Hi! Here's something I typed long ago. It's rather short, shorter than my other one-shots anyway. I might make this longer, a few chapters maybe. But that depends on the type of response I get from this and if inspiration decides to come knocking at my door. No guarantees. Same pairing as usual (faithshipping!). Hope you'll enjoy it!

Italics: thoughts

Now, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not, and I repeat, DO NOT own Yugioh 5D's. If I did, well... um... ok... ignore that last sentence.

Back together again

There was a sharp knock on the door and it creaked open. The spiky-haired man sitting at the desk glanced up from his work. Rika, his assistant, poked her head in and said, "Dr. Fudo, there's someone from the Neo Domino City hospital here to see you." His reply was a short one. "Send him in," and directed his attention back to his calculations.

The door creaked open again. Heels clacked against the marble floor, followed by the quiet thud as the door closed. For a moment, there was complete silence as the visitor took in the scene of Yusei poring over his calculations, pencil racing across the paper as he occasionally added or scratched out various formulas. But eventually, her voice broke the silence.

"My my… Even after so many years… You never stop working, do you Yusei?" He froze, pencil poised in mid-air. That voice… "Well, it's good to see that things haven't changed." The voice continued. He slowly raised his head and immediately jumped up, knocking the chair over in the process. His eyes widened when he saw the person before him.

Vibrant burgundy hair… Sparkling golden-brown eyes… A pale heart-shaped face… A smile that warmed his heart…

The sound of a sweet laugh reached his ears. "Have I grown horns or something? You look so shocked to see me." He remained stunned, incapable of coherent speech. Everything was a blur in his head. "Hmm…" She contemplated, "I thought that woman said that Dr. Fudo was in here. Not a statue of him."

Something suddenly went click in his mind and all the details fell into place. His vision of the woman before him became clear. Aki… She's back.

A smile graced her lips. She went up to him and stood close, tilting her head back slightly to look into his cobalt eyes. "Well?" she cocked her head and said teasingly, "Is that the way you greet an old friend? Surely a simple hi is not too much to ask from a great scientist like you?"

Despite all her teasing, her gaze was serious and intense as she studied his features. Disapproval flashed across her face when she noted the dark circles that ringed his eyes; the evidence of many late nights of work. Heaving a sigh, she chastised him. "I knew this would happen if none of us were here to keep an eye on you… Yusei, would it kill you to put down your work for a few hours and get some sleep? ZONE may have looked like you. But he's a machine. You're not." She said sharply.

He flinched. Her disapproving tone reminded him so much of Martha. He half-expected her to pull hard at his ear while lecturing him about his working habits. Shuddering at the memory, he rubbed his ear, remembering how rough Martha can be when he did something that displeased her.

Her keen eyes caught his movement; her lips curving upwards slightly. Finally he's showing some signs of life. Tapping him lightly on his marked cheek, she said, "Yusei, it's just me. Am I that scary? You're completely immobilized."

At her warm touch, he forced himself to say something coherent through the haziness in his mind. "Aki…" He breathed. "It's been so long. " "I know," she laughed. "And you don't look any older since I last saw you." She took a step back, her golden-brown eyes carefully looking him over. "Perhaps you grew a bit taller, but from what I can see, nothing else about you has changed. Life is so unfair, don't you think? You don't appear to have changed. I, on the other hand, look older every year." She faked a pout.

A laugh burst out from him. "Don't worry. You still look beautiful Aki." His cobalt blue eyes looked over her appreciatively, taking in the beauty that was Izayoi Aki. "Ah ah Yusei…" She said warningly, shaking her finger at him. "Here's a tip for you. Never tell a girl that she is beautiful unless you really mean it. We have our ways of finding out if you truly mean it or not. Call it a sixth sense or something." She winked at him.

Taking another step closer, he said, "So can you tell that I truly meant what I said?" He smiled as her face colored a rosy red, complementing her burgundy hair perfectly. With a gentle tug on her arm, he pulled her into his embrace. She returned the gesture, snaking her arms around his neck.

"Welcome back." He murmured in a low voice, burying his face into her hair. He said it so quietly that he doubted that she heard it. But her response crushed that doubt. Tightening her arms around his neck, she pressed herself closer to him and whispered, "I'm home."

There! Done. Do my characters still seem very out of character? Is there anything I need to improve on? Please give me your comments by reviewing! Just click that blue button that says "Review this story" and type away.