Chapter 10!
Master of Ra: Don't worry! There will be a Chapter like that in the future. Thanks for the suggestion!
Thanks for the reviews and here's the next Chapter (with the twins, Jack, and Crow all appearing)!
Yusei went home and watched TV. He looked at all the luring Christmas deals, but didn't know what to get Akiza for Christmas. He brushed his teeth and quickly hopped into bed. He tossed and turned trying to think. He wouldn't rest until he could figure out what to get her. Midnight, one o'clock went by and he just kept tossing and turning. Not only was he worried about the gift, but he was also becoming worried about not being able to fall asleep. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he started to dream.
_Yusei's Dream_
Yusei was over at Akiza's house. They were both sitting on their knees and facing each other. They were both wearing their normal attire and Akiza was smiling at him. The Christmas tree was to his left, with brightly colored lights and ornaments. It was snowing gently outside and it was clear that it was Christmas Day. Yusei looked down and saw a neatly wrapped box in front of him. He smiled at the box and then at Akiza. Yusei picked up the box and held it out in front of him. "Here you go Akiza. I hope you like it." Akiza blushed and took the box from him. She unwrapped the box and took the lid off. "Oh Yusei. It's..." She showed him the box.
"Nothing." Yusei gasped when all he saw was a gray bottom. Akiza's face quickly filled with tears. "Oh Yusei. How could you not get me anything for Christmas?" She started to cry and all Yusei could do was look at her. Her face was full of disappointment and sadness.
_End Dream_
"Akiza!" Yusei said quickly as he leaned up in his bed. Yusei took a moment to catch his breath as he noticed the back of his t-shirt was wet. He quickly took off his sleep mask and saw that it was sunny outside. Yusei sighed as he laid back down. "So, it was all a dream?" Yusei asked. He turned over on his side. "Too bad my dream didn't tell me what to get Akiza."
Later that morning, Yusei decided that he had to go to a place he didn't want to go: the mall. Yusei was never big on shopping, even when he was looking at something he liked. He felt bad for some of the workers though, as a couple of times he saw and heard another customer being really rude to them. Yusei sighed as he walked to the mall. Without Martha's car, he made sure to put his hood up as he tried to stay warm. 'How come the coldest day this week has to be today?' he wondered as he stood at a stoplight.
Once he got to the mall, he quickly ran inside. He had entered through a store and noticed a chocolate area nearby. 'Hmm. Chocolate sounds kind of good right now,' Yusei thought. When he made his way out, he saw a bunch of shops. He sighed as he looked at the same displays and images that Akiza and him had done the night before. He slowly started looking around at different stores, trying to see if there was one that would bring him a quick and easy exit. "How about jewelry?" Yusei wondered and he went inside the store.
As he looked around, he saw lots of rings, watches, and necklaces. Yusei honestly didn't know what to choose or pick out. He then spotted earrings. However, they were all for pierced ears and Yusei knew that Akiza only had clip-on earrings. He moved down to find only a small selection of clip on earrings and asked a gentleman if there were any other ones available. "Nope," the worker replied, "Most stores here don't offer much when it comes to clips on earrings." Yusei sighed and thanked him for his time. Even if there was a bigger selection, Yusei had no idea what to get Akiza in terms of jewelry. Plus, he would hate the thought of getting her something that she didn't like and, on top of that, have him pay a good amount for it. Yusei decided that jewelry was not the right idea and headed outside.
He eventually made his way into a clothing store. As Yusei looked in the women's section, he found a few different shirts that Akiza might like. However, yet again, he found himself questioning the chances of Akiza liking it. Not to mention the fact that he didn't know her size and, with Akiza's incredibly large bust, a t-shirt could easily turn into a belly shirt trying to cover her cleavage. Yusei sighed as he tried to put the shirts back into their proper location. Once he was done, he ruled that clothing was out.
Yusei looked at his watch. "11:00," he said and decided to take a seat at a bench. He looked on, as kids were lining up to meet Santa Claus and their parents tried to keep them occupied until the big moment. Yusei sighed as all their crying and carrying on gave him a headache and he decided to sit somewhere else. When he did find a more quiet location, he contemplated his options. 'Okay, jewelry is out and so is clothing. So maybe he could try for...' He looked up and saw a make up section of a store. 'Make up!' he said and a smile finally appeared on his face. He got up and then quickly went inside.
As Yusei looked around, he was rather confused and unsure about the nature and purpose of all of the make up. He went to a male worker, who was putting things back. "Excuse me. Do you know anything about make up?" The short brown haired man with glasses chuckled. "I'm honestly a normal guy and know nothing about it," he admitted, "But I'll try my best." Yusei smiled and he picked something from off of the shelf. "Okay. What does this do?" The two of them looked at the pencil shaped and sharpened object. "I don't know," the worker admitted, "It looks like a colored pencil." Yusei nodded. "I know. I've always thought that too," Yusei admitted, "Why don't they just buy a colored pencil?" The worker then grabbed something else. "And why is there a pencil sharpener here? Can't they just use a regular one?"
"Exactly," Yusei said in a agreement and they looked at the pencil sharpener. The store worker's walkie soon started talking. "Can we get help at the check lanes?" The worker spoke into it. "I'm with a guest," he called. "Please," the female voice pleaded. The thin glasses wearing man sighed. "Crap," he muttered, "I'll come up." He looked to Yusei. "Sorry man." Yusei gave him a thumbs up. "It's all right," he replied, "Thanks for the help." The worker nodded and walked past him. Yusei's attention soon turned back to the make up. 'I guess make up is out of the question,' Yusei thought. On his way out though, he grabbed a small bag of candy and went to the man who was just helping him. "Need something for the road?" the worker asked and Yusei nodded as he handed him some dollar bills. The worker quickly gave him change and thanked him.
As Yusei walked out and ate the candy, he couldn't help, but wonder if he would ever find something for Akiza. He went to another store and looked at some purses. Yet again, he had no idea of Akiza's style and tastes and decided that it was best to avoid getting her a purse. He looked at some belts and wallets too, but they were no good. As Yusei exited the store, he heard his stomach growl. Even though it was only a little after noon, he decided to head to the food court. He smelled someone making stir fry, in between all the fast food food. 'It's been a long time since I've had that,' Yusei thought and he went over to an Asian man, who took his order.
Once Yusei had filled up his stomach, he decided that he had had enough of the mall, and headed for the shop that he had entered in. Yusei looked around the store one last time and wondered if they would make a great gift. Plates, small appliances, and coffee makers were on sale, but Yusei knew that Akiza had no need for those types of things. He looked on and saw the same chocolate area that he noticed when he first walked in. He went up to the display and looked around. A sign read, "Chocolate! Makes a great gift!" As much as Yusei wanted to get Akiza something else, he decided that a gift was better than no gift. He recalled his nightmare from the night before and concluded that he would get Akiza some chocolate. He looked around, trying to figure out what assortment Akiza would enjoy the most. He decided that he wouldn't be cheap and buy the cheapest one, but at the same time, he didn't want to fork over a ton of money on just chocolate. He finally decided on one that was in between and paid for it.
As he walked out, he still felt the lingering disappointment of buying Akiza chocolate. Yusei felt ashamed, but at the same time, he gave it his best, and that was all he could do. He went back to his apartment and put the chocolates in a safe place, awaiting for the day Akiza would receive it as a gift.
Christmas Eve was a few days later and Martha was having a get together. Yusei and Martha worked together on planning, because Martha had personally invited the Izinski's to come over afterwards. Many of Martha's friends had their own family gatherings to attend to, including Zora, but Martha still wanted to hold a party, like she had done for many years. So, instead of just having Yusei and herself, Martha asked the Izinski's to come over and they were more than happy to come.
That night, Martha and Yusei were getting ready for Akiza and her parents to arrive. Martha had already planned a big amount of food, although not as big as she normally made, and Yusei tried his best to help her. As Yusei was putting some cheese onto a plate, the doorbell rang. "Yusei, can you go get that?" Martha asked and Yusei nodded. He went to the door and opened it to find Mr. and Ms. Izinski in front of him.
"Come on in," Yusei said as he gestured for the Izinski couple to come inside, "Martha's in the kitchen getting things ready. I think she could use some help." The two of them quickly took off their jackets. "Don't worry," Mr. Izinski replied, "We'll help her out." They hung their coats up and quickly scurried to the kitchen. "Hello Martha!" Martha smiled. "Oh I'm so happy to see you two again..."
As Yusei heard the three of them start to talk, he heard a noise coming from outside. It was the sound of high heels and Akiza soon appeared in the light coming from the house. "Akiza," Yusei said happily and made some room for her to come inside. "Yusei," she replied and made her way inside. Yusei then shut the door. "Can I take your coat?" he asked politely, but Akiza shook her head as she took it off. "That's okay. I've got it." She took off her coat and hung it up. They were both wearing the same outfits as on their date and had spotted each other earlier at the Christmas service. However, due to it being crowded, they were unable to sit near one another, but they did wave to each other before it got started.
Back in the present, Yusei and Akiza smiled at one another. They were both hesitant in being affectionate, as they both could hear their parents talking. However, they also shared the joy of seeing one another again, as they hadn't visited each other since their date. Akiza set her purse down by the coat hangers and they both decided that they had enough privacy for just the two of them. They stepped towards one another and put their arms out, as they wrapped one another in a hug. "I missed you," Akiza said aloud. "I missed you too," Yusei replied as they leaned back and quickly kissed on the lips. They stared at one another for a few moments, as they smiled and looked deeply into each other's eyes.
"Do you wanna sit down?" Yusei finally asked as Akiza nodded. They both made their way to two separate blue chairs. "I'm really happy we agreed to not see each so often," Akiza started. Yusei nodded. "Me too," he replied. They both watched as Mr. and Ms. Izinski started bringing food out to some tables that were set up in another room. "Do you think we should help them out?" Akiza asked as she stood up. "I think we should," Yusei answered and they both headed for the kitchen.
With their extra help, they quickly got all of food on the tables and, after saying grace, they dug in. They all sat around the chairs, that Akiza and Yusei sat in earlier, along with a couple of sofas. As they all talked, they remembered some fun times they had years ago, what foods were good, and what they thought about the local news. Before they knew it, it was almost 10:00, and they agreed that it was time to clean up. They all pitched in and, about an hour later, they were finished.
"Well, I guess we'll all head over to your house tomorrow," Martha noted as the Izinski's got ready to leave. "That sounds good," Mr Izinski replied, "We've got everything set." As they said their goodbyes, they all exchanged hugs, except for Yusei and Mr. Izinski who just shook hands. Yusei couldn't help, but blush when Ms. Izinski gave him a big hug. 'Well, now I know where Akiza gets her chest from,' Yusei thought as she squished him with her arms. What was steadily becoming the normal thing to do, was everyone letting Yusei and Akiza be the last ones to say goodbye. The adults gave them their space as Martha helped get some food that the Izinski's "suddenly wanted." After Yusei and Akiza shared a quick hug and kiss, they both said that they would see each other the following day. Once all three of the Izinski's had left, Yusei sighed as he stood next to Martha.
"So, you finally have a gift for Akiza?" Martha asked and Yusei nodded. 'I just hope she's not disappointed,' Yusei thought.
The next morning, Yusei got up, and looked around. Today was Christmas Day. He couldn't help, but sigh, as the holiday had gotten less exciting over the years. However, this year was going to be different. He was going to experience it with a new family and there was someone special that he would be giving a present to. Yusei went to the kitchen and decided to make some scrambled eggs. Afterwards, he got out the gift he had bought for Akiza. It was now a red and forest green wrapped box. It wasn't perfectly wrapped, but Yusei had done his best, just like his search for the perfect gift. He put it on the table and then watched TV, until Martha rang the doorbell. Once she did, Yusei grabbed his gift and coat and they were on their way to the Izinski's.
When they got there, Yusei let Martha go ahead of him and then stayed a little ways from the door. Martha went inside, when Akiza greeted her. She then directed Martha to the family room, where her parents were there to greet her. When Akiza turned back towards the door, Yusei was walking up the front step. "Hey Yusei," Akiza said as he stepped inside and shut the door. They then gave each other a hug and a brief kiss. "Merry Christmas," Yusei noted. "Merry Christmas," Akiza replied. She looked down at the long, thin box. It was hard not to miss the "To: Akiza From: Yusei" tag on the present. "Oh. I guess I'll have to open that later," Akiza said and Yusei nodded. "Yeah," he replied awkwardly, "I'll just put this under the tree."
As he headed for the tree, he couldn't help, but frown. 'Will she like it though?' Yusei wondered. He noticed, as he set it down, another gift by the tree. It had "From Akiza To Yusei" on it. He wondered what it was and wondered how much Akiza probably paid for it. He looked on, as Martha and Akiza's parents were laughing loudly at something. Yusei finally cracked a smile. 'Well, at least I'll be with people that care about me,' Yusei thought, 'So I guess today can't be too bad.'
The Izinski's, as they promised Akiza, had a Thanksgiving style with dinner with all the trimmings. Although Thanksgiving was only about a month ago, no one minded eating the same foods again. They all sat around the table and ate, unlike the night before where everyone picked out a place to sit. To be honest, it made everyone feel as though they were one family. It was nice to hear everyone talk and laugh, enjoying the meal. Akiza and Yusei were especially happy, since everyone was getting along. As dinner finished up, the video phone rang and Akiza went to get it.
"Hey Akiza," Leo and Luna said, "Merry Christmas!" Akiza smiled. "Hey you guys! Leo and Luna are on the phone!" They all got up and headed over to the video screen. "Wow! Everyone's there," Leo noted. "Well, not everyone," Yusei noted, "But it's good to hear from you again. It's been a couple of weeks." The twins nodded. "Yeah. Well, we just wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!" Leo said excitedly, "This year, I know I can stay up until midnight." Martha laughed. "You've never stayed up until midnight?" Leo shook his head. "Well, good luck," Martha encouraged him.
"Thanks," Leo replied, "So what are you guys eating? Yusei has some food on his face." Sure enough, Yusei had some cranberry sauce on the side of his lips. "Oh, nothing much," Yusei replied, "Just a whole Thanksgiving meal." Leo frowned. "Thanksgiving meal? Aww! I want some!" Luna put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Leo. We can order something like that tomorrow." Leo put his hands in the air. "All right! I'll get to eat turkey after all!" Everyone laughed.
"Well thanks for calling us you guys and we'll talk to you soon," Akiza said and they all said goodbye. They then went back to the table and finished eating, Soon afterward, another video call came through and this time, it was Crow. "Hey Crow," Yusei said as he stood next to Akiza, "How's it going?"
"Good," Crow replied, "It's nice to have a Christmas without snow and be 80 degrees outside. Unlike you guys who have to deal with all that snow." Yusei and Akiza rolled their eyes. "Yeah. You're living without snow," Yusei replied, "Good for you." Crow wasn't done though. "Yeah. It's sunny. I can drink my lemonade. I can go in the pool." Martha came up them. "Crow! Are you bragging on Christmas?" Crow became worried. "Um...no Martha. I was just...um...stating facts."
"Well, it sounds like bragging to me," Martha replied, "You should be ashamed." After Martha gave Crow a lesson on bragging, he apologized and they started talking about other things that Crow was up to. "Yeah. I'm joining this new team this season and I think we'll do really well."
"That's fantastic Crow," Yusei replied. Crow's phone then rang. "Whoops. Gotta get this call. Talk to you later." They all said goodbye, but as soon as they hung up, another person was calling in. It was their blonde hair friend and, as usual, he had a frown on his face.
"Hey," he said in a upset tone, "Merry Christmas." Yusei and Akiza chuckled. "Jack, if there ever was a Ebenezer Scrooge of Christmas, you'd be it," Akiza said as she continued chuckling. Suddenly, Jack's face turned to rage. "Ebenezer Scrooge? I'm not like that rich bastard." Yusei rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah? You want rich people stuff, care only about yourself, want money, have your face pastured on anything..." He leaned into Akiza's ear. "And I mean anything." Akiza laughed and Jack became more upset. "What did you say to her?" Jack demanded. "Nothing," Yusei replied, "I just said you'd do anything to make money." Jack made fist. "Are you talking about that new ad that I sent you. Having a shirt off is not inappropriate. I just like to show off my good looks. You're probably just jealous, because I actually have muscles and look good with a shirt off."
"Jack!" Martha interrupted, "First it was Crow and now it is you. Bragging on Christmas." Yusei and Akiza tried to hold back from laughing, as she gave almost the exact same speech as she did with Crow. "Now, be nice and say your sorry."
"I'm sorry," Jack mumbled. "What was that?" Martha asked. "I'm sorry!" Jack finally said and Martha nodded. "That's better. Now, how are you?" Jack talked about his plans for the upcoming season and he had a real hard time not mentioning how he was going to be #1 or the best. Finally, Jack managed to make it through the conversation, and everyone smiled. "Well that sounds great," Martha replied, "I hope you also have a good new year."
"Yeah...I'll be celebrating it with...a friend." Akiza looked slyly at him. "A friend?" she asked, "Would that happen to be Carly?" Jack stuttered as he talked. "Um..no! It's...a friend. I'm not into romance like you two are...so...hey! Look at the time gotta go! Bye!" The screen quickly shut off and Yusei and Akiza gave each other a knowing look. Afterwards, Martha made an announcement. "Okay! It's time for presents everyone!" Yusei bit his lip. 'Well, here goes nothing.'
Martha had brought over a few gifts for the Izinski's. Akiza got a gift card to the Spaghetti Maker. "Now you two can go back there," Martha noted as Yusei and Akiza looked at one another. She gave the Izinski's a new birdhouse, since Ms. Izinski noted that a squirrel had messed up one of them. Mr. and Ms. Izinski gave Martha gift card to a grocery store, in case she or any orphans needed food.
Now that the adults were done exchanging, they all left the room, to leave Akiza and Yusei alone. They both went over to the tree and sat down on their knees. Akiza smiled as she took a box from under the tree. "Here you go Yusei. Merry Christmas." Yusei smiled as he took it. "Thank you," he replied. He started taking off the paper gently, until Akiza spoke up. "You don't have to be fancy with it Yusei. You can just rip it." Yusei took one large rip of paper and saw what was inside. It had German writing on it, but Akiza had put a sheet of paper over it, since she knew Yusei wouldn't understand what it meant. She wrote in black letters: "Merry Christmas Yusei. From Akiza." Yusei then studied the box.
"It's a box of German chocolate," Akiza said happily, "I didn't know what to get you, so I got you this." Yusei stared at the box. 'Oh how ironic,' Yusei thought. A smile quickly appeared on his face. "Thanks so much Akiza. I'm sure I'll enjoy it." He slowly set the box down, to his left, in front of the tree. He proceeded to grab the other box, that was meant for Akiza. "Here Akiza. Merry Christmas." Akiza blushed. "Thank you Yusei." Yusei watched as Akiza's long, delicate fingers unwrapped the box. As Akiza got closer and closer to seeing what it was, Yusei hung his head in shame. He didn't have to look up, to know when Akiza saw what it was. "Oh Yusei! You got me chocolate! Thank you!" Akiza said as she put the box in front of her chest.
"I'm sorry," Yusei quickly replied. "Huh?" Akiza asked. Yusei sighed. "I'm sorry I got you such a terrible gift. I spent hours at the mall last Saturday, trying to find something to get you. I didn't know what your tastes are or what you would like or not like. Finally, on my way out, I bought these, because I had no other options. I'm sorry Akiza." He spoke his last words softly. "You deserve someone better than me." Akiza's face saddened and she quickly pushed herself up to Yusei. "Yusei..." Akiza said softly as she set the box down and held his hands.
"You spent hours at the mall, which I know you don't like to do, looking for a gift for me. That speaks volumes as to how much you wanted me to have a good Christmas." She smiled. "You don't have to worry if the gift was good or not." Yusei looked up at her. "It's the thought that counts Yusei and besides, it doesn't matter if the gift is chocolate or jewelry. The fact that you got me a gift and the fact that I get to spend time with you on Christmas, is the best gift of all." Akiza smiled proudly at him. "Thank you so much for letting me spend time with you today Yusei and thank you for getting me a gift." She paused for a moment. "It really makes me feel special."
Yusei couldn't help, but smile. The fact that Akiza was happy, not only being with him, but also giving her a gift, meant a lot to him. "But...just spending time with you isn't really a gift." Akiza shook her head. "It is to me." Yusei felt his face start to get hot as he looked stunned. He finally closed his mouth and leaned forward. "Akiza," he said. "Yusei," Akiza answered and they hugged tightly. After a moment, they leaned back. "Merry Christmas Yusei and thank you for the gift." Yusei smiled. "Merry Christmas Akiza." They leaned forward again, but this time, they kissed on the lips. Their kiss was on the verge of become passionate, until they heard a voice.
"Is someone under mistletoe?" Martha asked as Yusei and Akiza stopped kissing. Their parents were all watching them and the younger couple blushed bashfully at them. "Here. How about we take a picture of you two in front of the tree?" Ms. Izinski asked. Yusei and Akiza put their chocolates on top of one another and slid them back. They then faced forward, as they were both still sitting on their knees.
"Okay. One...two...three," the two older women said as Yusei and Akiza smiled for the cameras. They had a reason to smile, as their first Christmas was better than they had hoped for.
A/N: Hope you liked the brief re-appearances by the other characters.
Next time: New Years Eve and Akiza has to go back to Germany.