Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's: War of the Dragons

Chapter 1: Together Again

A/N: Hey guys. Long time, no see. I'm back with a new fic, and I do sincerely apologize for the long break. Long story short, college is a pain. Especially the transition between Spring and Summer Semester. I've also had a writer's block during that time too, so that didn't help. But! That's all in the past, hopefully. Anyway, this was requested by Jade546 and I've also been toying around with a post 5D's fic myself, but never got around to do anything about it, until now that is. So, without further adieu, let's go!

Standing in a crowd of tens, dozens, maybe even hundreds of people was a young man, of above average height, black hair spiked up in every direction, with gold streaks at the ends. His cobalt-blue eyes staring off at the exit/entrance for the new arrivals of people coming to New Domino. "Coming back" his intelligent mind corrected him. As he stood in his work clothes; a light blue-green, buttoned down shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, partially tucked into his khaki pants, fastened by a black belt, with worn work boots and his white lab coat slung over his shoulder, his mind replayed the last moments of when he was gathered around his friends. Friends that left nearly 9 years ago to chase their dreams, and achieve their goals...

He remembered it clearly, almost as if it had just happened yesterday. After a gruelling duel with his number one rival and older foster brother, Jack Atlas, to determine what he and each of his friends wanted to do with their lives, now that they had fulfilled their destinies as Signers, and the city was safe; they had all come to their own conclusions. Jack was leaving to become a part of duelling league, allowing himself to become a pro duelist; a childhood dream of his that he sought to make a reality. Crow Hogan, his younger foster brother, and closest friend, had been a member of Sector Security for the past two years, but he too had dreams of becoming a pro duelist. However, unlike his older brother, Crow was leaving to join a team of duelists. The WRGP's team dynamic intriguing the Blackwing Duelist, having left its mark on the young man.

The twins, Leo and Luna, had received news from their parents in London, that they would want their children to leave the city and come over to live with them, but gave them time to make their decision. After much deliberation, the twins decided to adhere to their parents' request, and live with them. It was difficult, given everything the two young ones had been through with their friends from Duel Academy and the other Signers. And though they cherished those moments deeply, they also wanted to be a family again with their parents, and knew that though they may be half a world apart, the twins will never forget the bonds that they made in New Domino.

Then there was her. Akiza Izinski. The former Black Rose Witch, and the one person that stole Yusei Fudo's heart. As he pondered his feelings for the redhead, he chuckled to himself. When the two first met, it wasn't until two years later that the two of them had learned that they were frightened of the other. At first, Akiza wanted nothing to do with Yusei. She like everyone else in the city thought of him as trash, and that the marker on his face was an ugly reminder that he was a criminal. But after their duel at the Fortune Cup and their second duel at the hospital; Akiza's perspective of Yusei turned a 180 degree turn. And it wasn't long until her feelings for the raven haired Signer shifted from disgust to appreciation, then friendship, and finally, love.

Which was the very reason why she had shown up at his garage that fateful night. To express her feelings to the young man before she too would leave. Leave to pursue a career in medicine to help people, as a way to repay and redeem herself after all the pain she inflicted upon others when she was the Black Rose. She had practiced all that morning and afternoon, talking to herself in front of mirror, conveying all of her closed off feelings to her not-so-secret crush. But as she stood before him, she couldn't find the courage, nor the words to express her feelings. Instead, she had said, "I loved that I got to meet you, Yusei".

Hoping beyond hope to get her point across without actually telling him, she nearly burst into tears of joy when he responded, "Me too, Akiza". Remembering what had happened next brought a smile to Yusei's face. Remembering how he told her to never forget to smile, and that she had the most beautiful smile in the world. He could tell that she was flying over the moon with his confession. And then the two sealed it with a kiss in the moonlight…

Unfortunately, the two had to seperate, and not long afterwards, she left. The next day, Yusei saw all of his friends off as they left New Domino, each of them making promises and goodbyes, as they all shared a high five with him; all but one. Akiza never made a promise, nor a goodbye; promising internally to herself that she would one day return to the city; return to Yusei. And he understood completely. It was the hardest thing he had ever had to do; letting her go, letting them all go. But in the back of his mind, and in the deepest part of his heart, he knew that it was for the best. If they had stayed, none of them would be truly happy, and for that Yusei couldn't have asked them to. Due to their work schedules, studies, and other activities, Yusei was unable to visit his friends, but that didn't stop him from keeping in touch with them all during the years. Whether it was by computer, by the phone, or even an old fashioned mail drop; Yusei always managed to keep in contact with his friends.

Yusei was brought from his thoughts when he heard his name being called from the sea of people at the waiting area of New Domino Airport. Peering over the crowd, Yusei managed to get a glimpse of two people with teal-green hair and gold eyes. A young woman, no older than 21, wearing a pink blouse, sandals and white "short" shorts, holding a white handbag in one hand, was waving excitedly at Yusei with the other, with a bright smile present on her face. Trailing alongside her, was a young man about the same age and height as the woman next to him, wearing a teal blue undershirt, with a dark blue jacket, dark gray pants, and black boots was pushing through the sea of people, yelling out apologies as he unintentionally knocked bystanders away, all the while with a grin almost as big as the girl's next to him as they approached Yusei.

Smiling at the two people before him, Yusei greeted them both with open arms, "Luna! Leo!"

After finally fighting through the crowd of people, the twins finally reached their destination, chorusing aloud, "Yusei!"

Embracing Yusei, the twins shared hugs with their older "big brother", Leo adding in a fist bump, out of habit. When the twins let Yusei go, he was able to get a clearer look at the twins. Both of them had grown a lot over the years. No longer were they the same little tykes that Yusei once knew. Both of them had grown to be near Crow's height. Luna in particular had grown into a gorgeous, beautiful, young woman. She had forgone the pigtails and instead had let her hair grow out. Leo on the other hand, kept his hair in its trademark ponytail, but he too had let his hair grow out, evident by the wild way his hair flared out at the end of his ponytail. He had also grown into a strong, confident, young man, but beneath it all, he was still the same kid that Yusei remembered; just now instead of being a child, he was now a man-child.

Looking around, Luna quickly realised that Yusei was the only one here. Noticing the confusion on her face, Yusei interjected, gaining her attention. "Akiza's parents are on the way, Hideo got caught up in a meeting at the last minute. Trudge and Mina are still working with Carly on a News story that's gotten Lazar's attention, and Martha would be here, but she's taking care of the kids back in Satellite. So, I guess that means you two are stuck with little, old me until the others get here."

As he finished, Luna giggled as Leo laughed when they heard their "big brother" refer to himself as "little" and "old". Getting their giggling fits down for now, Luna spoke as Leo wiped away a tear from his eye. "Yusei, you're a great many things, but "little" and "old"? Far from it." Once Leo finally calmed down, he added, "Yeah, man. Little? I mean, you're not "Jack" tall, but - hey, wait did you get taller?" Looking between the two twins, Yusei responded with a chuckle, "Heh. I had a last minute growth spurt a number of years ago."

As the trio waited for the other members of Team 5D's to arrive, as well as the rest of their friends and family that stayed in New Domino, they got to talking about how much their lives have changed. Yusei listened as Luna had studied to be a teacher, whereas Leo had looked to become a pro duelist, much like his childhood hero and one of his friends, Jack Atlas. Yusei of course knew all of this, but what he hadn't known was that Luna was accepted as a teaching assistant at her and Leo's old school, New Domino Duel Academy, and that Leo had accomplished one of his goals and had "graduated" from amateur to pro just a short time ago.

"Wow. That's great news, you two! I have the up most faith that you'll be an excellent teacher, Luna. And you, Leo, I have no doubt that you'll make a great rival for Jack and Crow, now that you're officially a pro."

Luna blushed, whereas Leo was grinning ear to ear from Yusei's praise. However, the conversation was quickly shifted to Yusei's side when Luna asked, "And what about you, Yusei? You mentioned something in your emails about your work, and your duelling career, but you were kind of vague. Could you tell us what you were alluding too?" Having regained his composure, Leo was also looking at Yusei curiously waiting for his reply.

Smiling a little, Yusei unfortunately told the twins, "Sorry, guys, but I want to wait until everyone gets here before I start talking about my duelling. As for my work, nothing special really. Fortune was completed some time ago, and ever since then, me and my team have been working on experimental projects. Things to make New Domino, and by extension, Satellite an easier place to live. Finding new ways to use free energy to power the city and its infrastructure, building and improving upon duel runner engines; things of that nature. Nothing too exciting, I'm afraid."

Before either of the twins could make a retort, a voice coming from behind the trio caught them by surprise, "Working on a way to improve the living conditions of not just the city, but the Satellite as well? I'd hardly call that anything, but not exciting." Turning away from the twins, Yusei was met with the retired Senator Hideo Izinski and his wife, Setsuko. Upon seeing the twins, Setsuko hugged Luna, as Leo shook Hideo's hand. "Hideo. Setsuko. It's good you guys were able to make it before the others arrived." As Yusei shared a quick handshake from the older man, and a swift hug from the older woman, all parties present were able to recognize the booming, demanding voice coming from the entrance of the Airport walkway, just as they were also able to recognize the another voice coming from the same direction, arguing with the former.

As the two continued to bicker neither noticed until it they heard a voice out in front of them, yell their names to get their attention. "Jack! Crow!" The two brothers stopped their squabbling as they looked ahead of them, and saw their other brother, along with the twins, and Akiza's parents waiting for them. Quickly, all thoughts of arguing with one another left the brothers' minds as they swiftly made their way over to Yusei and the others. As soon as they approached Yusei, the three of them shared a "bro-hug" and their signature greeting from back when they were a part of the Enforcers. A time that seems so long ago.

When the three separated, Crow and Jack also greeted Leo with a fist bump, and friendly hug to Luna before sharing quick handshakes with the Izinskis. After all the greetings were done and gone, the two brothers were able to get a good look at everyone. Hideo and Setsuko looked the same as they did eight years ago, with a few gray hairs here and there. Yusei had changed somewhat. The first thing they had noticed, besides the five-o'clock shadow he was sporting, was just like the twins had noticed, he seemed to have grown a bit taller since they had last seen him. Which seemed to have irked the younger and shorter of the three brothers.

But the biggest change were the twins. Although both Crow and Jack had occasionally seen Leo on TV about winning some amateur tournaments, they hadn't seen how the years have changed his sister, and like Yusei before them, had realized just how much both she and Leo have grown. While the two brothers were coming to terms with how much the kids have grown, Yusei and the others were also able to get a good look at how the years have changed Jack and Crow. Physically, they were pretty much the same, the only outward change in appearance was Crow's new earrings. But emotionally? The pair seemed to be more confident than before.

Jack was less headstrong, and a bit more calm. But he still had that air of arrogance about him, just tempered and focused towards his duelling instead towards those around him. Crow on the other hand, wasn't as rowdy as he was before, but just like Leo, he hadn't let that change much of himself outside of a duel.

Just as everyone was getting reacquainted, the intercom at the airport announced the final arrival from Berlin, Germany. This caught the immediate attention of the team, especially Yusei, as everyone there shared a knowing look between one another, regarding the raven-haired scientist and the redheaded doctor. As the team waited, Yusei saw a glimpse of red hair before his feet moved towards the crowd of people, almost as if they were acting on their own. The others watched anxiously awaiting the next turn of events.

Then, everything stopped. Yusei stopped moving, halting his steps, as he took her in. She was stunning. He didn't think it was at all possible for her to have become even more beautiful, but for once, he was proven wrong. She had let her hair grow out, her bangs now elbow length, and the rest of her hair put up into a bun. Her skin was the same shade of milky white, her eyes the same amber brown. It looked like she had also grown a bit too. She appeared to have been wearing her work uniform too. She was wearing a similar white coat around her shoulders. Beneath, she was wearing a red buttoned down shirt, that was tucked into a black, knee length skirt, with the top two buttons undone, showing just a hint of her cleavage. She was also wearing stockings that seemed to have been attached to her skirt, and to top it all off she had her red high heel pumps.

As his eyes travelled back to her face, he froze, and held his breath. She had caught sight of him. At first, neither of them moved. Akiza caught a glimpse of the others behind Yusei, but for the moment, she was transfixed by the former raven-haired Signer in front of her. Taking him all in; above average height, five-o'clock shadow, white lab coat hanging on his broad shoulder, wild, untamed, thick hair, form fitting buttoned down shirt that seem to emphasize his lean muscular definition hidden beneath, and those eyes. Those big, blue sapphire gems staring into her. She could feel the heat of her blush, but unlike before when she was younger, she wasn't afraid of showing it.

Visibly gulping, she blinked a few times, before uttering a single word. "Yusei…"

That seemed to have snapped the both of them from their shared mutual trance. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Yusei strode over to her in a couple of strides, just as she was quickly approaching him. As they finally neared the other, Akiza nearly choked the life out Yusei wrapping him in her petite arms in a warm, loving embrace, just as Yusei returned the same; wrapping his strong arms around her waist and bringing her closer.

As she laid her head against his strong shoulder, she whispered, only loud enough for Yusei to hear, "I've missed you. Tightening his arms around her, Yusei replied with the same words he had spoken all those years ago. "Me too, Akiza." After another or two, a gruff cough from behind, alerted them to present company. Reluctantly, the two star crossed, soul bound lovers separated and turned to see the others' reactions. Leo, the eternal man child of the group, made fake gagging noises as Luna facepalmed, embarrassed by her twin's childish antics, before taking her other hand and smacking him behind the noggin. Crow had his hands in his pockets grinning from ear to ear, while Jack had his arms crossed above his chest, smirking at the two.

Akiza's parents however, were pretending to be hurt, mocking faces of pain and betrayal, before her mother broke first, and smiled sweetly at the two, while her husband soon followed, with a small smile present; happy for his daughter. Sheepishly, Yusei rubbed the back of his head, peering down at Akiza, as she looked back up to him with a faint blush and small smile of her own. In that moment, Yusei wanted nothing more than to pick her up, spin her around, and kiss her as if his life depended on it, but he refrained from doing so, mentally saying, "Calm down, Yusei. Eight years have passed between us, and before we can entertain the thought of 'us', we have a lot of catching up to do". Looking back into Akiza's brown orbs, he saw the same internal conversation floating around in her head. With a knowing look shared between them, the two of them opted to put a hold on whatever "this" is, and just enjoy what they do know for certain; Team 5D's is back together again.

Somewhere in Peru

One month ago, a excavation team of a number of people had heard of some sort treasure buried deep beneath the earth in a long, forgotten, once thought lost Quecha Temple. Two weeks ago, the team broke ground, and were finally able to uncover the entrance to said temple. As the team worked to create passages by removing debris around, the darkened caverns of the abandoned underground temple were alight with a faint glow. As a piece of the excavation team broke apart from the main group to explore this once hidden cavern, a thought plagued the minds of the team, as they delved deeper into the bowels of the forgotten temple: what if the passage was blocked for a reason, and not because of old age and debris?

The team delved further deeper down, walking for hours before finally they stopped at a dead end. Or what appeared to be a dead end. Lighting the torches in the room, allowed the handful of researchers to see more clearly. What they had discovered seem to be some kind of place of worship and/or sacrifice. A broken slab of stone was laid in the center of a circle, with drawings of various creatures, what looked to be like dragons spread across the room. At the far end of the room, was a large stone carving of a giant dragon, much larger than the others spread throughout the room.

A cold chill in the air flowed through the room as the team of researchers began inspecting the large stone carving at the back end of the room. That was their one and only warning….

Thinking that the large stone carving is another hidden passage to whatever they were looking for, they didn't realize until too late that this wasn't a temple; it was a tomb...

A/N: And one down! I don't know how long this story will be, but compared to Death Race 5D's, this will be a real challenge. Unlike my other stories where there was really one or two plots in the story, this one will have multiple. This will be my first, real ambitious task, and hopefully I don't muck it up.

One of them, as you guys could probably tell is Yusei's relationship with Akiza. Unlike in Lover's Bond, this will have them NOT spending their last night together in each other's arms before they went their separate ways. They still harbor the same feelings, and still love each other, but eight years have passed between them, and outside of talking and seeing each other through a computer screen they haven't actually ever had the chance to discuss what the nature of their relationship is now.

Basically, in short, what I'm trying to say, is eight years is a long time for people to change and for certain feelings to change as well. This is still a YuseixAkiza fic, so don't worry about that, but this time, I'm trying for a sense of realism. Which I'll get into in future chapters. It's easier to explain it while in the chapter than saying it here.

Another plot point is that little easter egg I planted in beginning/middle regarding Sector Security, Carly and Lazar. Then the third point, is the little nugget at the end, and also the title. Can you guess what it is?

As far as updates go… with school fast approaching and the limited number of weeks during the Summer semester, I'll probably still be working on this well into Fall Semester, and depending on if I get an internship, then that will also affect how often I'll be able to update. Then there's the lack of Wi-Fi. Ugh, sometimes when life throws you lemons (NOT the smutty/sexy kind) it squirts in your face (again GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER!) XD

So, until next time, tell me what you guys are thinking, I like to get some feedback from my readers, and peace!