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I still have more ideas for OLS after this chapter, so don't worry, I'll keep updating!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh 5d's. If I did, then...then...

...Then Yusei and Akiza would have just done it already ;)

Chapter 10

Yusei sat on the couch in Leo and Luna's living room, holding Akiza as she cried into his chest. His heart was breaking for her with each frame-shaking sob, but he knew he had to stay strong for her sake. Crow, Bruno, Leo and Luna silently sat around the room, helplessly watching their friend's agony.

After Akiza had come to, she was instantly afraid of what had happened while the Black Rose had taken over. She knew Yusei would never take advantage of her, she trusted him with everything, including her body. What scared her to death was how their relationship would suffer because of her actions. She loved Yusei, and there was nothing that could change that. But after this, she doubted that he would ever be able to trust her or love her the same way. Just the thought of Yusei falling out of love with her caused self-hate to tear through Akiza's heart as she wept even harder into Yusei's jacket.

Yusei had explained to Akiza what had happened, although she could guess as much. He had left out the specifics, especially the part about Akiza groping his more intimate areas. She didn't need that on her conscience on top of everything else, she would never forgive herself. He had tried to comfort her, to tell her that everything was okay, that nothing had happened, but she cried even harder. He was so perfect, and she was so unworthy to have him.

'Oh God, how could I do this to him? What kind of a monster am I?'

Yusei held her tightly, trying to give her some measure of solace but failing. When the others had asked what had happened, he simply said that Akiza had lost control. They didn't know exactly what had occurred, but they knew it was grave if it caused Akiza to break down in tears. Bruno and Crow sat with solemn stares, both unsure of what to say or do. Leo was trying to be strong, but Yusei could tell he was fighting back tears as well. Luna was sitting silently by herself in the corner, and although Yusei didn't know for sure, he could have sworn she was praying.

Akiza continued to cling to him, her tears seeming to have no end. He just wanted her to know that everything was okay, that he didn't care that she had lost control, and most of all, that he still loved her. With all the hate she had experienced, Yusei could understand why she would expect him to push her away.

What he didn't understand is why she lost control now. Akiza wasn't angry that morning, and he couldn't think of anything else that would cause her to feel enough hate to unleash her powers. One thing was for sure, they needed to find out why this had happened in order to prevent it again and to mend the newly formed rift in their relationship. Yusei looked back up at his friends again, and he was even more heartbroken when he saw Leo silently sobbing, the poor boy trying to contain his emotions. The twins didn't need to see their big sister like this.

"Crow," Yusei said. "Could you take Leo and Luna over to Carly's? We just need some time to sort this out."

Crow slowly stood. "Sure, no problem." He helped Leo off the couch and scanned the room for the other twin. "Hey, where's Luna?"

Yusei and Bruno glanced around as well. Luna was no longer in her corner.

Bruno got up. "Don't worry, I'll find her-"

"Big sis?"

Luna was standing in the hallway to her room, holding a piece of paper as if it were a matter of life and death. She slowly walked towards Akiza, who had either not heard Luna or couldn't bring herself to face the child. Luna, with a pained but strong expression, continued to move closer to the claw Signer, her hand trembling with each stride. After what seemed like an eternity, she reached Yusei and Akiza.

"Big sis...please...say something..."

Akiza slowly turned her head to stare at her, tears streaming down her face as heavy sobs shook her frame. Luna's eyes widened at the amount of hurt that Akiza's face revealed. She looked up to Akiza more than anyone else, and to see her in such weakness was enough to make Luna want to cry uncontrollably as well. Yusei wished that he could do something, anything to help them. There was just so much hurt, and he willed it disappear with every fiber of his being.

Luna held out the paper to Akiza. "Here, take it."

The redhead stared at the paper before averting her eyes in shame. Luna offered it again, her eyes glistening.

"It's an address for a doctor...when I came out of my coma, he took care of me. He helped me get back to normal again. I thought..." she stifled a sob. "I thought maybe he could help you too."

She gently took Akiza's hand and placed the paper in it. Akiza glanced up at Luna, her eyes watering, and lightly closed her fingers around the gift. Her voice was barely a whisper, and it came out raspy and choked.

"T-thank you L-Luna...I...I'll b-be okay, I p-promise."

Her words rang hollow inside her heart.

Yusei and Akiza sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office. Crow had taken Leo and Luna over Carly's, and Bruno had driven Yusei and Akiza to the address Luna had given them. The blunet was waiting in the van, as he still was uncomfortable in public. Besides, this was something that Yusei and Akiza would handle better by themselves. The waiting room was almost empty, and Yusei sat holding Akiza. Her crying had stopped, but she was still silent.

A nurse walked in. "Izinski?"

Yusei stood up, his arms gently guiding Akiza to the door. The building resembled a psychiatrist's office, and Yusei guessed that this doctor might be using similar techniques. The nurse led them into an office with glass windows, two chairs and one sofa. A green leather chair sat behind and oak desk, upon which a copy of 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' rested. Yusei sat down with Akiza, still guiding her, and he hugged her tightly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Dr. Ross will be with you in a moment," the nurse said before closing the door.

Dr. Albert Ross had a unique practice to say the least. He dealt with patients who had 'supernatural and spiritual manifestations of the physical and mental nature.' In short, he was a shrink for psychics. Akiza had never heard of the doctor before, which was odd considering that she knew almost every psychic analyst, theorist, and medical practitioner in the city from her time in the Arcadia Movement. Sayer must have neglected to tell Akiza about Dr. Ross, probably because he couldn't control the physician.

After a few minutes, the door opened. In walked a man in his late forties. His head was waxed bald, and he stood at a similar height to Yusei. His eyes were a deep shade of green, and he wore a tiny pair of spectacles.

"Ah, you must be Akiza Izinski. I'm Dr. Albert Ross. And you, young man, what's your name?"

"I'm Yusei Fudo," he answered, still comforting Akiza.

Dr. Ross sat down in one of the chairs and sat face-to-face with the couple. He pulled out a pen and a pad of paper, flipped open the cover and looked at his two guests. "So, let's get down to business, shall we? I understand that one of you is a psychic?"

Akiza sat up. "That's me."

"Of course," Dr. Ross scribbled on his pad. "I examined your file, Akiza, and I am quite impressed with the nature of your powers. You are indeed one of the most powerful patients I have ever dealt with. Now, could you elaborate on what exactly occurred?"

She shifted nervously in her seat. "W-well, I don't remember any of it. I only remember waking up in Yusei's room, and..." she trailed off as Dr. Ross continued to write on his paper.

Yusei leaned forward and began to speak. "Well, she came into my room. She was acting...out of character, and-"

"How so?" Dr Ross asked.

Yusei gave him a blank stare. "What was Akiza doing that was so unusual?"

The teen shifted nervously. He didn't want Akiza to feel any worse than she already did, but he had to give the doctor enough information to work with. He carefully chose his next words. "Well, she...ah...she...took her clothes off, and she...started kissing me..."

Dr. Ross peered at Yusei over his spectacles. "Well, from what I've heard, that happens to a lot of couples."

"No, no!" Yusei stuttered. "She...we haven't done anything like that. Both of us are still virgins, the most we've ever done is kiss."

"Hmm, yes I see, old-fashioned," Dr. Ross pondered.

"Well," Yusei continued. "Then, I stopped her. She was practically a different person, a darker person. She...called herself Black Rose."

Dr. Ross stopped writing and looked up in interest. "Oh? You mean that her psychic abilities actually gained a degree of control of her physical body?"

"Yeah, I think so," Yusei stated. Akiza had shifted away from Yusei, hugging herself and staring at the floor.

The doctor shifted his gaze to her. He studied her for a minute, deep in thought. "Tell me, Akiza, has this ever happened before?"

She closed her eyes, painful memories flooding her head. "..Yes."

"When was the most recent episode?"

"About three months ago...I was dueling in the Kiba Dome." Her voice was shaky.

Dr. Ross resumed writing. "What made you lose control? Was it fear, stress, nervousness, anger..."

"Anger," Akiza said. "Anger...and hate."

A few more scribbles in the pad. "And any previous loss of control has come from anger as well?"

She nodded her head.

"Were you feeling any anger this morning?"

She was silent. Yusei could tell that Akiza was hurting inside, that she was trying to suppress her emotions and pain. He knew it wasn't good for her, but it was so hard to see her suffer. The questions that Dr. Ross was asking certainly didn't make her feel any better. Sharp needles pierced his heart every time he saw a tear fall from her eyes, and he was desperately trying to take away all of her pain and sorrow. Yusei spoke up again, attempting to ease Akiza's burden. "I talked to her on the phone, she wasn't angry. Listen, doc, I can answer some of these questions, it's been a hard day for Akiza-"

"I appreciate your concern Yusei, and I have no doubt that you care greatly for Akiza, but I need to hear this from her." Yusei reluctantly nodded.

Akiza uncomfortably looked at Dr. Ross. "No...no anger."

Dr. Ross was silent for a moment, contemplating the situation. Yusei hated to see Akiza suffering, but he would stay with her through all of her pain. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder, and she hesitantly gazed in his eyes. He gave her a reassuring smile, and after a moment...

...she smiled back.

The first ray of hope had revealed itself, and Yusei took heart in the fact that Akiza was coming out of her depression. That smile...he would move mountains for it. He shifted over on the couch to wrap his arm around her shoulders, and she tensed momentarily before relaxing into his embrace. She was taking refuge in him, and he had no intention of leaving. Her head moved to rest on his shoulder, and her pained expression was graced by a measure of peace.

Dr. Ross observed the action between the two, and his questions took a new approach. "What exactly were you doing this morning before you blacked out?"

Akiza froze, trying to think back. "Well, I was in the bathroom, and I had just got off the phone with Yusei."

"And then?"

"And then...nothing. I woke up in Yusei's room." She shifted nervously beside Yusei.

The doctor immediately stopped writing and set his pen and pad of paper aside. He leaned in and continued to ask questions, a knowing gleam in his eye.

"Have you been...thinking about Yusei lately?"

Yusei raised his eyebrow at this question. Where was this going? Akiza began to nervously wring her hands. "Well...I guess. Our relationship is kind of a secret, so...we don't spend that much time together. You know, as lovers."

The gleam in Ross's eye grew. He knew something, and Yusei knew it.

"Have you been...fantasizing about Yusei?"

Both teens froze. Akiza looked down in shame while Yusei began to fume. Who the hell was this guy? What right did he have to ask her that, something so private? He was ready to give this doctor a piece of his mind when Akiza's small voice sounded.

"Y-yes..." she shifted away from Yusei and hugged herself again.

"And have you acted on any of these fantasies, pleasured yourself?" Akiza hugged herself even tighter, and she let out an involuntary sob.

Yusei couldn't take it anymore. "What the hell is this? You're supposed to be helping her, not making it worse!"

Dr. Ross remained unphased. "I'm sorry, but addressing some issues can be painful. I promise, I ask these questions with her best interests in mind."

The head Signer glared. "Like hell. How does any of this relate to her powers? What kind of a doctor are you?"

The physician was still unflustered. "I understand your concern, but it is necessary to examine every part of Akiza's emotions, no matter how private." Yusei was still simmering in anger as Dr. Ross turned his attention back to the psychic. "Now, Akiza, have you-"

"YES, OKAY? Yes, I pleasured myself to Yusei, are you happy now?" A stray tear moved down her face. Yusei moved to brush it away, but Akiza turned, hiding her face. It hurt Yusei more than anything she had ever done. Didn't she trust him?

Her sorrow returned, and she began to sob, salty tears stinging her face. She was so ashamed of herself, and the humiliation was too much to bear. There was no reason for him to love her now, he would think that she only stayed with him for his appearance, that she was using him. But that wasn't true. He was everything to her, and she couldn't live without him. Now, with her secret out, he would leave her just like everyone else. How could she have been so selfish? She was tearing herself apart inside, asking herself how she could possibly say she loved him after using him for her own pleasure.

Dr. Ross contemplated this for a moment. "You said your relationship was secret, how long had it been since you two were intimate? Kissed, hugged, anything?"

Akiza was softly crying, so Yusei quietly spoke. "About a week."

"Then I think I know what happened." Yusei and Akiza both looked up, eager to know what had caused this morning's incident.

"Akiza...I think it was your lust." She and Yusei gave him a quizzical stare, so Dr. Ross elaborated. "Your powers always lay dormant inside of you until you cognitively use them, or until they find a way out themselves. You've experienced it before at the Kiba Dome."

She wiped away a few stray tears. "Y-yes, but...that was because I was angry. I focused all my emotion into the duel, that's why the Black Rose came out."

"Ah," Dr. Ross said, "but that is precisely what happened today." Upon receiving more blank stares, he continued his explanation. "You see, the Black Rose isn't just a destructive psychic force, Akiza. She embodies the most basic and powerful instincts that you hold deep inside of you. Unrestrained, unchecked by personal or moral beliefs, true and powerful emotions and desires. Anger is only one of these feelings. I suspect that when you stopped feeling anger, the Black Rose tried to gain another way out, and found it with your lust. A powerful emotion lust is, not as dangerous as anger, but certainly as influential."

Akiza stared at Dr. Ross with wide eyes. She had lost control because of her...fantasies?

Yusei was skeptical. "But how? Everyone fantasizes sometimes, why does it affect Akiza so badly?"

"You said it yourselves earlier," Dr. Ross simply stated. "You haven't been together in a week. Normally, this kind of thing wouldn't be an issue, but I believe that the nature of your relationship is leaving both of you especially vulnerable to lust, and its consequences. Akiza may not have had a duel monster to channel her powers, but her sexual thoughts of you were more than enough focus for the Black Rose."

"S-so," Akiza stuttered. "You're s-saying that keeping our relationship secret is what caused this?"

"Indirectly, yes. I suspect that fully expressing your love alone while concealing it in front of your friends, moving from one extreme to another, has caused unsatisfied desires to build up inside of you two. Am I correct?"

They both sheepishly glanced at each other and slowly nodded.

"There you have it," Dr. Ross said.

"So," Yusei said, "how do we prevent this from happening again?"

Dr. Ross took on a pensive expression. "Well, my advice to you two is to not be as clandestine with your relationship. If you simply satisfy your desire, then your lust will be manageable. I'm not saying that the two of you need to go out and bed each other. Just act like a normal couple, hug, kiss, all of that." He paused. "Besides, is it really that bad if a few people know that you two are in love?"

Akiza looked down. "I...I guess not..."

"Then it's settled," Dr. Ross said. "Of course, your relationship is your own, and what you do in the end is your decision."

They stood outside of the office, waiting for Bruno to pick them up. The secret...it was on Yusei's mind. He had known that it was affecting them, but he didn't listen to himself. Why had he even suggested it in the first place? Convenience? If he really loved her, then he would have asked her what she wanted instead of telling her what he thought. This was all his fault, but he knew that she blamed herself. He looked over at Akiza, who was staring dejectedly at the ground. Walking over to her, he tried to hold her hand, but she gently pulled out of his grasp.

"Akiza, it's okay. We don't have to hide it anymore."

She was trying hard not to cry. "I-it's not that Y-Yusei..."

His heart broke for her yet again. "Please, Akiza, tell me what's wrong. I want to help you, just tell me what you need me to do."

She let an involuntary sob escape. "W-why?" she asked.

He was confused. "What-"

"Why do you still want to be with me?" She was choking back her tears now, trying to hide her pain from Yusei. With determination to end her suffering, he took hold of her shoulders and drew her in close. Just like their first kiss, she tried to pull away, but he refused to let her go.

"Akiza," he tried to say.

"I'm so worthless, Yusei. I...we have something great, something few people ever find...and I messed it up. I failed you..."

He held her tightly as she wept into his chest. "No, you didn't. I still love you, I always will."

She might as well have not heard him. "What right do I have to say that I love you after what I did, what I allowed to happen? I...I thought such dirty things...I'm such an unclean person..."

"No," he begged. "You're not. Please, don't say that." Her sobs shook both of their frames, and Yusei was fighting back tears of his own.

"Y-you must think t-that I'm dirty...you m-must think I'm such a w-whore-"

He gripped her shoulders and lifted her chin up. Their eyes met, and tears escaped from Yusei's eyes. She had never seen him cry openly, and his deep feelings for her made her heart ache like never before. "Stop it. Stop beating yourself up for something that isn't your fault," Yusei said. She tried to look away, but he wouldn't let her. "Akiza, nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes. Please...just forgive yourself." Her sobbing slightly subsided as she brought her hands to cup his cheeks.

"Y-Yusei...I just...I feel like I don't deserve you...you're everything I ever dreamed of, and..." she closed her eyes in pain. "And it hurts really badly when I let you down."

He rested his forehead against hers. "But you didn't let me down. This wasn't your fault."

"No," she said with a sad smile. "It is my fault. If I hadn't thought about you in that way..."

She squeaked as he gave her a light peck on the lips. "Akiza, everyone fantasizes sometimes. Besides," he blushed a dark shade of red. "It's...not like I don't fantasize about you..."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Y-you...you do?"

"Akiza, you're hot! I would be crazy if I didn't!" She smiled shyly and gave a light laugh. It was music to his ears.

He pulled her in closely for another kiss. This one was longer, and her hands raked through his hair as his went to her waist. Their lips parted, and Yusei stared deep into her eyes.

"No more of this. No more feeling unworthy or undeserving, no more beating ourselves up, okay? I just want you to be happy, and it kills me when you're in pain. Please...just be with me Akiza."

She stared into his eyes, all of her love and admiration radiating off of her, giving her the appearance of an angel. "I will, Yusei...I love you."

"I love you too, my beautiful rose."

Their lips met, passion and desire colliding and being satisfied as they displayed their love for the world to see. It was heaven, but there was one more thing that they needed to address.

"Akiza," Yusei said against her lips. "About the secret...what do you want to do?"

She gave him another kiss. "I want...I want to do whatever lets me be with you, Yusei. And I don't care who knows it."

He smiled. "Well, then...how about another massage once we get back to Leo and Luna's?"

"Mmmm, I'd love one. You think Bruno and Crow have any skin oils we could use?"

They laughed, happy to be able to love openly, happy to be holding each other without a care in the world.

So, like it? Hate it? Be sure to review and let me know.

Here we go guys and gals, the secret is finally about to be revealed! Can't you just feel the excitement?

Lol, be sure to review.