"Leo? Where's Jack? And Crow?" Leo answered in between bites.
"Jack is out on a date with Sherry and Crow went for a ride." My face dropped stone cold when I heard the word "date" combined with "Jack" and "Sherry".
"Leo, that's not possible. Jack is a sarcastic bastard with no soul." Yusei cut in. "And he clearly is only trying to wring something out of Sherry if they're on a date."
"Not-" –chomp– "What I-" –chomp– "Saw." Leo argued, finishing the chicken on his plate. "He was really eager to get out the door. He even brought a love stone with him for good luck. And Sherry-" –He began chewing into the potato on his plate– "Was really excited-" –another chomp– "When he called. I could hear her-" –chomp– "Giggling over the phone." I exchanged a worried glance with Yusei. If I was right, which I usually am because I'm psychic, Sherry and Jack were both trying to utilize each other for their own benefits. It made sense though… Sherry and Jack were both snakes, always trying to get what they want when they want…
"Well if you say so." I said, walking over to the fridge. Yusei accompanied me, and I held the door open for him politely. He grabbed a small container of milk, and I took a glass of Lite Fruit Mélange, sipping from a six ounce glass casually. Yusei's eyes were concerned, but I gave him a smile, telling him I was fine. He seemed to shrug off his worry, at least momentarily, and I put the mélange back in the fridge, walked up the stairs. I then put my face in the pillow and let out a girly scream of excitement. I had scored a date with Yusei today. And he'd held my hand through almost the entirety of it. I fell asleep easy that night, fantasizing for the morrow.
I woke that next morning, flowing with energy. I dressed in something… well girly. Not pink, definitely not! But something nice. It was a red and black plaid shirt with white skinny jeans and red pumps. I tied my longer hair in a polka-dot black and white bow, placing the energy balancing hair roller in my bangs. So I hopped down the stairs, in a fool's bliss. Yusei, Jack, Crow and the twins were already awake, staring at me as I flounced around in my new clothes.
"What?" I said, and Yusei began to speak until Jack interrupted him with,
"You just look really different." I shrugged at the comment, sitting down to the table casually. The clock read 8:00, and that meant school… today was a Monday -_- How I dreaded the Monday. Reluctantly, I went back up to my room, and changed into my uniform, cursing myself for failing to recall today was Monday. I had completely forgotten to study for a test with this whole challenge I had started, but I'm sure Yusei hadn't done any better, which gave me some comfort. As I finished undressing, I weighed myself on the small scale in my room. I sighed in relief. I was the same weight I was yesterday, one hundred seven pounds and five foot seven. I then dressed for school.
I felt like my brain looked something like this; A big shiny thing of intelligent shapes that weren't used the night before, so they turned black or green with mold/mildew/poison. Groaning, I dragged myself downstairs, and slumped at the table. Jack looked at me sympathetically, reading my mind.
"You forgot to study for an exam, didn't you?" He said, petting my head like I was some kitty he'd spend idle time with when buffing his D-wheel in the garage.
"Yes." I grumbled, still mentally beating myself for it.
"You know, you might remember if you started fueling your brain properly." Jack said, scrambling some eggs on the frying pan. So he's not the only one that's noticed… I thought grumpily.
"No. Everything tastes boring." I complained, not even bothering with the scent of his cooking eggs. He sat down next to me, giving me the "What have you been doing to yourself?" look.
"How can everything taste boring?" He asked rhetorically, untying his apron from his usual clothing as he took the eggs off the pan. I shook my head, not wanting to tell him the story I'd had to tell Yusei. Jack eyed me curiously, still in the offing.
"Come on… I'm waiting." He said in a singsong voice I put my face in my arms, groaning.
"Seriously?" I said, my good mood from the start of the morning, completely forgotten.
"Yes. Seriously." He answered simply.
"Long story short, I went to restaurant when I was nine, nearly choked to death on some of the food, and I've been afraid to eat ever since." Jack's eyes widened with alarm.
"Then how the bloody hell are you alive?!"
"I drink my nutrients. Well… I drink to live. I don't know if I get everything I need." Jack rubbed his temples in effort to soothe himself.
"Do you even know how serious this is?" He said, clearly getting a bit stressed.
"Hm… Nope." c: I said cheerfully, getting up from the table. Yusei then walked into the room with Luna and Leo at his side, pulling him by the arms towards me.
"Guys! Could you just…" He was saying, trying to resist them without lashing out with his strength.
"Ask her!" Leo begged, Luna nudging Yusei's hand with her head. Yusei seemed to be summoning his bravery, a slight blush creeping into his face.
"Do you… want to walk to school with me?" Luna gestured for him to elaborate on his question. "Alone?" I thought about this a minute and I could see Yusei was pressured into this. After one thing happens, Luna and Leo are determined to set everything else in a snowball. Examples of this: the school paper. They'd published an article about Yusei and me as a "possible couple" for upcoming Valentine's Day, and we hadn't even known about it. If I had to guess right, the twins had handed the papers out individually and told all the students to keep their mouths shut the week that the news was due to be released. Looking like he was about to crack under the gravity of the state, I finally answered Yusei's question.
"Yes. I'd love to." I told him, a smile on my face. Luna giggled, and Leo slapped her a high-five. I gave them both the 'You're dead if you try something smug again.' look, and off we went into the bright day. After about five minutes of walking down the road, we were going to take our separate ways, but Yusei came to a halt, and waved down a guy by the road.
"Everybody in place," He called. "And put on your grin face."
"We're not taking another photo are we?" I asked him.
"I'm afraid so." Yusei laughed, his gentle voice making me smile.
"If you insist, Mr. Fudo." I said with mock formality.
"I insist, Ms. Izinski." He replied with the same tone. Leo and Luna made their silly pose and I did my best for a sentimental face. The guy then snapped the photo for us, and Yusei thanked him, taking the instant photograph, so we began taking the separate paths. The twins were congratulating themselves from what I could see as they grew more distant from Yusei and me. A thought then popped into my head, and I took a chance to voice it.
"Yusei?" He looked over at me. "What's up with you and taking photos all of a sudden? You were pretty camera shy until yesterday." Pondering this a second, he replied with a mild tone.
"I guess I just decided I need to be more confident," he began. "Isn't that what a girl would like in a guy?" Slinging his arm over my shoulder casually, I laughed.
"It's true. Women do like confidence. You just have to be careful how much." I did a Jack Atlas impression.
"When you're King like me you have to be poised!" Yusei snickered at this; I tried to put my hair up in Jack's style, causing him to snicker even more strangely.
"That… does not look right." He gasped, now holding his body instead of my shoulder. I couldn't help but wonder just how little he had been able to laugh last year in Satellite. He probably didn't get one moment's rest back there… Yusei recovered from his snicker-fit and I realized he hadn't mentioned a thing about yesterday's episode of the withered rose. And as we neared the school, I saw a little girl, looking scared as she wandered the grounds, in uniform, but not at all a member of New Domino City Duel Academy.
"Hey," I called to her. "Hey you!" She turned facing me with navy ocean eyes and her burgundy long hair whipping behind her. "Are you lost or something?" I asked, Yusei looking a bit suspicious of her.
"Yes! And who are you?" She said, walking over to Yusei and me. "I'm Akiza, and this is my…" What was the word for someone you really liked and possibly liked you back? "Bestest friend in the whole damn world, Yusei." Ah, that sounds about right. The redhead bowed to us both, her blue eyes examining us.
"Listen, um, I lost my way to NDCE, New Domino City Elementary, but I noticed this place is a mixed grades school." She said, fidgeting between her left and right foot hyperactively.
"And you want to join us for today?" Yusei finished, looking down with a carefully constructed smile. "It is a guest friendly school."
"Yes, that would be nice," She continued. "I can stay here and then the Principal can call my Daddy."
"What's your name?" I asked her.
"Yuaki." She replied, navy ocean eyes alight with curiosity of me.
"Okay, Yuaki," I said, trying to ignore the fact that she had both my hair and Yusei's eyes. "You can just walk with us, and we'll take you into all the classes you have on your schedule." She nodded eagerly, pulling out her school agenda. Yusei and I walked into the school building as it came into view, and a couple of my friends walked up to me and Yusei, giving us strange looks, but they chattered on about how they missed me over the 3 weeks of endless bad weather, and then on about boys they liked and blah.
"So, Aki," Tsuma chimed in. "What's with you and Yusei?" Turning cherry pink, I tried not to be obvious about the truth.
"N-nothing!" I said, stiff with the humiliation Tsuma was serving me in front of Kirasai and Shugoara.
"Oh yeah right!" She scoffed. "I saw you two together yesterday." All the color drained from my face, already knowing my secret was blown.
"You… did?" I asked, biting my lip nervously.
"Yes. He was getting ready to kiss you in that Blackleaf Café!" Okay… my secret was blown, but at least this wasn't the change of your life and everyone's around you secret that was being blown.
"No…" I replied, voice shaking. "No he wasn't…" I could feel sweat dripping down my forehead, and Tsuma laughed at my weak poker face.
"Right… And did you guys somehow have a kid together without us noticing?" she pointed to Yuaki, who was standing next to Yusei, holding his hand with a shy look at all the staring high schoolers.
"How dare you!" I shrieked, about ready to kill her. "That's a kid we picked up on the road because she was lost!" Shugoara had to restrain me, and Yusei looked over at me with concerned eyes at my outburst. I looked at him conveying "No, it's nothing to be worried about." He turned away reluctantly, and I looked back at Tsuma.
"You're real sick, you know that?" I said, doing my best to control the psychic energy building inside my energy balancing hair roller.
"Oh I know… But I'm a bitch and I love it." She flipped her tresses sassily, taking my hair roller.
"Tsuma, no!" I yelled. "Give that back!" she laughed.
"Why? Did Yusei give it to you?" I then watched as the hair roller was thrown out the window.
"Looks like you'll have to go fish it out now."
"ENOUGH!" I screamed, and everything fell apart from there. The windows around us shattered, and the floor caved in beneath Tsuma in one quick blast. Shugoara and Kirasai released me immediately and I jumped over the hole in the ground angrily to the front door. I then walked in the direction I saw my hair roller fly. Finding that it had landed in the fountain, I dried it off, and heard footsteps behind me.
"Don't you fucking touch me!" I commanded, thorns bursting from the ground in a thick wall to protect me.
"Akiza; It's me, Yusei." I let my rage fall, the thorned ivy returning to the ground. Trembling, I felt my adrenaline drain, rue filling me up what I had just done. "Yusei… I'm so sorry." Tears ran down my face. I almost killed Tsuma. I felt a touch as gentle as butterfly wings, wrapping around me in comfort. It was Yusei, holding me. He stroked my hair, brushing it away from my face. He then took my hair pin, and rolled it back into my hair. And I was staring into his eyes, the navy oceans that calmed me with their deep color.
"Akiza. Everything's going to be okay." I felt ivy wrapping around my ankles with the building fear of myself. Yusei caressed gently from my face to my collarbones, soothing me. I then fell to my knees, weak with the use of my powers.
"Yusei…?" I murmured softly. "Will you watch Yuaki for me?"
"Akiza she'd want you around…" Yusei said, clearly too worried for me.
"I'm dangerous right now," I replied. "Let me go home." He nodded reluctantly, helping me to my feet. I leaned against him for support, and saw Yuaki watching with fear in her little eyes. I turned away from her, disgusted with myself. I told Yusei to keep Yuaki at a distance so no one bothered him about her. I then made my way back up the path we had taken to get here, wishing that I had a better control over my powers. I had trained before to control them, but the potential that built inside me was usually too much to handle on my own. I needed the hair roller, as much as I hated keeping it. It reminded me of that monster called Sayer every time…
Walking over the halfway mark of the trail, I noticed that most of the flowers around me were wilted. I reached out to one of the blossoms, and instantaneously as yesterday, the flower began springing to life. I drew my hand back, watching a lilac grow strong before my eyes. What is this…? I thought. The lilac wound around the stone in a vine, looking like it might strangle the thing in its coils. Too confused to make sense of this, I continued my walk, wandering over the path til the urban street greeted me. I then walked across when the cars finished passing, turning the street to Leo and Luna's house. I saw Crow outside, stepping into his boots.
"Why are you back so early?" he asked, eyeing my enervated expression.
"A situation let me off before school ended." I answered briskly, opening the door and going inside.
"Sorry for that…" he murmured, leaving me alone. I went into the kitchen, put my head down on the table, and stared into the darkness made by my enclosed arms. What's wrong with me? I thought, replaying the scene with Tsuma once more. I wanted to say sorry, but at this point it didn't look like she deserved an apology. She'd provoked me, and she knew I was unstable with my powers. I had to wonder if she knew my hair roller was the device that kept me safe to be around.
"What are you doing here?" came Jack's voice, his hand stroking my hair.
"Nugh, what do you think?" I grumbled, wondering how to make him go away.
"You got kicked out for using your powers on school property?" He guessed.
"Did I leave? Yes. Was I kicked out? No." I answered, not moving.
"Maybe you want something to take your mind off it?" Jack said, gesturing to the garage.
"You're taking me on a ride?" I asked, surprised by his gentlemanly manner.
"Sure. A man always has to be gracious." He replied, walking over and opening the garage door to reveal his duel runner, in all its ivory glory.
"Well don't just stand there," Jack said sarcastically. "Hop on." "Right." I took his hand as he helped me into the back seat, and through the back exit we went, soaring through the air almost. Even though we were on the ground, this was like flying. Jack was smiling at my awestruck face, laughing even.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"You chose to go to school today, even though you're having your own duel runner built. Now you understand why I don't attend high school." I nodded at his words, almost sure I'd rarely be showing up at school once my duel runner was finished. At least, showing up rarely for the next 2 weeks. I couldn't wait to get that feeling on my own duel runner, riding between Crow and Jack, but behind Yusei. Luna was unfortunately too young for a duel runner, but she was a Signer like the rest of us. It was a bit of disappointment that we wouldn't be around to show her how to ride. We'd be adults, with kids and jobs, and she'd be a kid just starting her first job. I shook my head, not wanting to think about this.
"That's right," Jack suddenly said. "Rid your head of all those pointless worries."
"Kind of what I was doing." I said, leaning over his shoulder for a better breeze.
"I've always wondered about you, Akiza," He began. "What got you so attached to Yusei?" I thought about denying this for a second, but Jack was clever, and he'd noticed everything between Yusei and me. From our first duel how I cried to him for help, to the skate out…"date" we'd had just a month ago. Have to get used to that word now that Valentine's Day is just around the corner…
"He was determined to open my heart from the first day we met," I replied. "And he never stopped trying. He's always believed in me. He was the first one to tell me I wasn't evil... And I didn't have to be either." I finished, letting him absorb this.
"He's awful protective of you, you know." I blinked in surprise.
"What do you mean?" I said, leaning closer to hear him clearly.
"A few days ago Trudge had a warrant for your arrest." Jack told me.