Valentine's Day

Monday is the day of surprise kisses and small pecks on puckered lips. These are the days Akiza comes down to the shop (always a different time from the prior week as she had to keep it a surprise somehow). She slips in as quietly as she can which usually means she knocking over only one of Yusei's toolboxes as she does so. But today's different and today's important, so Akiza does her absolute best to make no noise at all.

She moves swiftly and silently. Cautiously she creeps up behind the hunched figure with the big red helmet on his head. His gloved fingers work on the inner maintenance of his D-wheel, moving and connecting wire with nimble, knowledgeable fingers. He's humming softy to himself and occasionally checking the clock because this is the latest Akiza's ever been. Blushing, the black rose duelist shuffles the small wrapped package in her arms and moves it behind her back. With a soft prod she gets his attention. As he turns to face her, she nips his neck and then as he lifts the helmet and pulls her closer she goes for his lips. And for a bit that's all she can focus on, just his lips moving in time with hers like a waltz of their facial features. Her hands slip from behind her back and she wraps them around his neck. They push closely into one another, their bodies moving and grinding like two separate puzzle piece trying desperately to fit together.

It's then that the clay project Luna had made that day hits the hard linoleum of the garage and scatters into pieces. Akiza and Yusei pull away from one another at once. They both catch the eye of the heartbroken little girl and watch, paralyzed, as she turns on her heels and races back out the door.

It takes some time for them to move again, and as Akiza frets aloud Yusei puts together the pieces of the broken project and sighs. Happy Valentine's Day is spelled out in crooked cursive within the clay.

It's then that Akiza forgets the gift in her fingers, turns on her heels and races after Luna, her eyes locked on to the bobbing blue pigtails as they dash out into the open. She can hear the heavy clunk of Yusei's boots behind her.

She calls out, "Luna! Luna please!"

But the little girl keeps running, head bowed, hands clenched into two tight fists. They've attracted a crowd at this point and Akiza blushes as the bystanders watch. She doesn't hear Yusei's footsteps any longer and supposes he's stopped, but she doesn't. Akiza knew she was Luna's go to, her mother figure and she too thought of Luna, not as a daughter but as a sister, a family member she'd so desperately wanted and needed when she'd been younger.

"Luna," she calls again, the younger turned a corner and dashing into the back alley of a small cafe and workspace. "Luna, sweetheart, please, please stop."

And she did, for there was nowhere else to go. The alley way ended in a dead end and Luna sat with her back to the wall and her head buried in her knees, softly crying. Akiza fought to catch her breath, her sides ached and there was a cramp somewhere they riddled her body with pain.

"W-was that for Y-Yusei?" She managed in between gasps, for she knew of Luna's crush on the synchro duelist.

Luna nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Luna, honey. I'm s-so sorry."

Akiza took a tentative step forward, reaching a hand out to comfort the younger, "I knew how you felt about him and I should've told you."

Feeling Akiza's hand on her shoulder, Luna turned away, her shoulders trembling as she fought to hold back the remaining tears.

"N-no, it's me," she said, "I-it's my fault. Leo and I knew f-from the beginning that you two like liked one a-another and I should of respected that..." Luna raised her head, her eyes were wide and her cheeks were raw from the salt of her tears, "...I shouldn't have been so stupid...I'm sorry A-Akiza."

A soft whine slips from between the younger's pursed lips and Luna dissolves back into a sobbing child. "I-It hurts so much and I-I don't know why. I-I don't know what I was expecting."

Akiza sat before the girl and crossed her legs. She listened, nodding only but saying nothing.

"I understand," she said finally, once a long silence had passed between them, "I understand what you're feeling and I know it hurts and I'm sorry... I'm sorry to have hurt you like that."

"B-but why are you sorry?"

"Because I should have respected your feelings. I do love Yusei, I love him very much, more than I even realized..."

"And he loves you to," Luna replied, "He loves you a whole lot, he told me and Leo that once. A couple weeks back when he came back from going out with Crow and Jack and I think he drank a little too much." Luna's face brightened for a moment at the thought, "He was all blushed and stammering and he was saying how pretty you were and how much he loved to hear your voice."

Akiza's eyes widened and her face flushed at Luna's story.

"Wow," was the sole word she was able to get out in response.

"I shouldn't have bothered," Luna continued, "I should've know...it's just...I've never like liked someone so much, it's like my heart gets all happy and my face gets all red when he talks to me and tells me I'm doing a good job or that I'm going to be a great duelist one day...he just makes me feel real good and I was hoping that someday when I got older..." Luna trailed off, her attention anywhere but at Akiza.

She picked at a small pebble that sat between the two. "...It's just...it's just hurts so much, why does it hurt so much, Akiza?"

"I don't know."

"I-I just want it to stop."

"I know."

Akiza gently placed her hand atop Luna's head and gently rubbed her hair, her voice soft and calming, "Luna, I hate to see you like this."

She opened her arms and Luna came to her with ease. The two embraced and Luna cried into Akiza's shoulder. A few stray tears formed in Akiza's own eyes, and though she usually tried to fight them back, she let them come.

"It just wasn't meant to be, was it?" Luna asked.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

Luna grew quiet for a moment mulling over what she wanted to say, finally she replied, "My mother used to tell me that there's another person on the Earth, a special person that's like your other half. And that when you get old you find this other person, if you're lucky and stuff. And I was hoping that was Yusei, I was hoping and hoping, but I guess Yusei's not my other half, I-I think he's yours Akiza."

The twins barely spoke of their parents to anyone, let alone Akiza. If anyone, it was usually Yusei the two confided in. The three of them held a special bond that amazed her. There was parental love between Yusei and the twins, and she knew that he would do anything and everything for them if they needed him. Hearing Luna repeat information given to her by her mother and even mentioning her mother by name was something Akiza never thought she would hear. The black rose duelist buried her chin in Luna's hair. The tears came now and she let them flow freely. "Y-you really think so?" She asked the younger.

"I do. A-and even though it hurts and I'm like sad and all and everything, if it couldn't be me, I'm really really happy it's you."

"Luna..." The other began, her thoughts a mess and her lips at a loss for words, "Oh Luna..." Akiza kissed the younger's head, hoping the action would portray the words she couldn't say. Luna smiled, tears still brimming along the tips of her eyelashes.

"Akiza?"

"Yes?"

"D-do you think my other half is out there too?"

"Oh," Akiza replied, embracing the girl once more, "Oh, sweetheart, yes! Of course I do!"

"Then I'm happy."

"Hm?"

"I'm happy for you, Akiza."