I understand." His eyes flew open and he gave her a questioning look. "I'm the Black Rose Witch, I can relate to how you feel." A soft smile graced his lips and he allowed his eyes to begin to drift close. "Sleep now, I'll be here when you wake up." It was only a matter of time before Yusei had fallen into a deep sleep and his breathing evened out. Aki dipped the washcloth into the water and gently laid it upon his brow, hoping to cool his burning skin. With that finished, she slipped out of the room…

…Only to bump into Martha.

"And where do you think you're going?" She asked with a sly look on her face.

"To bed. It's about midnight."

"Didn't you promise that boy you would be there when he woke up? He won't say it, but he needs you right now and always will. You got him to open up to you tonight, stay with him and show him how much you care. Besides, you two would make a lovely couple!"

Aki blushed scarlet and began stuttering that she only thought of Yusei as a friend, and she was sure that he felt the same way before Martha held up a hand to stop her.

"I don't want to hear your excuses. You two fit together, go back in there and take care of him." She gave her a little nudge back into the room and shut the door firmly behind her. Aki stood for a moment, slightly confused at what had happened, but shook it off and went to sit back at Yusei's bedside.

About an hour later, she decided that it was a good idea that Martha had sent her back into the room, as Yusei began to experience the chills that were typical of a fever. Aki had removed the cloth from his head and hunted the room for extra blankets to tuck around him. She also shut the window which was providing a slight draft in the room. He spent the rest of the night alternating between extreme heat and chills until about five the next morning when he settled down and Aki froze from putting the cloth back onto his head.

Cautiously, she placed a hand on his forehead and was pleased to find that it was cool, meaning his fever had broken. She blew out the bedside candle in favor of the rising sun and watched as the sky got lighter and lighter. She didn't realize how long she had been sitting still until Martha and Dr. Schmitt entered the room at 6:30.

"How is he?" Martha asked as the doctor started to gather bandaging and wound cleaning supplies from the cabinets around the room. Aki sent a gentle smile in her direction.

"His fever broke about an hour ago. But he was pretty restless until then." Martha nodded and shooed Aki out of the chair and onto the other side of the bed. She gently shook Yusei's shoulder to wake him up, which he did, groaning, and only cracking his eyes open.

"We're going to change you bandages and clean up your leg. You can go back to sleep after that." He nodded wearily and flicked his eyes over to Aki before closing them and resigning himself to the world of the living until Martha was done.

Aki had yet to see how bad his leg truly was, and watched the doctor with interest as he undid the previous bandages, noting that he had bled through a bit, until she saw the stitched skin. She turned away quickly, not wanting to see anymore. The cut was not clean like she had expected, but was jagged and an angry red color. Dr. Schmitt worked quickly and silently, scrubbing at the cut hard enough to cause Yusei to glance down at him and for him to offer an apology and explain that he had to scrub hard to make sure he cleaned it correctly. It took even less time for him to wrap his leg back firmly and go to wash his hands.

"The way it looks this morning, I would say that you will have those stitches in at least another week and a half if not longer, plus another week of keeping it elevated and staying off of it. But, it could have been worse." Martha thanked him as he left the room and turned back to Yusei, who was now fully awake and attempting to sit up. Martha snatched his pillow and set it against the backboard so that he could sit up against it.

"You heard what he said. You will stay in this bed unless absolutely necessary. No more climbing out windows or onto the roof or taking any D-Wheel out for midnight rides got it?" A flicker of defiance flashed through Yusei's eyes at Martha's orders. "Don't you give me that look! I will tie you to this bed Yusei Fudo, don't tempt me!" With that said she marched out of the room presumably to wake the rest of the house and make breakfast.

He sighed quietly. I understood. He didn't like to be cooped up and bedridden. But this gave me an opportunity. I could use this time to get closer to him, understand him better. And what was my first task? Cure his boredom.

The next week passed quickly due to Aki's entertainment.

It started off simple enough, there were many games of blackjack, poker, duel monsters and chess but as the week wore on the entertainment got more and more extravagant. It had started on Tuesday when Rua had decided to bring a turtle, snake and frog into Yusei's room and put the box he had caught them in on his lap. This wouldn't have been so bad if Crow hadn't come into the room and tipped the box onto the floor releasing said creatures. The next half hour Crow and Rua attempted to catch the hissing snake (the frog and turtle hadn't been an issue) which had both Yusei and Aki hyperventilating from laughing. It all ended when Jack came into the room and dropped a basket over the snake effectively capturing it.

Afterword, Aki felt pleased. She had never heard Yusei truly laugh before and had never seen him smile that big. But this little incident had helped her formulate a plan for the rest of the week. If she could keep Yusei laughing, time would surely pass quicker and they would all be in better spirits.

Rua and Ruka had been all too glad to assist her as she made plans to keep everyone's spirits up. The first idea was Rua's, he replaced all of Jack's cards with cards a man of his nature would consider… girly. Even Martha had gotten a chuckle out of the blush on Jack's face as he dueled against Crow with his new deck in order to win the old one back.

After this first step, all Aki had to do was sit back and watch as the entire house engaged in a prank war. Mostly, everyone was pulling pranks on Jack and Crow with retaliation that always ended in disaster due to Jack and Crow's arguing. In fact, Rua was giving Yusei an elaborate description of how he rigged Jack's shower to only spray out goo when Martha had announced that the doctor would be removing his stitches later in the day.

For Aki, this was a bittersweet moment. She had greatly enjoyed the time she had gotten to spend with her fellow signer the past week and was going to miss his constant presence and advice. But she had also created a deeper bond with him than she had ever created with anyone else in her life. He was much more than a friend to her. So much more than just someone she could turn to in her times of crisis. He was a soul mate for her, but not as a lover (at least not yet) as a dear friend or brother would be.

The next week had flown past, it was all too soon that the group was leaving Martha's and going back to their own homes, Yusei contentedly seated upon his D-Wheel at the front of the group. According to Martha, he still needed to take it easy for a few more days so that he could gain back more of his previous muscle strength. The ride back to the boy garage was enjoyable, but time was limited.

Crow had work that he had to do; packages didn't just deliver themselves after all. Jack would be doing whatever he disappeared to do during the day. Yusei and Bruno had to get back to work on the new engine and she, along with Rua and Ruka, had to go back to school in just over two weeks as summer ended. She didn't mind school all that much, Aki had grown a thick skin over the years and was able to endure whatever jeers were still thrown at her (though they weren't numerous). She just didn't want to leave Yusei.

After the past few weeks spending nights in the garage getting covered in grease and working on the D-Wheels and spending so much time at his bedside, she wasn't ready to give him up. It was like a drug, she was completely addicted and she would never be able to be clean again. However, it wasn't friendship that she wanted (as Martha had so kindly pointed out right before they had left) she wanted him to herself. She wanted to be the one he held, the only one he held. She wanted to feel his warm embrace, his calloused hands, and rough gloves. Smell the wonderful scent of oil, gasoline and something spicy she couldn't quite place. And above all she wanted to hear him speak to her. The passion in his tone, the love, compassion, and understanding only he seemed to be able to give.

Yes, she wanted a love story. The Black Rose, psychic duelist and emotionless witch, wanted a happily ever after.

'How absurd' she told herself. Happily ever Afters didn't exist. Love stories were fluff and written to give girls with dreams and hopes of a perfect life a chance to imagine. But dreams really didn't come true.

She would have to lock away her feelings. Her hopes, her dreams, her love and accept what she had. As much as she wanted him to belong to her, she wanted him around so much more. Life without him would be pointless.

As predicted, Crow stayed only briefly to grab some packages before tearing back out the door while Jack said something about visiting Carly before he, too, disappeared. Bruno and Yusei planted themselves in front of the computer while she settled down on the threadbare couch to read a book she had left there previously. It was only an hour or so later when Bruno also had to leave to go and meet with the techs at a D-Wheel company.

Yusei heaved a sigh and sat down on the couch next to her, curiosity in his eyes.

"What are you reading?"

Aki noticed just how relaxed he was. This was the new side of himself that he had only begun to recently show her. She had treated it much like one would treat a frightened animal; she was gentle and encouraging because, at even the smallest wrong word, he would clam up again.

"A physics prep book."

"Why?" She shot him a playful smile.

"Not all of us are geniuses when it comes to math and science." This brought out a chuckle.

"I never claimed to be a genius. But I am flattered that you think so." After that silence lapsed between them. He was content to lean his head back and stare at the ceiling, or Aki, while thinking as she sat and read, occasionally pulling out a pencil to mark something in the book.

"Aki, I was thinking… Never mind."

She tilted her head to the side curiously. "Thinking what?"

"It was nothing. Just an errant thought."

A cocked eyebrow, "Really?"

"Yep."

"Alright then." Aki went back to studying, Yusei watching her more intently now.

"Actually, it's not nothing. I have a question to ask you. You see, Jack is asking Carly out on a date today. That's why he went to see her anyway. But he wants it to be a double date, to fend off whatever awkwardness there might be. And he asked me to find someone to come with me, and you're the only person I could think of so…" He trailed off but Aki didn't notice; she couldn't hear anything but her heart fluttering in her ears.

"You want me to come with you?"

A tint of red rose to Yusei's cheeks, "Yes, as friends you know. Jack asked, and he never asks anything like this, so I couldn't refuse him. I understand if you don't want to of course…"

"I would love to."

"Really? You would go with me?" There was an undertone of surprise to his voice and a flicker of something in his eyes when she smiled at him.

"Of course! Jack does need this. For someone as confident as he is, he changes so much around Carly." Yusei's smile hardened and drooped slightly.

"Right, Jack and I will pick up you and Carly at seven. She's already over at Rua and Ruka's, I'm sure she would like to have some advice on what to wear."

She nodded to him and closed up her book, placing it back on the table beside her and heading towards her D-wheel. She could feel Yusei's eyes burning into her back as she placed her helmet on her head and revved up the engine, pulling out of the garage. Something had changed in him over the past few days, and she wasn't sure what. Something felt different when she talked to him, there was something that had changed in the atmosphere when she was around him, he was softer than he had ever been and emotion shined through his eyes like she had never seen before.

Then again, she was probably was looking too far into the situation. She and Yusei had spent quite a bit of time together over the past few weeks; it was natural for people to get progressively more comfortable with each other when they spent so much time together. They were just more comfortable with each other now…

For some reason that make Aki's heart sink.

Carly was, naturally, a mess by the time Aki showed up at the twin's door about twenty minutes later. Rua had answered the door, looking more than frazzled. That was quite understandable as Carly was rushing around with Ruka trying to decide which of the outfits she had just fetched from home to wear for her date later and lamenting over her lack of time to plan ahead.

"Carly! You have got to calm down!" Aki told the journalist, grabbing her hands and smiling. Carly was nearly in tears by this point and Ruka was looking extremely stressed out.

"I have nothing to wear! What if Jack leaves me here because of what I wear?"

"Why don't we go to my place?" Aki suggested kindly, "I'm sure I have something that you could wear for tonight and I'll help you with your hair and make-up and then we can have one of my dad's drivers bring us back here to meet the guys okay?"

Carly's face displayed her pleasant surprise at the situation, "You would do that for me?" she sniffled slightly as she said this, her tears put slightly at bay.

"Of course, we are friends after all!" Aki's heart swelled at her own words. A year ago, she would never have dreamed that she would have someone close enough to say those simple words to and even now, she couldn't help but think that, if it hadn't been for Yusei, she still would not be able to utter them to anyone. She extended her hand to Carly, who took it gratefully, and led her and Ruka towards the door.

In hindsight, Aki should have known that she and Yusei would lose Jack and Carly. After the boys had picked them up from Rua and Ruka's, they had made their way towards one of the higher scale restaurants in Neo Domino City. Dinner was a much quieter affair than normal, only Aki and Yusei talked openly with each other. Every time Carly went to speak and Jack looked at her she would squeak and lose track of what she was going to say, turning progressively redder with each second.

However, once she had become comfortable with the idea that she and Jack were really on a date, she became drastically more assertive. So when they had decided to go on a stroll around the park, she had dragged Jack off in a random direction and had left Yusei and Aki in her wake.

Not that Aki really wanted to catch up with them anyway.

So far, she and Yusei had had an amazing night. She had never felt closer to him than she did that night and she was suddenly very thankful for all the time that she had spent with him while he was immobile, and beyond thankful for Martha for pushing her to Yusei. Without her insentience, Aki knew that she would not have reached this point in their relationship.

But it was still killing her.

She wanted so much more. She valued Yusei's friendship above all else, but she wanted something deeper, something more than this. She wanted his love, and not the platonic variety. It was selfish, but she wanted him to belong solely to her. She wanted to know that, no matter what, she would always have him to turn to, that he would put her first over all else. It was stupid and selfish and unrealistic and she felt horrible for the desire, but she wanted to feel that love so bad it was eating her away.

Lost in her thoughts, she wasn't exactly paying attention to where Yusei was leading her, but was shook out of her thoughts when he pulled her to the ground next to him.

"What are you doing?" She asked curiously taking in her surroundings. They were seated next to the small man-made lake in a corner of the park. As it was getting late, no one else was out there with them, giving them privacy and quiet. Yusei flopped back on the ground, completely ignoring the fact that he was wearing a rather nice satin dress shirt, placing his hands behind his head and encouraging Aki to do the same with his eyes.

"I'm looking at the stars."

The answer was so simple and there was a tinge of something behind it, longing maybe. Aki settled herself on the ground next to him, looking up at the spectacular gaze above them with a slight feeling of awe.

"Did they not have stars in Satellite?" She asked softly, no joking in her tone. Yusei had always kept his mouth firmly clamped when it came to his life in the Satellite, not wanting to remember some things that happened to him there Aki had assumed, and she had wondered if it's citizens ever caught glimpses of wonders such as stars.

"Not usually."

"Why?"

His gaze flicked over to her briefly before he rested his gaze back on the night sky, "The fumes were always so thick in the air that they obstructed the sky. We could sometimes see glimpses of light behind the smog and, very seldom, the air wasn't thick and the stars were bright enough that we could see them. Not as clear as here though. When I first came to Neo Domino, the stars were the thing I noticed. They're so bright here…" He trailed off, suddenly seeming self-conscious.

"I never noticed the stars. I had always just taken for granted they would be there, it didn't seem like much of a natural wonder for me anymore. But ever since you saved me… I guess I don't take the little things for granted anymore." His gaze was locked onto her again, his eyes burning with intensity. "What I mean to say is thank you for everything. You have really opened my eyes Yusei." Aki finished quietly, locking her chocolate irises onto his azure ones. He pulled one of his hands out from behind his head and grabbed hers.

"There's nothing to thank me for, you saved me as well." A smile was creeping onto his face, "but you're welcome anyway." Aki smiled softly at him as well, scooting closer to him and resting her head on his arm. She felt him tense for a moment before he relaxed and allowed his chin to rest on the top of her head. They stayed like that, enjoying each other's company as the night turned chilly and the sounds of the city faded into the background of both of their minds.

"I don't know what I would do without you Yusei." She felt his throaty chuckle against her head and felt his arms encircle her. She moved closer to him and rested her head on his chest, relishing in his warmth.

"You know, before you came along, the only people I had let close to me were Martha, Jack and Crow and I don't think any of them, save Martha, is as close to me as you are." He whispered to her, his voice deep and rumbling. "There's something about you that opens me up Aki. Something about you makes me feel comfortable and safe. You feel like home." She looked up at him, his eyes filled with more emotion than she had ever seen in them before.

"I feel the same way. The only person I had in my life was Divine, but then you came along and pulled me from the shadows. You saved me from myself. And you're the person I've let closest to me."

It was then she felt his lips touch her forehead. The kiss was simple, but she could feel the passion and devotion in it, the love that he felt for her. "I will always be here to protect you Aki, as long as you will have me." She sensed the sincerity in his voice, the fierceness of his promise.

"I will always want you here Yusei."

And he kissed her. It was then, during her first kiss, that Aki realized that she didn't have to know everything about Yusei Fudo's past. He was an enigma, but one that she didn't need to solve. She already knew him on a level beyond that.

And that was perfect.

A/N: So I got really bored at the beginning of the year and decided to write this and then I let it sit until about halfway through October and I finished it. I really enjoyed writing it and I wasn't planning on posting it but decided to on a random whim...

So... read and review please and tell me what you think so that I can improve writing these characters should I ever decide to write for YGO 5D's again.

Happy Reading!
EdElricFan1001