Contemplations

Black Rose. Akiza Izinski. Two sides of the same coin. A young woman defined by her experiences looking for answers. Where to go next? Should I tell him? Akiza contemplated all these things as she thought back to a time when she hid behind a mask. She came very far from where she first started. It was all because of him.

Yusei Fudo.

One of the legendary duelists who was known for pushing his potential and always believing in the future. He inspired hope in so many people. It was easy to see why Akiza fell in love with him.

But what now? It's been a few years since she last saw him. She would be surprised if he even remembered her name. Well, that's not entirely true. She knows that he would remember her. But, would he feel the same way she did? After their last battle with Zone, they all pursued their own futures. Jack was still trying to become "King," but his reasons were different than before. Surprisingly, Jack had matured. He was still fundamentally the same arrogant, confident person he had always been. But, he wasn't chasing glory and accolades anymore.

He wanted to test his strength against the world.

Akiza envied Jack for that. Jack had always known where he wanted to go. Once he decided on a direction, he held on to it steadfastly.

Crow had gone on a similar path to Jack. Winning smaller Riding Duel tournaments and making a name for himself in the underground circuit. He had also changed as well. Moving on from the adventures in New Domino City, he also wanted to test his strength. Last time Akiza had heard, Crow challenged Jack to a duel. She wasn't able to catch it live because she was in surgery with a patient, but she heard it ended in a draw. Crow had always been a good duelist, but she thought that he wasn't quite as flamboyant as Jack or as skillful as Yusei, so his skills may been under-utilized. Akiza was proud of Crow.

He finally lived up to his potential.

Leo and Luna. The last time Luna wrote to Akiza, which was a few months ago, she said that she had finished up her last year of high school, and was looking to see what universities would accept her.' Luna really blossomed into a beautiful young woman', Akiza thought. Akiza knew that Luna looked up to her as a surrogate big sister of sorts, so she tried to help her whenever she could. According to Luna, Leo decided to follow in the path of Crow and Jack and enter multiple Riding Duel tournaments as well. Leo had become much more confident as he got older, growing into a fine young man. Akiza was happy with their progress. They had finally become independent and capable adults.

They took on the world, confident that they would succeed.

And finally, Yusei. Akiza had been keeping up with him the most. She heard that he had multiple breakthroughs in the scientific community, surpassing his father's many accomplishments many years ago. Yusei had been invited to multiple dueling tournaments as a special guest, but he declined the invitations. It surprised Akiza to see Yusei not dueling for that long. But at the same time, she understood why. Yusei loved dueling, but he wanted to explore his future. Akiza had no doubt in her mind that Yusei thought about dueling all the time. But, his role as a leading expert in the science field kept him busy.

One thing Akiza had not fully understood was an interview that Yusei had done with a local news station in New Domino City. They had asked Yusei about his adventures when he was younger, his time as a duelist, and if he had any regrets. Yusei had told the news station that he did have a regret. It was not expressing his feelings properly, especially for someone special who had left his life a long time ago. Akiza's heart skipped a beat when she heard that. Was he talking about her? Or had he found someone else? It had been a while since Akiza had talked to Yusei.

She had meant to keep up more, but honestly, she was scared.

She didn't know if she could face him. All these feelings that she had bottled up! She didn't want to throw everything on Yusei, especially after all this time. Akiza always wondered if Yusei was lonely. After all, his friends had left him and gone to pursue their own paths. They had all left New Domino City behind and were seeking success in their own ways. They were able to move on from all those memories and not have anything holding them back. Yusei, however, stayed there to this day. He must have been constantly reminded of the adventures that they had gone through as Team 5D's. But, if Akiza was really being honest with herself, that wasn't the case. Yusei was a part of New Domino City. He had contributed so much to that city. Maybe, he could leave. But, would he want to?

His future was always the most ambiguous.

Yusei was always the one to believe in his future.

As Akiza stared at an old picture of Team 5D's, she realized that she had been holding herself back. She knew that she should talk to Yusei. Good or bad, she needed to actualize her feelings.

Akiza went to the phone to call Yusei, hoping his phone number was the same. As she reached for the handle, it rang. Akiza answered the phone and was surprised to hear who was on the other end.

"Akiza. It's Yusei. We need to talk."

"Yusei…"

Akiza's breathed hitched, surprised that her contemplations had taken her this far.

-FIN

(A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the story! Let me know what you think! If you want me to continue, let me know!)