Author's Note: Happy birthday to me! :D Yes, today is my birthday! Last year, when I posted up that one-shot, A Good Year for the Roses, I posted a day after my birthday. This year, I decided to post this one on the exact date. This one-shot story is a spin-off from episode 13 of Ouran High School Host Club: "Haruhi in Wonderland". I actually wrote this one-shot five months ago and I wasn't sure how the story was going to conclude. So, I was stuck until recently this month, I got inspired to write the ending.

First off, there are no pairings in this story but there is going to be a small hint of faithshipping. Yes, I know I'm a huge faithshipping fan, but for the meantime, I decided not to write one. That is all I'm going to say. Second, I want to thank Ayumi San Sama for beta-reading this story and without her marvelous help, this story would have not been completed. Thank you Ayumi! You are a good friend! :D

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's and all the characters within this show are property of Kazuki Takahashi, TV Tokyo & NAS. Ouran High School Host Club is the property of Bisco Hatori and Funimation Entertainment.

Enjoy! ^-^


Akiza in Wonderland


The bell rung throughout Duel Academy as students came out from their classes. The sound of students chit-chatting, laughter, gossip and the roaring engines of Duel Runners brought academic and student life in Duel Academy.

A young and pretty girl, about the age of eighteen years old, was dressed up in her Duel Academy uniform which consists of a white blouse with a red blazer, a black skirt that reached above her knees with black knee stockings and black flat shoes. She carried a black bag in her hands as she looked up into the sky and smiled. She had a heart-shaped face with feline amber eyed and burgundy hair color. She had a petite body but the most outstanding part was her chest. This girl is Akiza Izinski as she walked her way to her Duel Runner.

"Akiza!"

She turned around and saw her two friends Mei and Sakura(1) running towards her. Akiza smiled and waited for her two female friends.

"Hey, long time no see," Mei finally said and huff out a breath of exhaustion.

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked. "Don't tell me that you're going over to Poppo Time garage again to see Yusei."

Akiza's face began to flush. She had been going over to Poppo Time garage just to get some help on her physics homework. Although she had to admit that she did hold some feeling for Yusei, she wouldn't dare to tell anyone about it. Not even to her friends for she feared that they might tell everyone.

Mei and Sakura noticed Akiza's face and smiled in a teasing way. "I knew it." Sakura patted on Akiza's back.

"So, do you like him?" Mei asked her.

"What makes you think that I like him?" she retaliated. The blush on her face faded and stared at her two friends with seriousness. "I just see him as a friend."

Mei and Sakura decided not to question her about Yusei and changed the conversation. "Well then, why don't you come with us and hangout at the mall and shop with us."

"Hmm…I don't know," Akiza trailed off. She had a lot of things to do. "I would like to join you," Mei and Sakura smiled, "but I can't." The smile on the two girls faded. "I need to complete an assignment for English, do some physics homework, and I'm going to make some phone calls to certain universities."

"So are you going to the Pro Leagues?"

Akiza shook her head. "I would like to go but I have other plans."

"But Akiza," Mei began to complain, "You're the number one top duelist in this academy."

"It is true, Mei. But I found my calling other than dueling."

Both girls looked at each other with confusion. "What do you mean?" they asked simultaneously as they shrugged their hands up.

"I want to be a doctor," she confessed. "Ever since I was injured in the WRGP, I have meet people in the hospital that are suffering from diseases and there's one particular person that I met who made me think about life. Her name was Haruka and she's in the hospital due to her illness and who knows when she'll be discharged. I have been visiting her since then and I have become very fond of her." Akiza smiled and sighed.

"So which university are you going?" Mei asked.

Akiza thought for a while. She wants to go to the best college/university and earn her doctoral degree but she wanted to study abroad. "I don't know," she answered. Akiza looked at her clock and saw that she was running a little bit late. "I'm sorry girls but maybe next time we can hangout when there isn't that much homework." She bid them goodbye and ran towards the parking lot where her Duel Runner was parked.

"Akiza definitely likes Yusei," Sakura complimented once Akiza was out of ear-shot. Mei smiled.

An hour later, Akiza arrived at Poppo Time a few minutes late than her usual arrival time. She walked into the garage and put her Duel Runner next to Yusei's. "Yusei, I'm here!" she called out.

Akiza heard no response. She walked around the garage and noticed that there was a note for her hanging on the door. She mentally palm-faced herself; how could she have not seen that? She took the note off and read it.

Akiza, I'll be out for a while to get some materials for my Duel Runner. I'll be back in a bit. ―Yusei.

She sat where the computers where at and took out her physic textbook and began to read. Minutes passed by and Akiza got discouraged. Everything that was written in the textbook seems so abstract. She didn't even understand what she was reading. She needed someone to explain her in a simple way of what she was reading. She was studying to become a doctor not an engineer. Akiza sighed and closed the textbook. She started on her English homework.

Akiza had to write an essay about a book that she read in class. She took out her book from her bag and read the title of the book. "Alice in Wonderland." She began to flip through the book and read.

Yusei hadn't come back from his errand and there was no sign of Jack and Crow around. Where could these three men be? Akiza looked at the clock that was hanging on the wall. It was five o'clock. The clock outside of Zora's clock shop began to ring. She told her parents that she would be back home by six 'o clock.

'Only one hour left,'Akiza thought.

Akiza didn't know what else to do? Something started to move near the garbage can that she turned around to see who or what was there. She saw nothing. A giggling laughter was heard and Akiza now wanted to know who was there. She took several deep breaths and relaxed. 'Just calm down, Akiza. I'm just probably feeling paranoid.'

Just then, a Kuribon hopped her way towards Poppo Time. Akiza did a double take. What was a Kuribon doing here? Was her mind playing some tricks or was she hallucinating? Kuribon continued to hop as she waved her tail at Akiza. It was almost as if Kuribon was telling her to follow her. Should she follow the little fur ball not?

"Kuri, Kuri," Kuribon chirped.

Akiza had no other choice. She got up, leaving a mess of papers and books, and followed the duel spirit. She watched how Kuribon was bouncing happily and led her way away from Poppo Time. Akiza didn't know where Kuribon was going to take her until they arrived to their destination…the park. Why would Kuribon bring her to the park? Once they arrived Kuribon stopped hopping and faced Akiza.

"What is it?" Akiza asked with concern.

"Kuri, Kuri," Kuribon said. "Kuri, Kuri."

Akiza didn't know what the duel spirit wanted but it sounded like it was in danger. "Is something wrong in the Spirit Realm?"

Again Kuribon replied, "Kuri, Kuri."

She didn't know what Kuribon was trying to tell her but she was completely confused. Kuribon did something unexpected as Akiza watched in surprised. The little duel spirit jumped into a hole in the ground.

'Wait a minute! Since, when was there a hole on the ground?' She mentally exclaimed.

Nothing was making any sense. First, a Kuribon appears before her and now there's a hole on the ground. Things were getting strange. Akiza slowly lean towards the hole to see how deep it is until she hadn't realized that she was leaning in too much. She took one wrong step and she fell in the hole. Akiza noticed what was going on and she began to scream at the top of her lungs. The air felt so thick and tense around her that she couldn't see or breathe. She felt like she was falling down on an infinite space.

Just how long was she going to continue to fall?

Akiza came into a sudden stop while she was still hovering on the air. She slowly opened her eyes and noticed that she was floating in an empty space. It was dark, very dark. She had so many questions to ask. Which way was up? Which was down? Is she still alive or is she dreaming? Or worse: is she dead?

"Hello," she called out. She waited for someone to answer back at her but she only heard her own echo calling back her. "Is anyone out there?" Akiza felt like someone had pushed her down and she fell onto something hard but to her it felt soft and comfortable. She saw everything black and blurry that she soon lost conscious.

~w~w~w~

Akiza woke up a few minutes later and noticed that she was lying on her back. She tried to feel and grasp onto something until she felt softness and comfort. What was she lying on? She sat up and saw that she landed on a very comfortable bed.

'Thank goodness,'she thought.

Akiza looked down at her hands and saw that she was wearing her black, fingerless gloves. Something was absolutely wrong. 'This can't be.'She looked at herself and saw that she was wearing her signature clothing. She was wearing her black, strapless dress that hugged her body nice and it reached up above her knees; her white and long blouse along with her red jacket and her corset was on. She even wore her garter, black knee length socks and her red high heel shoes.

"Why am I dressed in my old outfit?" she questioned out loud. Akiza knew that she was wearing her Duel Academy uniform earlier ago. Did someone undress her while she was unconscious? This was weird.

Akiza began to see her surroundings and felt something strange. "I've been here before," she mumbled quietly. She got up from the bed and started to walk around. Everywhere she walked, small pieces of her memory would trigger but she could not recall if that had actually happened or not. Once she was out in the hallway, her breath hitched. She knew where she was.

She looked up and saw a staircase that went all the way up but Akiza didn't know how up. The way that the hallway was designed seems so familiar…but where.

Another door opened up as a young lady came out dressed in a black tuxedo and wore a black top hat. On her neck she wore a red bow tie. She had a long and blonde hair color with emerald green eyes. She looked at Akiza and she held her head up like she was superior to her.

"Sherry," Akiza mustered out. "Sherry, is that you?"

Sherry, as Akiza had called her, looked at Akiza with bewilderment and turned away. It seems that she did not know who Akiza was referring to. She didn't answer Akiza's question as she ran off. Akiza saw her running away that she chased after her.

"Sherry! Wait!" she called out but the blonde didn't stop running. Akiza came into a strange room. "I thought that I saw her come in here," she mumbled.

In the center of the room, Sherry was eating a piece of cake as she shrank in size. Her clothes shrank along with her until she was about the same size as a mouse. She ran into another room that was across from her. Akiza decided to follow her in but then she noticed that the door was way too small for her to go in. She opened the door and saw Sherry talking to Kuribon as the little fur ball nodded. Both Sherry and Kuribon felt Akiza's presence that they took off into another run.

"Wait! I just want to know why I am here!" But Sherry and Kuribon were out of her sight. She saw them running into the darkness. Just how long was the room? The door slammed shut almost snapping Akiza's nose off. "Ow," she began to rub her nose. Akiza tried to open the door but it wouldn't open up.

A table appeared behind her back as a bottle and a piece of cake was placed on the table. When she turned around, she saw the bottle and the cake. Did someone leave there on purpose? She approached the table and observed that there was a label on the bottle.

"Drink me," Akiza read. She looked at the cake, "Eat me." The words 'Eat me' was written with white frosting and in script. She was now even more confused. What did this all mean? Her stomach began to rumble and she blushed sheepishly. "I guess I am little bit hungry." She rubbed her stomach. She took the piece of cake and popped into her mouth. Akiza licked her lips, "That was delicious!"

Suddenly, Akiza felt her whole body trembling and shaking in pain. She felt her head spinning in circles that she was getting dizzy. Her legs grew weak and wobbly. Everything around her began to look bigger. The table seems to be growing, "What's going on?" she begins to panic. Once the pain and trembling was over, Akiza felt a lot better. She stood up and noticed that she was small in size. She looked at the table where the bottle sat, "Did I just shrink?" She looked at her body; her clothing had not changed along. It seems that when she shrank in size, her clothing shrunk along with her.

Thank goodness that she was not naked.

Akiza realized that she was small enough to fit through the room where Sherry and Kuribon had run into. She ran inside hoping to find them and tell her what was going on. The door that she came through slowly began to close by itself, leaving Akiza alone in the dark. She stopped walking realizing that she was alone. Akiza just had to find Sherry.

A small speck of light was the end of the room. Akiza felt her heart relax. Maybe this was a way out into the real world. She just could not wait to get out of this bizarre nightmare. She continued to run as the light grew bigger and brighter until she stepped on a piece of ramen noodle. She felt her body jerk back and forward not knowing if she was going to fall back or forward. A scream ripped through her throat as she slipped her way towards the light until the bright light was blinking.

It was a red arrow that was pointing downwards. Akiza felt herself being lifted up in the air not knowing what she was doing. She flapped her arms and legs hoping to grasp herself onto something until another scream passed through her lips. She had fallen into another trap hole and her screams echoed all around her. Akiza saw another speck of light at the bottom of the hole forcing her to close her eyes. She just wanted to go back to Poppo Time.

Was that too much to ask?

The air around her was a lot less dense as she splashed into the water. She felt her body free and lightweight. The moment that she opened her eyes, she realized that she was in the water. Another scream ripped through her mouth until she realized that she could not breathe in the water. Akiza began to choke, trying to get some air before she could drown. Akiza surfaced out of the water gasping for air. She felt her lungs set on fire as she gasped and wheezed for air.

Once she got her breath back, she looked around. Water surrounded around her. She did not know which way to go until a bubble passed by and popped in front of her face. More bubbles passed by popping around her. Were these bubbles guiding her to dry land? If so, maybe there was someone who could help her get back home. She began to swim and follow the bubbles. Akiza saw land a few feet away and noticed the green and marshy land.

A big and green caterpillar was blowing bubbles while it was typing on a computer. The caterpillar sat on a big mushroom as papers, notes, newspapers, and photographs surrounded it. "You have cried so much to make the pond fill up so quickly."

Akiza finally reached to the land. She was shocked that this caterpillar could talk. She got a closer look at the caterpillar and notice that it was not the animal who was talking. It was a female dressed up as a caterpillar who was wearing thick and swirly glasses. A camera hung around her neck. Akiza did not understand what the female was trying to say.

"You should get out of the water," she warned Akiza.

Akiza still did not know what she was saying until bubbles surfaced on the water. A crocodile came out of the water with a head of a man on top of its back. The head of the man had fair skin color with olive green eyes and cinnamon hair color that was swiped to his left side. He approached Akiza like a pray. She began to swim in haste as the crocodile chased after her. The mouth of the crocodile almost touched Akiza's feet until it began to snap its mouth. Akiza jumps out of the water just in time before it could bite her feet off. The crocodile snared at Akiza and swan back down into the pond.

She felt her heart beating fast. 'What was that?' she wondered. 'Am I back to my normal size?'

The female-caterpillar continued on with her work as if the small incident did not happen at all. A door appeared behind the caterpillar as a young boy who was about twelve years old with ebony-black hair and blue-grey eyes came out. "Can I take some of your mushroom?" he asked. The female that was dressed up as a caterpillar nodded and continued to type.

"What is it that you're writing? You're always writing an article." Akiza wondered out loud.

The female stops typing on her computer and looks at Akiza with wonder. "How do you know that I'm always writing?"

"I don't know." A small memory flashed in Akiza's mind. Someone familiar was always typing on her computer for an article. She shook her head. Where had that memory come from? "Lucky guess."

The clock began to ring. It was five o'clock.

The young boy took a piece of the mushroom and ate it. His body began to change as he began to shrink. Not only was he shrinking in size but he was retrograding in age. The young boy was no longer a boy but a baby in diapers. His clothes scattered around him as he crawled away from the mushroom and towards the door. The moment that he went in, he was gone.

"Where is that baby going? Aren't you going to stop him from leaving? What if he gets lost?" Akiza questioned the female caterpillar.

"Don't worry about it, he's probably going back to his home," she continued to type on her computer.

Akiza clucked her tongue in disappointment. She decided to follow the baby. The moment that she walked through the door, she slipped in and fell flat on her face. "Ow!" Akiza lifted herself up. She saw many ramen noodles on the ground. She did not know why there were so many noodles on the floor but she did notice that her surroundings have changed.

She was no longer in a marshy land field but inside of a home. The walls were red decorated with gold designs. A chandelier hung above the room while the room was decorated with a comfortable couch.

In front of her, a young woman with long black hair and dark green eyes sat in a throne-like chair with the small baby in her arms. On her forehead a small pendant hung in the middle of her eyebrows. Next to her, a young kid laid flat on its stomach while he smiled. He was smiling from ear to ear, almost like a Cheshire cat. There was something mischievous about his smile. He had cat ears and a tail. She observed that his tail began to move by itself.

"Hello, I am the Duchess," the young woman greeted herself to Akiza. "And that over there," she pointed across from her, "is my cook."

Akiza turned around and saw the same woman but the way she was dressed was a mess. Her hair was pulled back into a bun while she wore a dirty apron. "Why are there so many ramen noodles on the ground?"

"She's making ramen noodle soup," the Duchess simply replied.

"Why must I do everything?" The cook shouted at the Duchess, "Why me?" She began to throw kitchenware at the Duchess. A knife passed by Akiza's face by a few millimeters as she dodged it. "It is always me, me, me, ME!" she screamed while the Duchess dodged every attack that cook was throwing.

"Are you done?" The cook turned her back to the Duchess, sat down and continued to cook ramen noodle soup. The Duchess noticed Akiza's stare on her, "What?"

"Oh, umm, well…" Akiza felt awkward to be here. She saw the small boy sleeping in the Duchess' arms. "I'm just glad that the baby is okay and that he didn't get lost." She wondered one thing, "Are you the mother?"

The Duchess laughed, "Of course not. I'm his older sister." Another memory trigger in Akiza's mind. She had seen the Duchess in another place but the situation was a bad one. Akiza shook her head. The Duchess continued to laugh. "Tell you what," she stood up, "I'm going to leave you in charge of my brother while I'm going to the festival."

"Wait, what?" Akiza snapped out of her train of though. She did not understand why the Duchess was giving her brother to her, "You just can't leave me with your brother."

"Of course I can. I trust you." She handed her baby brother to Akiza. Akiza nervously held the sleeping boy in her arms. "Remember, I trust you to take care of my brother." The Duchess opened the door that appeared behind her throne-like-chair and entered. She had left Akiza with a small, sleeping boy.

The clock struck again. It was five o'clock.

"You know that you're holding a bouquet of roses," the boy dressed up as a cat said.

Akiza looked down and noticed that she was not carrying the baby. In her arms, she held a bouquet of red rose. She gasped lightly as a hiss passed her lips. Damn it! Blood trickle on her hands. The bouquet of roses soon started to change in color. It was turning black. She glanced to her side only to side no one on the couch.

Where did the cat-boy go?

She set down the bouquet of black roses on the couch where the boy once sat there. She really needed to get out of this crazy place. What she needed was help. Akiza walked out of the lavish room and walked down a long hallway.

Not far from her, the same boy with the cat ears and tail stood there with a Cheshire grin. Akiza ran up to him. "Hey can you tell me which way is out?"

The young teal-hair boy hid himself behind a pillar. This time someone else appeared. A young girl appeared before her. She looked a lot like the boy Akiza had encounter before but there were some differences. She was dressed differently. Instead of wearing a white-blue shirt with matching shorts, she was wearing white with pink. Her hairstyle was also different. Her hair was tied into pigtails.

"It depends where you want to go."

"I just want to go home." Akiza continued to walk down the hallway.

The young girl disappeared as the young boy came back from the right. "Leaving without audience from the Queen?" he asked. He hid again.

The young boy and girl appeared and disappeared every single second, every single time Akiza continued to walk down the endless hallway. "The Queen keeps tabs on all of her subjects." They both chorused together.

Akiza was getting tired of their constant appearance/disappearance act. It was getting on her nerves. If they only could tell her which way was home, then that will be great but instead they were just annoying her. She stops walking and stomps her foot. "Alright you two come on out, Leo, Luna."

The young boy and girl did not show up. Instead, she heard their voices. "How do you know that there are two of us?"

She huffed. "It's not like you have the ability to change out of the clothes that you're wearing with a few mere seconds. It's impossible." Akiza saw a door. Maybe it was way out of this hellhole.

Leo and Luna came out of hiding as they watch the red-head leaving as she pushed the door open. They looked at each other as they shrugged their shoulders at the same time.

The clock struck. It was five o'clock.

Akiza glanced around her surroundings and this time she had the opportunity to look at the building that she came out. It was a very tall building with many floors. Akiza felt her heart pang. It was almost as if it was reminding her that she knew the building. But she knew that this building was not the place that she calls home.

She walked down the metropolis city glancing at buildings, stores, school and park. Every step that she took some piece of memory flashed in her mind. Had all of this happened or was she still hallucinating?

Another door appeared before her. Akiza was starting to feel paranoid. Why were these doors appearing before her? She opened the door as a bright flash of light blinded her. Once the light dimmed down, she proceeds to walk through the door.

When she came out, she was in small urban area. Across from her, a young woman with light blue hair with golden eye color dressed in a bird costume, sat in a café drinking a cup of coffee. In front of her, she held picture frame of a man. She stared at the almost-worn-off photograph and sighed. Sitting across from her was a man who was big in size. He had a scar on his cheek with thick eye brows. In front of him, he held a picture frame of the woman who sat in front of him as a dreamy sigh escaped his lips.

The clock stuck. It was five o'clock.

To Akiza's left, there was a clock shop. She felt like she had been here before but she could not remember when or where. The sound of mechanical engines where heard. 'Where was it coming from?' She pondered to herself.

Her curiosity led her to a garage that was on the side of the clock shop. She entered the garage like it was her place. As she entered, there was a long white table that was set up with a bunch of set of teacups and a cart filled with cups of ramen noodle soup. Another table was on the far left of the garage filled with computers along with mechanical parts of an engine. A red toolbox was underneath the table.

Sitting on the long table were three young men. Two of them were wearing the same outfit which consists of a white shirt that has ruffles in the middle, a black blazer jacket with a white flower pinned on their right side of their jacket with matching black pants. They both wore black top hats with a number was attached on their left side. The first man has a nice tan skin color with cobalt blue eyes. He had the craziest hairstyle which reminded Akiza of a crab. Some of his spiky hair is highlighted with yellow streaks. The second man was taller than the first man. He had fair skin color with blond hair and violet eyes. The third man was dressed in crow suit as he slept peacefully with a nose bubble.

"There's no room."

Akiza blinked in confusion. "What?"

"There's no room." The blond male repeated once more as he sipped his teacup.

Akiza stay quiet. She was going to ask them if they could help her get back home but instead she was denied to sit down. How on earth could there not be room? There were a lot of empty seats! Why must everything be so strange in this world? She turned around ready to leave when she heard someone calling her back.

"Wait! Don't go!"

She turned around only to see the young man with cobalt-blue eyes standing up. "We barely have any visitors. We have plenty of seats. Please have a seat."

Akiza was hesitant. Should she sit down or leave? She reached out her hand to pull the chair out and sit but she heard no objections from the blond man. She took her seat across from the cobalt-blue eyed man. He too sat back down to his seat.

Silence hung over them. It was too quiet. The violet-eye man grabbed the teapot and served Akiza some coffee. She did not know what to say to these young men but she need to know how to get back home. "Umm, can you tell me how can I go back home. I got lost."

The young man with cobalt-blue eyes stares at the young and pretty girl in front of her with admiration. "Your hair."

"Huh?" Akiza glance at the man in front of her.

"Your hair is the same shade as a red rose and your eyes; the color of your eyes reminds me of the autumn leaves."

A small taint of red blush appeared on her cheeks. "Umm…Thanks."

"What's with your clothing?"

Akiza now turned to face at the blond man. She looked down at her outfit. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Maybe the black dress was too short? If so, she started to feel a bit conscious of what she is wearing. She begins to tug it down to her knees, covering up her garters.

"There's nothing wrong." The blond male took another sip of his coffee. "Your outfit looks Victorian."

"And?" Akiza picked up her teacup and brings it up to her lips. The smell of coffee wafted in her face and nose. It was a rich and smooth smell. She took a small sip only to realize that the coffee was too strong for her taste. She gagged. "What kind of coffee is this?"

"It's my favorite coffee: Blue-Eyes Mountain coffee."

"But isn't that coffee expensive?"

The man dressed in a crow suit snapped his head up as the nose bubble popped. "Jack! You said that you were not going to buy anymore of that expensive coffee. I told you that we don't have enough money to pay our rent to the landlady."

The blond man named Jack rolled his eyes. "Crow, you know that the only thing that I value is—"

"…Your expensive coffee and ramen cup noodle soup." Akiza cut in.

Jack blinked in confusion. "How do you know that?" he questioned her.

Akiza was also surprised. She burrowed her eyebrows in thought. "I guess it was a lucky guess."

"Anyways," the young man dress in a crow suit, named Crow interrupted once again, "Get yourself a job, Jack. That way you'll at least help us paid this month's rent."

And the two began to bicker.

"Here's a riddle: What's the difference between being special and being unique?" the young man with the cobalt-blue eye asked Akiza over the bickering.

"I don't know," she began to think for a few seconds. "I think they're the same thing."

"I'm sorry but that is incorrect." He clapped his hands, loud enough to make Jack and Crow stay silent. Their bickering was over. Crow slump his head and fell asleep as a small nose bubble inflated from his nose. "Okay, do you have any special abilities?"

"I'm not sure." Akiza begins to ponder. Does she have any special abilities?

"I'm sure you do or else why are you wearing that pin that's resting on your head?"

"What are you talking about?" She touched her head only to feel something cold and metallic. He was right. There was a pin that pulled part of her hair back. A quick memory flashed in her mind. This pin was on her hair for a purpose. "This pin helps me to control my psychic powers."

"Your psychic powers? You mean like telekinetic powers?"

"Well, not exactly." Akiza has some explanation to do. "My psychic power gives me the ability to bring duel monsters to life."

"Oh, so you duel?"

She nodded.

"Maybe when you have the time, you can duel me." Jack cut in their conversation. He grabbed a cup of ramen noodle soup and peeled off the cover.

The clock struck. It was five o'clock.

Multiple clocks within the garage began to ring along with the clock that was outside the garage. Jack and the man with cobalt-blue eye man closed their eyes as they listen to the ringing chime of the clock. Jack picked up his cup and quietly he sipped his coffee. Crow continued to sleep despite of not waking up to such loud noises.

"It's always five o'clock." The man with the cobalt-blue eyes opened his eyes only to stare at the young lady in front of her. He took out a pocket watch from his pocket.

It was definitely five o'clock.

"This means that it is time for me to eat some ramen noodle soup." Jack picked up his fork ready to chow down some delicious ramen noodle soup.

Silence hung over them once again. The sound of the clock chiming died out and the only thing was heard the sound of Crow snoring.

"So, where am I?" Akiza really needed to go back home. She cleared her throat. "Excuse me, but I really need to get back home. My parents are waiting for me to come back home and it would be nice if you told me how to get back. You see, I was waiting for a friend to help me explain my homework and I really need to get back to him before I go back home."

"You really want to go back home?" he asked her.

She nodded.

"Riddle me this: What is it that we have in common?"

"We have something in common?" Akiza ponder for a moment. Was there anything that they have in common? The more the thought, the more she could not find the right way to answer his question. "I don't know," she admitted. She glanced around her surroundings once more and noticed that maybe she was back where she came from. "Hold on, this is Poppo Time garage, isn't it?"

"What will you do after you graduate?"

"Huh?" This caught Akiza off guard.

"What will you do? What will you do after you graduate from Duel Academy?" he repeated the question once more.

"What will I…?" She stopped herself. What did she want to do after she graduates from Duel Academy? "I'm not sure. Maybe go to college. Study abroad I guess."

"And what else?"

Akiza arched her eyebrow in confusion. "What else?"

"Yes, what else? Is that all? There must be something that you like to do other than dueling. Am I right? I mean, you are studying in Duel Academy to be in the Pro Leagues. There are other things that interest you, no?"

"I…umm…Yes, I mean no…Oh," She was stuck. Yes, she knew that he was right. She is studying in Duel Academy but she did not want to be in the Pro Leagues. There are other things that she wants to do after she graduates from Duel Academy.

"What for?"

"What?"

"What do you want to do in college?"

"What do I want to do in college?" Akiza repeated after him. It seems like there is an echo going on.

Back to her train of thoughts, Akiza wanted to do something in her life other than dueling. A small memory came into her mind as she saw a young girl resting in the hospital bed. She saw herself coming in the hospital and visiting this young girl who always smiled whenever she came by. A small smile spread on her face. "There is something specific that I want to be when I grow up. That's why I want to go to college and have a bright future."

Jack slurped his ramen noodle soup. He cleaned his face with a napkin that was on his lap. "That's sweet and all." He scooped up another roll of noodles with his fork. "So, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Well," she bunched her skirt, "my dream is to be a doc—"

"What good are dreams when all you do is duel?" the young man with the cobalt-blue eyes cut in. "I'm not saying that dueling is bad but there is more in life than just dueling. I hope you know that."

"I know that!" Akiza retaliated. "I know what I want to study."

"That's all fine and all but what about your friends? And having a good time?"

Akiza was now confused. "Having a good time with my friends?"

"Having a good time."

"Having a good time." Jack said while eating his soup.

"Having a good time." Crow yawned in his sleep.

The ticking sound of the clock was heard. Jack, Crow, and the young man with cobalt-blue eyes stared at Akiza. She glanced away from their stare. Maybe they were right. What will she say to her children, if she plans to have some in the future, if they ask her about her teenage years? Did she have any good friends? Did she do something special with them?

"Having a good time." She mumbled quietly.

Kuribon held up the horn with its tail and blew it. The sound of a horn was heard miles away.

"What was that?" Akiza asked startled by the sound of the horn. "What's going on?"

"The King and Queen are now holding court." The nameless young man answered.

"The King and Queen?"

Jack sipped his coffee. "They are going to prosecute the Duchess. She is schedule to be executed to death." He picked up his forked and eats the noodles.

What, what, what! "No, this can't be."

"One cannot fight the King's and Queen's whim. Trust me."

"They just can't execute her." She quickly stood up and ran out of the garage hoping to stop the execution.

Jack and the man with cobalt-blue eyes glance at the direction in which Akiza had left. "She's one brave young lady to be going to the court and face the King and Queen."

"Even when she's dreaming, Akiza will always be Akiza."

Crow nodded in his sleep.

The clock struck. It was five o'clock.

Inside the courtroom, the room was dark except that there are two spotlights pointing at three people. The first spotlight pointed at the Duchess as she stood there with a vacant expression. The second spotlight pointed at two royal people sitting at their throne. It was none other than the King and the Queen. Both the King and the Queen had their faces covered with masks except for their mouths. Their masks were decorated with small jewels that adorn in the middle of their foreheads. Above their shining jewel, feathers adorn on each side of their masks with golden highlights around the edge of the mask.

The sound of people murmuring was heard as they talked about the Duchess. "Silence!" the King commanded with authority. The crowd behind the Duchess was silenced. "Duchess, you stand before us now accused for going away and leaving your brother to a stranger. Do you confess to your transgression?"

"What transgression?" A third spotlight shine on Akiza as she barged into the courtroom making the King, Queen and the coward turn their heads around. She came into a halt as she huffed and puffed, trying to regain her breath back.

"Who disrupts this court?" the King boomed.

"I do!" Akiza answered back with confidence. "I'm here to testify that the Duchess never left her brother with a stranger."

"With all the respect your majesty," the Duchess spoke up, "I left my brother in the hands of this young lady," she pointed at Akiza, "and have her help him control his psychic powers."

"Even if it means to leave your own sibling in the hands of a strange in which you do not know of?" The Queen asked. "Your crime is not a question of attendance but of abandonment. This act is unforgivable. You fail to understand what your brother has is not normal."

"Your majesty, her brother was never abandoned. I was there to take of him for a while." Akiza stole a glance at the Duchess and back at the Queen. "What her brother has may not be normal to you and it never happens to most children at his age. Instead of pushing the child away, one must face the dilemma and be with the child no matter what happens. Besides, what good will it do if you do happen to execute the Duchess? Who will take care of her brother?"

"Silence!" The King shouted at Akiza. "There is no room for your emotion and such treacherous lectures in this courtroom!"

"That's impossible! To pass judgment without emotion! You might as well leave the child with a total stranger who doesn't know about psychic powers and the dangers that lies ahead if he isn't controlled by the right person!"

"Insolate young lady." The King clucked his tongue in disappointment. "Tell me, how well do you know about these 'psychic powers' of which you speak off? Do you even have psychic powers? Are you, in fact, not guilty yourself? Why don't we discuss about your crime."

Akiza's eyes widen in shock. "What are you talking about? What crime have I committed?"

A screen appeared behind the King and Queen. It was the destruction of the Diamon Area. Buildings were crumpled down as the sidewalk was cracked opened in half.

"I present to you the first evidence of your crime. Behold," the King pointed at the screen behind him, "The destruction of the Diamon Area by your destructive powers!"

'Didn't I pass by there a few hours ago?' She thought to herself. She was sure that when she passed by it was all in one piece. "I know that I did, in fact, pass by the Diamon Area and everything was okay. I could not have been the one who cause this destruction."

"A likely story. But if you're not the one who caused this destruction, then who did?"

"I don't know but I didn't do it. It wasn't me!" Akiza clutched her head. It was beginning to pound. A quick flashback came into her mind. She was dressed as the Black Rose as she summoned out her ace monster, Black Rose Dragon.

"Black Rose Dragon attack!" She heard herself declare the attack.

Akiza kneel down as the pain increased. 'What? Was that me?' Her breathing started to hitch. "Or was it?" she muttered to herself.

"Witness!" the King shouted. "Those party to the crime of this young lady are commanded to come forward and testify!"

A fourth spotlight shine on the nameless young man with cobalt-blue eyes. He bowed down to the King and Queen and tipped his top hat. "It would be my privilege your majesty."

Her eyes widen in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Akiza asked.

"What this young lady has is telekinetic powers." He began to explain. "She has the ability of summoning out a duel monster and making it real with her powers. Since her parents were afraid of her supernatural powers, they were never there to help her. Instead, they pushed her away. They never understood what she has. She never understood her own powers to begin with."

A vein popped in Akiza's forehead. "What?"

"She even hated herself for being cursed as a witch by others."

"How would you know that, Yusei Fudo?" Akiza shouted at him. "You were hated by the people of New Domino City because you came from the Satellite!"

A blinding of lights blinded Akiza. The sound of girls giggling and boys chit-chatting was heard. All of them were wearing their Duel Academy uniform with masks covering only their eyes. The surrounding was now familiar to Akiza. She was standing in the middle of the gym at Duel Academy.

"What's going on?"

"How is it that you know my name?" Yusei asked. He stood up and faced the burgundy hair female. "My name. How do you know it?"

"Yes, how is it that you know his name?" the group of girls chorused together. "How ever did you know it?" The boys said in unison with the girls.

"How do I know?" Akiza pondered.

The twins, Leo and Luna walked behind her and stood by her side. "Yes, and somehow you knew that we are twins." They said in unison.

"Let's not forget about my articles that I always type on my computer," the once caterpillar is now a beautiful butterfly. She still carried her camera around her neck.

"And about my addiction to coffee and ramen noodle soup," Jack continued to eat his soup in a small table across from the King and Queen.

"How is that?" Crow asked as a yawn escaped his lips.

"How is that?"

"How is that?" the twins asked at the same time.

"How is that?" the Duchess, or in this case, Misty asked as she held a pendant.

"How is that?" the female-butterfly-reporter asked.

"How is that?" Yusei asked.

Akiza was very confused. She could still hear their question echoing in her head. She blinked in confusion. "Well, I, umm…"

A bright red light shined on her arm as a mark of a dragon's claw appeared before her very eyes. She took off her black, fingerless gloves to see the weird design that was marked in her right arm. Yusei, Jack, Crow, and the twins stood around her as they too revealed their own marks of the Crimson Dragon on their right arm. "We're Signers."

"Hasn't it sunk in yet?" Yusei and the rest of the Signers stepped aside, leaving Akiza to face the King and the Queen.

The Queen stood up and she took of her mask, revealing herself to be Setsuko Izinski, Akiza's mother. "You made a lot of wonderful friends haven't you Akiza."

Akiza sucked in a sharp breath. "Mom?" she strangled out. "You're the Queen?" This was too unrealistic. Her mother was here with her in front of her but what about… "Wait, does that mean…it couldn't be…"

The King stood up. The sound of the bell ringing was heard from a distance. "My little rose princess. You've gotten so big. Where does the time go?"

Akiza started to gasp. She could not control her breathing. She felt tears swelling in her eyes ready to spill.

"I'm so sorry Akiza for not being with you, for not hold you close and letting you know that everything's going to be okay. Now it is the time to make up for the time that we lost. Like your mother said, you've made a lot of good friends." A tear slipped on the King's face or rather, Hideo Izinski's face as he took off his mask.

Akiza felt emotional. A cry ripped through her throat. Tears slipped on her beautiful face as she ran up to hug her parents. She took one giant leap as her arms outstretch to reach her parents.

Everything was blurry after that.

~w~w~w~

"Mom. Dad." A small tear drop slipped on Akiza's face. She was back in Poppo Time garage sleeping on the table. Her notebook was underneath her arms, her lecture notes were scattered on the table. Yes, she was just dreaming.

"Akiza. Akiza, wake up."

Slowly her eyes opened up only to see the Head Signer, Yusei Fudo, shaking her awake. Akiza rubbed her eyes. "Did you have a good nap?" She was confused. "I have never seen you doze off before."

"Eh?"

"I guess it was my fault for not letting you know how long it was going to take to get my tools over at Martha's place," he started to explain, "I got so caught up with fixing the car and taking care of the children that I didn't even notice the time. I'm sorry for not helping you with your homework."

Akiza yawned. "What time is it?" she asked.

"It's seven thirty."

"My goodness!" She quickly stood up, "I promised to my parents that I would be back at six!"

"Don't worry Akiza," Yusei squeezed her shoulders and pushed her back down to sit, "I called your parents and let them know that you were sleeping after studying so much. Plus, it's Friday."

He was right. It was Friday. She glanced around only to see her friends happily eating and chatting. Leo and Luna were eating a slice of pizza, while Jack and Crow were arguing about the usual: paying this month's rent. Carly, Mina, and Trudge watched Jack and Crow verbally fighting. Akiza was glad to have great friends like them.

Her cell phone began to ring causing the rest of her fellow friends to look at her. She quickly checked to see who is calling her. "Hello? Dad?"

"Hey darling." It was her father. "I'm calling to let you know that your mother and I won't be home until Sunday afternoon. I'm sorry if we won't be able to spend some time together. I promise that when we come back, we're going to do whatever you want."

"Okay, dad. I understand."

"Where are you? Are you home alone?"

She shook her head. "No," Akiza glanced at her friends and smiled, "I'm here in Poppo Time garage with my friends."

"That's good to hear, sweetie. I'm glad that you're spending some time with your friends." Akiza heard voices on the other line, "Listen, I gotta go. And remember, your mother and I love you. Don't forget that."

Akiza smiled. "I won't dad. I love you too. Bye." She hung up.

Maybe it was a little too early to go home. After all, her father did say that they would not come back until Sunday afternoon. So, why could she not stay a little longer with her friends? And that is what she did. She stay for another two hours, talking, reminiscing the old time, laughing and among other things, having a good time with her friends. Once in a while, she glanced at Yusei. He too, looked back at her and smiled at her, making her blush once in a while.

Akiza was thankful that no one noticed the blush on her face…except for Luna. She could tell what was going on.

It was getting late. Everyone decided to call it a night and go home.

Akiza began to pick up all her lecture notes and put all her books away in her black book bag. Akiza stretch her arms and legs. She had no idea that she had drifted off to sleep while doing her homework. This was so embarrassing! It made her look like she was lazy to do her homework. "I'm sorry."

"What?" Yusei asked in confusion. "What are you sorry for?"

"Well, I fell asleep." Akiza confessed as another yawn escaped her lips again. "I wasn't sure if you were going to come back and help me with my homework but now I feel bad for falling asleep."

"Don't be." He smiled at her. "You know," he whispered at her, "you look peaceful when you're asleep."

Akiza felt her face set on fire by his compliment. "Yusei,"

He chuckled. "Look, I know you should get back home but if you like, I can take you home. I can also help you with your homework tomorrow. That is if you have nothing to do tomorrow."

"Sure. I would love to."

Akiza grabbed her bag and with Yusei's help, he helped her push out her Duel Runner outside the garage. Once her Duel Runner was out, he pushed his Duel Runner with his helmet underneath his arms. Jack and Crow were off to bed. Leo and Luna were taken home by Mina and Trudge. They started their engines and they were off to her house.

The benevolent dark blue sky was clear, perfect for star viewing. Only a few stars started to appear at the night sky and the moon was half visibly seen. The dream that Akiza had made her reflect about her past and about the upcoming future. What would have happened if she has not meet Yusei, Jack, Crow, or the twins? What if Yusei was not there to help her overcome her fears? What if she never make up with her father? Where would she be right now if she had not meet Yusei at all? Akiza was grateful for having Yusei as a friend. Even thought she would never admit to anyone, she felt something for him; other than friendship.

She loves him.

But she would not dare to confess her love to him for she was afraid to hear him say that he does not love her.

Yusei and Akiza arrived to her house as the sound of their Duel Runner's engines died out. He walked her to the front door of her house.

"I'll be waiting for you tomorrow, Akiza."

She jumped. "Oh, yeah. Sure." Akiza turned around and face the Head Signer. "Thanks for bringing me back home."

"You're welcome."

Akiza felt like doing one more thing before he leaves. She embraced him in a hug. "Thank you, Yusei. For everything."

Yusei was startled by her sudden move. It only took him seconds to realize that she was hugging him. His arms automatically wrapped around her petite figure. His nose brushed by her hair and he inhaled to smell the sweet smell of strawberries. "You're welcome."

The two Signers stayed like that embraced in each other's arms. It felt nice and comforting. A few minutes later, Yusei and Akiza let go of each other. She felt her body buzzing with joy as she could still feel his warmth. Yusei waved her goodbye, got on his Duel Runner, started the engine and he was off.

Akiza watched him leave as a sigh escaped her lips. It took her seconds to realize that she had hugged him. Hugged him for crying out loud! Her face turned beet-red but soon she got over it with a laugh. A smile spread on her face while she looked at the moon.

Akiza was definitely blooming into a wonderful young lady.


(1) Mei and Sakura are Akiza's friends from the manga version. If you read the manga version, Mei and Sakura do exist. So, I did not make up their name.

A/N: And that concludes the end of this one-shot. Thank you for reading this one-shot! I hope that everyone liked this story as much as I wrote it. Can you guess the characters that each 5D's characters portray and where this story took place? It should be pretty simple since I mentioned several names and places.

Those who followed and favored my multi-chapter, Akiza, Once Upon a Time and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's: The Force of Destiny, I want to say thank you for your wonderful reviews. I'm still writing out the outline for both stories and I hope to get both chapters updated towards the end of December, or earlier, if I can.

I've noticed that many people are pushing the favorite story but aren't reviewing. I really appreciate that some of you like my other stories, but it would be nice to see a review and see what you are thinking about my story. If I see that there are more favorites than reviews, I'm going to send you a PM, asking for a review. I know nobody wants to receive a PM from me asking for a review. So, please review. I want to know what you think. What are your thoughts to my story? Anything that would help me, as an authoress, to improve my writing!

Once again, thanks for reading! :)

Please, kindly review. Your reviews are greatly appreciated!