So, I decided that even though 5D's has ended, I'm not letting it die away. I wanted to do something really sweet and romantic, rather than something bland and basic. So I hope you guys enjoy this! For those who haven't seen the end of 5D's, I just want to redirect you to YouTube or any other site with 5D's episodes so that you can watch it and not be offended by me giving away spoilers. That way, it won't be a spoiler because you already know what happened. Just as a warning some of this is AU-ish. There are parts that follow the series, and there are certain parts that don't. If you want the real stuff, go to Yu-Gi-Oh! Wikia. It has all the info you wanna know :)

Dating Days

Pairing: AkixYusei, CarlyxJack, etc.

Summary: After the Ark Cradle is destroyed, Yusei and the gang move on and go on their own paths. Just as Aki takes her path, it crosses someone else's very close to her.

Germany had been her temporary home for the last five years. Though she loved the atmosphere and grew accustomed to it, Aki felt it was time for a change in scenery. In a nice apartment building, just a little far from the public, she lied on her bed remembering five years back from that very day. She glanced at her calendar and noticed that it was April 10th. Five years ago to this day, was when Aki left for medical school. It hadn't been easy, seeing as how she had a hard time leaving her friends. It was weird to think that it had only been half a decade.

I can't believe it's been five years since I left. I still miss everyone back home, Aki thought, sighing.

The Dark Signer battle skipped along her mind, and also the day that all the Signers met roamed around as well. It was hard to believe that time flew by so fast. Over the last few years, Aki made some new friends at her school, a few guys asked her out that she turned down, and now she could finally say she lived in another country. It was fun to go around and look at all the tourist attractions in Germany. She loved learning about the new culture and customs. The biggest news she had was that she was almost done with medical school. Her professors noticed how remarkably intelligent Aki was. She surprisingly excelled and tested out some of her pre-requisite and advanced classes, and ended up doing her medical internship early. Her professors have even said that she may be the youngest doctor that they've had the privilege to teach. Now that she was nearly complete with her internship, she was ready to head back home and begin practicing medicine.

While she looked out the window of her bedroom, one person in particular crossed her mind. Her savior, her light, her best friend, and her long time love, Yusei Fudo. She had kept in close contact with the Twins and Crow, but not so much Yusei and Jack. She expected Jack not to keep in touch, but not Yusei. She figured that he was working on Neo Domino's momentum, even though he said it was completed a while back. She knew that he always liked to tweak things to make sure they were perfect.

It'll be good to go back. Plus, I've gotten three job offers in Neo Domino. I've ran my course in Germany...now it's time to get back and be my own woman, Aki thought, looking at her calendar again. There were only two and a half weeks until her internship was over, and the day she would take her flight back home.

xxxx

Around four o' clock in the afternoon, Carly was waiting in Yukishata Park further in the city. She was wearing a casual, creme colored pea coat on with dark skinny jeans, contacts, and red platform pumps. She looked on her phone and noticed that he was fifteen minutes late. He was cutting into her lunch break and if she didn't make it back to the office in time, Mokoto would have her head.

I wish he wouldn't do this to me. I told him I had to be back for my meeting, Carly thought, sighing a little bit. Just as she was about to grab her purse, someone's giant hands covered her eyes.

"Guess who?" Jack Atlas' voice questioned, making Carly turn around. The two of them had been dating for the last two and a half years. For Carly it was weird. One day she had off from work, he showed up on her door step with a bouquet of flowers and more than ten kisses for her. Apparently, the first thing he wanted to do after finally becoming King was to start a relationship with her.

"I'm aware of who you are. I just remembered this same man saying that he didn't have time for a woman five years ago." Carly snided, playing into his flirty banter.

"Yeah, but this same man never thought that he'd end up wrong, and actually falling in love with a beautiful woman." Jack responded, sweeping her into a kiss.

"Will you stop it? It's bad enough you're going to make me late, but it's even worse that you want to make out in public." Carly giggled, accepting his embrace.

"I can't help it that you're so attractive. I'm sorry that I came late." He apologized, caressing her cheek.

"Its fine, but I just hope that I can make it in time." Carly sighed, looking at her watch.

"Tell you what, since I came late, how about I take you out for dinner?" Jack suggested, making Carly smile.

"I'd love that. Thank you." Carly told him, cheerfully, "Oh...I have to get going."

"I understand. I'll call you." He responded, hugging her again.

"Mmm, love you." Carly said, kissing his cheek, while leaving a lipstick mark.

It's funny how that woman manages to be so magnetizing, Jack thought, sitting on the bench for a little while longer.

xxxx

"Come on, Rua, or we're going to miss our flight!" Ruka sighed, waiting for her twin in the living room with her luggage.

"I'm done, Ruka. You don't have to rush." Rua grumbled, walking downstairs with his luggage in hand.

"Well, I don't want to miss our flight...like last time." Ruka mentioned, grabbing the car keys.

"You promised not to talk about that anymore!" Rua shouted, as they walked into the garage, "And why do you get to drive?"

"Because I'm the only one out of the two of us that Mom and Dad trust to drive, and get to our destination safely." Ruka replied, popping the trunk.

"I'm not a bad driver. I can drive my D-Wheel without a problem." Rua challenged, putting his and his sisters' luggage in the trunk.

"That's completely different, and on top of that you drive that thing way too fast." Ruka said, hopping into the driver's seat.

"Uhh, that's what a D-Wheel was meant for...and for me to become a world champ!" Rua boasted, clicking his seatbelt while Ruka pulled out of the driveway, "It's good to be moving back to Neo Domino City."

"Yeah, I just wish Mom and Dad would have let us know ahead of time, so that I wouldn't literally have to throw my belongings in boxes and only have seventy-two hours to do it. I have valuables that can't be ruined." Ruka responded, heading down the highway.

"Okay, your makeup and shoes don't count as valuables." Rua commented, rolling his eyes at his twin.

"In a girl's life, yes, shoes are considered valuables. Especially if you just bought the cutest pair of black suede platform pumps." Ruka giggled, feeling giddy about her recent trip to the mall before packing.

"I thank God everyday that I'm not a girl." Rua muttered, enjoying what was left of the two hour car drive to the airport.

In the cozy little quarters of his three year old apartment in Tops, Yusei Fudo spent his Thursday afternoon doing what he never had time to do during the week. He spent most of the day paying bills, cleaning, organizing his living room, and anything else to keep himself occupied. He'd also been thinking about the last five years. He knew that today marked five years since everyone went their separate ways and pursued their dreams. Through most of the time, loneliness always came to him in the oddest ways. Though he was somewhat used to it, it still managed to bother him. He did keep in contact with Ruka and Rua a lot, and he would also hear from Crow on occasion, but he never heard from Aki or Jack. He expected to not really hear from Jack, but not so much Aki.

Yusei figured that she was busy with medical school and everything, but out of everyone, he missed her the most and she was on his mind lately. He remembered their last encounter like it was yesterday. The way he looked into her eyes, as she looked into his. He remembered the feeling of her soft hands in between his. What bothered him the most that night, was the one thing she wanted to confess to him...but never managed to get it out, and changed her mind...

"Yusei...I've always lov...," Her bell like voice stammered, cutting herself off.

Maybe what she said wasn't completely true. I have a feeling I knew what she was going to say. I just wish she would have, He thought, paying the last of his bills. In the corner of his screen he noticed that he was getting an iChat message from Ruka.

"Hi, Yusei!" Ruka greeted, happily waving at the webcam.

"Hey, Ruka, Rua. Where are you guys?" Yusei asked, smiling.

"We're on a plane. I'm taking advantage of the Wi-Fi." Ruka responded, cheerfully, "I know this is kind of last minute for good news, but Rua and I are moving back to Neo Domino!"

"Wow, really? That's great! What made your parents change their minds?" Yusei questioned, drinking some of his water.

"Well, they really missed home, because we grew up there and Neo Domino is where they started our family." Ruka explained, plainly, "But that's really all the good news...oh, and I'm getting a puppy when we get there."

"Anyway, outside of my sister's conceitedness, how have you been, Yusei?" Rua asked, as his head came into view of the webcam.

"Eh, you know me; I've been occupied with a lot of things." Yusei replied, shrugging.

"Have you gotten a girlfriend yet? You need to start dating." Rua said, receiving a hit from Ruka.

"I never really thought about dating...there just haven't been a lot of things on my mind." Yusei explained, blushing from Rua's bold statement.

"Well, we're going to go, Yusei. Our plane isn't going to land until later on tonight, so I'm going to sleep until then." Ruka added, yawning.

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon." Yusei muttered, cutting his iChat off. As he shut his Macbook, he thought more about what Rua said. He would get a girlfriend, but there was only one woman that ever attracted him...and she was gone.

Maybe our paths will cross one day, He thought, lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling in thought.

xxxx

"To Aki, for being a pleasure to have in our residency." Dr. Austerlitz said, holding up a glass of champagne.

Out of the kindness of everyone's heart, everyone in her internship group threw her a going away party since she was done with her internship at the hospital. She was finally certified to be a doctor. As everyone began to chat and mingle, Aki thought about how she was going home early tomorrow morning. She hadn't really told anyone except her family and Ruka and Rua. It was funny when she told Ruka that she was coming back to Neo Domino, seeing as how Ruka surprised her with the news that their plane just landed in Neo Domino and that they moved back.

It's great that everything's coming together. I knew that we'd all eventually meet again one day, Aki thought, sipping on her glass of champagne. As she went deeper into her thoughts, she stumbled across a particular male that still made her go crazy every time she heard his name. It had been quite obvious that she had been in love with Yusei since the day they dueled in the hospital, once she reconciled with her parents, but unfortunately, she was too scared to tell him the day she left, though she had a feeling he knew what she was going to say when she cut herself off.

Why couldn't I just tell him? I mean, for all I know now, he could be dating Sherry or some other pretty girl..., Aki thought, sadly, Well, even if worse comes to worse, I still have to try...and now I know my first destination when I get back to Neo Domino.

xxxx

"Well, home sweet home." Rua said, shutting the lights on to their new house.

"Wow, Mom and Dad did a nice job finding a house. It's stunning!" Ruka gasped, looking around the foyer. It reminded her of a white marble palace.

"Oh, great! They already moved in the furniture and everything. Less work for me to do." Rua chirped, making his sister roll her eyes.

"You know we still have to unpack your room, right?" Ruka told him, making his happy face fall.

"Way to kill my mood, sis." Rua grumbled, as Ruka giggled.

"I'm sorry that you're too lazy to do anything," Ruka laughed, as she walked upstairs, "Let's go find our rooms. Oh! I have to start planning a house warming party!"

"Yeah, that's great. We can invite everyone over. It'll be just like old times." Rua mentioned, following her upstairs, "I wonder what room is mine."

"Well, I know this one is mine. I have the perfect view of the city." Ruka told him, setting her purse down on the floor.

"I'll be in my room unpacking if you need me." Rua chuckled, shutting Ruka's door on the way out.

xxxx

"Aki! My baby's home!" Aki heard her exhilarating, loving mother voice. A voice that she had only heard over a telephone. She regarded her telephone as a very detached way of communicating with her parents. Nevertheless, she was grateful to have had enough time to speak with them.

"Hi Mama, Papa." She greeted, as she was enveloped into her mother's arms.

"Dear, give her a break. She's probably quite tired." The senator reminded his wife, smiling with a mild sense of amusement.

After her father aided her in carrying her luggage upstairs, Aki took a chance to digest into her mind the scenery of her home. There was nothing that looked distorted around the hallway. The same paintings that hung gracefully on the pastel colored walls remained where they were, just as they did five years ago.

"Nothing's really changed, has it?" Aki asked, glancing at her father.

He smiled in response to his daughter's innocent curiosity, "No, it hasn't. The only thing that's changing is that your mother and I are renewing our vows."

"Wow, really? That's great, Papa!" She chirped, as a smile crept upon her lips.

"Your mother had a feeling you'd react that way." Hideo mentioned, smiling as well, "I'll leave you to unpack."

As she started opening her suitcases and take out things that were folded inside, Aki thought more about Yusei. Now that she was home, she thought of the possibilities that could occupy her evening. She could visit the Twins at their new house, or visit some old friends from Duel Academia, but there was one idea that seemed really appealing to her. It involved at tall, handsome, twenty-five year old who was currently the director of the Momentum research.

It wouldn't hurt to just stop by and say hello. I mean, he's done a lot more for me than I can repay him, Aki thought, picking up the scrapbook she had started making while she was in Germany. It still had all her pictures from when she used to hang out with Yusei and the others, the World Grand Prix, graduation, and her grad party. Finally deciding on what she would do, she picked up her phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Hatsune! Listen, I need you to do me a favor." Aki said, as she continued to explain things.

"RUA ANSWER THE PHONE!" Ruka shouted, while she finished peeling the last of the painting tape from her wall.

She spent the last hour peeling the tape around her room that protected certain parts of the wall and electrical outlets from getting paint all over them. For the last few days, she went shopping for the house-warming party and sent out messages to her family and friends. On top of that, she had to let the paint in her room dry. The final product of her hard work really paid off. Her room was a deep raspberry color with black and white furniture, and a matching deep raspberry bed set. She had mini chandelier in the middle of the ceiling with paisley designs on the glass that surrounded the light bulbs. On the walls were framed pictures of some of the photography and paintings that Ruka made. The huge rug in her room was the same deep raspberry. Her bookshelf was white with deep raspberry flowers decorated along the sides. On the wall adjacent from her bed, there was a huge window that had a view of their huge backyard.

"Sis, it was Crow. He says he's coming." Rua told her, looking around her room, "Wow, you did good."

"Yeah, it took a lot, but I did it. Now time for more party planning. You know, it's going to be weird to see everyone after so long. I wonder if everyone will be the same or different." Ruka explained, as they both descended the stairs.

"I'm pretty sure everyone's changed, to some extent, even we have. I'm more laid back and mellow. You...well, you're even more girly than you were before." Rua responded, trying to be nice about his sister's girly habits.

"Rua, for the last time, I'm acting like a woman should. Just because I have proper etiquette and manners doesn't mean that's a drastic change." Ruka told him, grabbing an apple from the fruit dish.

"Fair enough. You know, it was weird when Yusei was being all skeptical when we were talking to him on the plane...you know, when I asked if he had a girlfriend." Rua mentioned, changing the subject.

Ruka gave her brother a curious glance as he relaxed onto the living room couch, "Well, maybe that's really personal for him. Yusei was never the type to divulge touchy information like that."

"I guess. I mean, I wasn't trying to be mean with what I told him. It's just that well, most people are married around twenty-five or older...and I feel kind of bad that Yusei's alone." His elaborate response shocked Ruka. Though the boy could act dense when he wanted to, Ruka knew that he was showing genuine concern.

"Yeah, I know how you feel, but Yusei is an adult. Maybe he does want a relationship, maybe he doesn't. No matter what the circumstance, we're his friends and we always will be. Maybe he just needs to find the right girl." Ruka said, grabbing a Cosmo magazine off the coffee table, while trying to enjoy the rest of her day.

xxxx

Well, this is the address. I guess it's now or never, Aki thought, walking into the apartment building. In the lobby, it looked elegant. The top of the front desk was made of marble, with all types of wealthy people walking in and out of the building. Some people were conducting small, business meetings in one of the areas with the couch and loveseats, while enjoying tea and coffee.

After looking around for a bit, Aki spotted the elevator. She quickly got into the elevator, without having to ask someone to hold it for her. According to Hatsune, he lived on the ninth floor the third apartment to the left of the elevator. Regardless of the fact that they were close friends, she remained apprehensive about seeing Yusei. She hadn't seen the man in five years, and now she was popping up at this apartment. Would he look different? Sound different? Behave in a different way than they did when she was still a teenager? All this was an onslaught of mixed, uncontrollable emotions.

A simple ding was all it took to snap her out of her deep rooted thoughts. After getting off the elevator, she shortly approached the front of his door. 915 was his number.

Deep breaths, Aki, breathe. After letting her hand nervously shake, she pressed the creme doorbell. Memories started flowing through her like the ocean's tides, all slapping her hard in the face. She fell into another faint daze.

Before she knew it, the door opened to reveal the man her eyes had been deprived from looking at for half a decade. The same man that captivated her the day they first met, and many times before. But above all, he was the same person that she almost confessed her love to.

"A-Aki?" He asked, getting a good look at her. Dressed in a white blazer and a black, floral printed dress, with her magenta locks flowing to her chest, there she was standing in the flesh.

She couldn't help but let her pale pink lips form into a smile, "Yeah, I'm back."

His arms wrapped around her as if he were lunging for a gift, "Oh my God. I can't...believe you're here. I thought, you know...,"

She slightly giggled at his loss of words, "I finished early, so I came back home. I feel bad; I should have called before I came here."

"No, really it's okay. It's just...wow, you're here." He sighed, inviting her in.

"Life's been treating you well, I presume?" Aki inquired, looking around his plush, but comfortable looking apartment. It was spacious, even for just himself.

"It's decent. It gets lonely sometimes. What about you? How was Germany?" He asked, as they both sat on the couch.

She slowly slid her feet out of her nude pumps, while she collected her thoughts, "Oh, it was great! I mean, I really enjoyed the different culture. At first, the food kind of tasted a little weird, but you get used to it. Maybe I'll take you someday."

As she described in better detail what she actually studied abroad, he couldn't resist observing her. She had always been such a beautiful woman, but there was something different about her. Her face glowed when she smiled and laughed. Her voice held more life and vibrancy when she talked. The thought of staring at her all day seemed appealing, but at the same token, he didn't want to seem like a lovesick fool.

"Come on, you're holding out on me here. I want to know what you've been doing. I really can't stand talking about myself without hearing someone else. What have you been up to?" She questioned, leaning her cheek against her hand. Her amber eyes peaked with curiosity.

He chuckled at her child-like face, "Nothing really. Everything with the research has been going smoothly."

"So...you're not getting anymore offers for any leagues?" Aki wondered, as her eyes glanced at the coffee table.

"Yeah. I still have since before everyone left." He replied, plainly.

She was silent, while still not being able to meet his eyes, "These leagues must really want you, to still be giving you offers for five years. But I still wonder, have you...considered any of them?"

"For a short time, I did think about it, but I'm not sure. It's just that I feel like I can contribute much more by working on the Momentum project." He mentioned, sighing.

"Just do what you always do, follow your heart. Dueling will always be a part of you." Aki told him, giving him a warm smile, "Well, I should get going. I have to get ready for interviews and such."

"No, of course. It was really great to see you...after so long." Yusei said, wrapping her into his arms. He felt a bit melancholy. A deep, ceaseless dejection sprouted within him.

"I'll see you later." She responded, before heading back to the elevator. Again, Yusei went back to coping with being lonely.

Again, I really hate writing the first chapters to any story, since it takes the longest to edit and re-read, but in the end, it's all worth it. Anyway, I'm off to work on more updates and what not. Until then, have fun reading!

Cherriez

P.S. Here's a brief summary of the next chapter...

Next time: Ruka and Rua are getting ready for everyone to come to their house for their get together. How will things go? Will there be shocking changes? In the mean time, Aki is questioning her relationship with Yusei, and if things will ever become more than just friends. What will become of their relationship?