AnimeKiwi369: *Randomly dancing*. Mamma Mia! Here-this is an update, isn't it?
Copper: Yes. Yes, it is.
AnimeKiwi369: Just ignore that first part then. ^^'
Yusei: It's been awhile since you last updated.
AnimeKiwi369: Yeah, about that. I've had softball practice and homework. So I won't be updating as often, since I don't get much time to work on my stories.
Copper: I'm sure other authors understand.
AnimeKiwi369: Yeah, they probably do. I am now updating because, well, I'll be honest (and a bit vain). I miss reviews.
Copper: So do I.
Akiza: What goes on in the chapter?
AnimeKiwi369: ^^' Well... It's beginning the adjustment of Yusei's mother living with you guys. And, well, umm, some relationships start being-how should I say?. Put to the test.
Copper: I do not like the sound of that.
AnimeKiwi369: *Hastily*. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's or its characters! I only own my own characters and the storyline!
Chapter 13
Starting Adjustments
Yusei took a deep breath and went into his mother's hospital room. She was sitting up on the hospital bed, wearing a dark purple blouse and white skirt and shoes. Her hair was cut to the same length and set in the same style she had in the photograph that was in the hallway. She was staring out the window again. She always seemed to do that when he first came into the room. The brunette heard him come in and looked over at her son.
"Oh, hello, Yusei." She greeted quietly as usual. It was getting better though. She was still a bit from shock even though it'd been about three weeks since she woke up.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked her.
Nan looked at him in the eye and nodded slowly, "Yes, son. I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
"I need to let you know something though." He told her, thinking back to Akiza.
"What is it, Yusei?" the brunette asked, "Is something wrong?"
"A little." He replied and his mother gave him a look for him to continue, "Akiza wasn't feeling too well this morning."
"If you want to wait for me to move in, it'll be all right." Nan told him.
"I said that to Akiza, but she insisted. I just thought I'd let you know that she doesn't feel well." Yusei replied, "We should get going. I don't know if she's feeling better or not, since Copper stayed with her. I'd like to see if she's all right soon."
"All right, son." She responded and got off of the bed, "I'm ready."
Yusei nodded and walked down to the hospital lobby, where he signed her out. He led her out to his car, where she got in the passenger's side. She was silent the entire way back to the Fudo household. The dark-haired Signer snuck glances at his mother a few times. She was looking at her lap. He pulled into the garage and turned off the ignition.
"We're here." He commented and looked at his mother. She was still looking down at her lap. She nodded a little bit and got out of the car as the dark-haired Signer did. He led her inside, where he heard the sound of dishes clattering as they were set on the table or counter.
Copper was placing three plates on the kitchen counter. A salad was on the counter along with a perfectly tender steak on the cutting board. There was a steaming pot on the stove and the kettle was still on. Silverware was on the table with glasses that were unfilled, except for one was filled with water; it must have been the dark-haired girl's. There was a tray with a plate and a teacup. She must have made that for Akiza. The dark-haired Signer wondered if his wife was feeling any better. If not, he was going to stay with her the following day.
His daughter noticed him and looked at them, "Oh, hey dad. Hello, grandma." She greeted with a smile, "Dinner's ready."
"Is your mother feeling any better?" Yusei asked.
The dark-haired girl's smile didn't fade, "Yeah, she's feeling a little better. But she's resting right now." She crossed her fingers behind her back, not telling her father about her mother's condition. It was their secret at the moment. Akiza was resting because she wasn't feeling too great, figuring it was a lingering affect of morning sickness, and just wanted to rest up. She turned towards her grandmother, "My mom gives you her apologies for not seeing you tonight. But since she's not feeling too great, she'd rather just rest up and see you in the morning."
"Oh, it's all right." Nan replied quietly.
"I'll be right back." Copper said, grabbing the tray. She left the kitchen heading upstairs.
"Your daughter is very caring to your wife, Yusei." The brunette commented when the dark-haired girl was out of earshot.
He nodded, "Cyli has a very special relationship with Akiza. For Mother's Day, she sang to her. You should've seen how much my wife loved that."
"I can only imagine." His mother replied, "She must have been very happy when your daughter was born."
"Yeah." The dark-haired man, "She didn't let go of her for days. In those first few minutes Akiza held Copper, there was a change in her. I hadn't ever seen her so happy until I saw her holding our daughter. Several weeks ago when we were up and worrying, I think she was worried a bit more. Her excuse for that is almost always the same thing."
"Which is what?" his mother inquired, tilting her head to one side.
"That she's been with Copper longer." Yusei replied.
"I assume she's referring to the fact that she carried your daughter in her womb while she was pregnant." Nan commented and he nodded, "I once used that excuse with your father."
"Oh." He responded and smiled a little, "I guess it's something with all mothers, isn't it?"
"I guess so."
Up with Copper and Akiza
The dark-haired girl sat quietly as her mother ate. She knew she should go back downstairs, but she wanted to make sure everything was all right.
"Is everything all right for you, mom?" she asked, "Everything tastes fine?"
"Yes, honey." Akiza replied, taking a sip from the tea, "You should probably go downstairs. I'll be fine."
"What if dad gets suspicious of you being you know?" she asked, looking at her mother's stomach.
"You mean because of the morning sickness?" the redhead inquired and her daughter nodded, "My body will adjust in a couple days and I'll be fine. I'll be able to hide this for at least a couple weeks. Until he's adjusted and back to his normal self."
"All right." Copper replied and got off the bed, "I should go downstairs."
"Okay." The female Signer told her, "But could you tell your father I'd like to speak with him after he's done eating."
"All right mom." She said, leaving the room without another word. She went downstairs into the kitchen, where her father was setting up plates and her grandmother was sitting at the table.
Yusei noticed her, "So you've taken care of your mother all day?" he asked.
The dark-haired girl nodded, "Yep. All day. And mom wants to talk to you when you finish eating."
"All right." He replied.
Dinner was a bit quiet for Copper's taste. She didn't know what to say, though. It seemed she'd been experiencing that a lot lately. She ate quickly and placed her dishes in the sink before hastily heading into the room where the piano was. It was strange to be in the kitchen with her father and grandmother, who she hardly knew. Besides, she thought it'd be best if her father spent some more time with his mother.
Later
The dark-haired Signer felt a bit strange being in the kitchen with only his mother. He was kind of glad because he could spend time with her, but he still had trouble starting conversations with her. Yusei wished that Copper and/or Akiza were there to help him. But his daughter seemed a bit on edge lately and then his wife wasn't feeling too well.
He remembered what the dark-haired girl had told him when she came downstairs. His mother was still looking down, though she ate, she didn't seem interested in anything. Nan was taking in her surroundings. The house was clean and had a nice atmosphere to it, but she just couldn't shake the feeling of everything she had missed in her son's lifetime.
"Are you all right, mom?" the blue-indigo-eyed man asked.
"I'm all right." The brunette responded, "I'm not that hungry to tell you the truth, Yusei."
"All right." He responded, standing from his chair and taking both of their plates, "I'm going to be right back. Akiza wanted to see me. I'll get Copper to keep you company."
He left the room and heard the piano playing softly. The door was closed, but he went in to see his daughter playing. He remembered teaching her when she was younger. The dark-haired girl had always been patient when he was teaching her. Yusei remembered the first time he had tried to teach her. She had only been four. He remembered setting her in his lap and putting his hands on top of hers, guiding her fingers to play the simplest tune. He went up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, startling her. She turned around.
"Oh, dad, I didn't hear you." She told him, "What do you need?"
"I'm going up to speak to your mother, and I'd like you to stay with my mother in the kitchen." It wasn't a suggestion; Copper could tell by the tone of voice her father had.
"Okay." She replied.
"Thanks, baby." He told her, leaving the music room.
The dark-haired girl got up from the piano bench. She went back into the kitchen. She saw her grandmother looking at the table. Copper quietly started putting food away. But it didn't take very long. She felt someone watching her as she finished fitting the food in the refrigerator. She looked at the brunette, who was watching her.
"Um, yes?" she asked.
"It's nothing." Nan replied, "You have a good relationship with your mother or so I hear."
The dark-haired girl nodded, "I do."
"I'm glad you do. It's good to have that kind of relationship with a mother." The brunette's voice trailed off on the last word, no doubt thinking about the mother/son relationship she didn't have with Yusei.
"Yeah." The dark-haired girl responded, quietly. It was hard to have a conversation with someone who seemed to still be trying to catch up with the present, "I know this is a hard question to ask, but go you miss your husband? My grandfather?" Nan nodded, "Sorry for asking." She apologized.
"No, don't apologize." Her grandmother told her, "It's only natural for a girl your age to be curious. I remember being that curious when I was your age."
"If you want, I can show you something I found when I went to the past." Copper offered.
"What would that be?" the brunette asked.
"I found Grandfather Hakase's logbook of when you worked on the Enerdy Reactor."
Her grandmother's head shot up, "His logbook…?" she repeated and the double-Marked Signer nodded, "I'd like to see it."
"I'll be right back." The dark-haired girl quietly slipped upstairs to the study and got her grandfather's logbook.
She returned downstairs to the kitchen and handed her grandmother the small book. The brunette looked at it for a few minutes, just holding it. After what seemed like a while, Nan finally turned the cover to the first page. She couldn't believe she was holding her late husband's journal. She remembered the nights and times he spent in the office writing the current days' events. The brunette resisted tears.
"Hakase…"
At the Same Time…
Yusei went into his and Akiza's bedroom. She was sitting up in bed again with the tray Copper had brought up for her off to the side. She was reading another book again. The burgundy-redhead looked up hearing the door being opened.
"I see Copper got you the message." She commented.
"Yeah." He replied, "What did you want to see me for, honey?"
"I wanted to talk to about your mother, just for a few minutes." She told him.
"All right." He replied, going over and sitting next to her, "What do you want to talk about?"
"I just wanted to tell you that I hope she's happy here. And that it's probably going to take a while for all of us to get adjusted." She told him, mentally adding her condition. "And it might be hard for all of us. Especially Copper."
"Yes, I know." He replied, "But we all agreed to move her in."
"I know that, Yusei. I just wanted to say that because I know you've been spending a lot of time with your mother and that you're going to spend even more time with her. And I don't want you to forget your family." The female Signer said.
"I won't." the dark-haired man responded, "Why do you think I might?"
"I don't know." Akiza shrugged, "I just don't want you to change." Why do I think this? She wondered, Maybe it's because I'm pregnant again.
"Black Rose I'm not going to change." He reassured, "I'm going to stay the same guy you fell in love with."
"Stardust…" she whispered quietly, "I really hope you're right about you not changing."
"Enough about that." Yusei told her and moved his hand up to cup his wife's cheek, "Copper said you were feeling a little better. Is that true?"
"Yeah. But still not that great." She told him truthfully; she wasn't feeling that great, but she figured it was from her condition. She'd rather just rest for a couple days, "Yusei, I'm fine."
"If you say so." He responded, "I need to get back downstairs. Are you finished eating?" he asked, motioning to the tray
"Yeah." She told him, "I'm just going to go to sleep early. So I'll see you in the morning."
"All right." The dark-haired Signer leaned forwards and kissed Akiza's forehead, "I hope you sleep well."
"Thanks." She responded, "You, too."
"Thanks." He said back.
The blue-indigo-eyed man took the tray and left the room. He returned to the kitchen, where his mother was looking through his father's logbook and his daughter was sitting across from her. He set the tray on the counter and sat next to his mother. She was shaking a little bit.
"Mom…" he whispered.
"I haven't seen his handwriting in so long." She whispered back.
Yusei put his arms around his mother, who was beginning to let tears fall again.
"What happened?" the dark-haired man asked, looking at his daughter.
"I offered to let her seen your dad's logbook." She told him.
"I don't think you should be in her right now, Cyli." He said to his daughter, looking at her to leave. He thought it'd be better if she wasn't there. Not when his mother was like that and it seemed Copper was the one that caused it.
"But dad…?"
"Not now, Cyli." He told her, with another tone he hadn't used with her before. She nodded with a look of sadness in her eyes, but he couldn't tell if it was for his mother or the fact he didn't want her in there. The dark-haired Signer hadn't ever given that look to his daughter.
Copper went up to her bedroom, closing the door, and sat against the bed's backboard. She hugged her pillow to her chest, feeling despaired. Yusei had never looked at her like that. She didn't know what to think of it. Although he said he didn't think she should be in there, it sounded more like he didn't want her in there. She felt tears at that thought. She had always been emotional.
I've never seen that look in dad's eyes before. She thought. I feel so bad. I feel like it's my fault because I mentioned the logbook and then she wanted to see it. And because of that, Nan got upset. I guess this is my fault. I don't blame him. She thought, beginning to believe that it was her fault; I need to talk to someone other than family. She thought, grabbing her cell phone.
The dark-haired girl scrolled down to Raven's number and dialed it. She listened to it ring several times.
"Please, Raven, please." She whispered with a trembling voice. After a couple more rings, she decided to that her friend wasn't going to pick up. She almost hung up when she heard her friend's voice.
"Hello?" the ginger's voice asked.
"Raven," she murmured, tears obvious in her tone, "I need to talk to someone. I think I something's inadvertently my fault."
"Don't say another word." Her friend said, "I'll call the guys, grab the normal stuff, and meet you at the place you go to, to think."
"No." she opposed bluntly.
"'No'?" the emerald-eyed girl repeated over the phone, sounding incredulous, "29, that's what we always do."
"I just want to talk to you. Not John; not Lane. You." Copper said, "Raven, you're my closest girl friend. Please I just want to speak to you. You always listen."
"All right, C." Raven responded, "What happened?"
"I was left alone with my grandmother while my dad went to see my mom, since she wasn't feeling well today. And, well, I noticed her missing my grandfather, so I offered to show her his logbook. But when I gave it to her, she just stared at it for a couple minutes, before looking at it. She whispered his name and when my dad came back down, she began to cry and my dad asked what happened and I told him. Then he said he didn't think I should be in there. I tried protesting but he just told me 'Not now, Cyli'." She told her friend, quoting her father, "I can't help but feel that it's my fault, Ray. You should've heard the way he told me 'Not now'. I've never heard him use that tone with me."
"Copper, it's not your fault. Just because you got your grandmother doesn't make it your fault that she got upset. Your grandmother's still just upset she was in a coma for thirty-seven years." She told her, "That's thirty-seven. She's still in lingering shock. And you shouldn't blame yourself because she's still in shock."
"But she's been awake for about three-weeks." The mostly blue-indigo-eyed girl pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The ginger waved it off, "That's still not very long for someone to have woken up from a coma that was nearly four decades. Your grandmother can't help but miss your grandfather, so that's probably why she's upset. And as for your dad, I think he's just upset that his mother's upset. I'm sure he's not upset with you."
"I hope you're right." Copper said quietly.
"Hey, adjustments are hard. Especially when a new person's or animal living with you. I've had to adjust four times with people already. My family's going to have to adjust again in January when twins are born. And you already know how many times we've had to adjust with pets." Raven told her on the other end, laughing a bit. The Hogans did have quite a few pets. Practically a menagerie.
"Yeah, but that's adjusting to babies, not grandparents." The dark-haired girl pointed out.
"True, but it's still adjusting."
"It's a different kind of adjusting, Raven." Copper said. Not to mention in—she went through her head about nine months—about March, there's going to be another family member. She mentally added. The dark-haired girl was tempted to tell her friend about her mother being pregnant. Like Dove. The ginger might be able to help her through it.
"Still adjusting." The other girl repeated.
The dark-haired girl sighed, "I guess you're right. But I still can't help but feel guilty. And that it's my fault."
"But it's not, Element." The ginger insisted.
"I know." The psychic responded, "Thanks for talking to me anyway."
"Anytime, C. I'll talk to you later."
"Yeah."
"Bye." Raven told her before hanging up.
"Yeah." Copper repeated quietly, hanging up the cell phone, "Bye."
She placed the small object aside and lied down still hugging the pillow. She still felt the fault was hers. The dark-haired girl tried to tell herself otherwise. She told herself over and over that it wasn't her fault; that it was only the fact that Nan was still in shock.
It didn't help.
She stared at the wall, where the pictures she had were. She stared at the one of her and Yusei. It had been taken at her last birthday. It was similar to the ones of him and Akiza. His arms were around her waist from behind, so her back was pressed against his chest. The dark-haired man had Copper's head tucked under his chin. Both were smiling.
The blue-indigo-eyed man had worn his normal jeans and riding boots. He had worn a white button-down shirt with the sleeve rolled up past his elbows. The dark-haired girl had worn a dark denim skirt and pale yellow blouse with a jean vest over it. She had worn her normal stockings, but had worn a pair of high heels similar to Akiza's. Her hair was in a ponytail hanging over her shoulder.
Copper wished it could be like that again, as she closed her eyes, failing to suppress tears. This, she thought, is going to be a long week.
Coming up in Lost and Found:
"I'm sorry, Copper. Sleep well."
"Lane, please, please, please pick up."
Cyli-Elizabeth Sori Fudo, do you know what time it is? It's four-thirty in the morning."
"Lane..."
"Copper? What's wrong?"
"Promise me you never become a Dark Signer no matter what. Please promise me that."
"Good morning, Cyli. Or should I say afternoon?"
"Good afternoon, grandmother. I take it you saw the note my mother left."
"But I also found what I think is your father's blueprints for an engine?"
"Yeah; this was for an engine that didn't work a few years ago. He still tries working it sometimes; but to no avail yet."
"What are you doing with these blueprints, mom?"
"I think I found the problem with this."
"You did?"
"Honey, what's the matter?"
"Everything. Nothing's going right. I can't tell anyone anything! Especially dad! He promised he wouldn't forget us…"
NEXT TIME—CHAPTER 14: A DIFFICULT DAY
AnimeKiwi369: Umm, I think I should start hiding from a certain, dark-haired psychic duelist named after element twenty-nine of the periodic table.
Copper: *Glaring viciously*.
AnimeKiwi369: That's scarier than my glare.
Copper: You can be scary?
AnimeKiwi369: Oh, believe me. I can be a terror on the softball field.
All: Never would have thought.
AnimeKiwi369: I am too nice sometimes.
Copper: Except to me.
AnimeKiwi369: I give you happy endings.
Copper: Not at the moment.
AnimeKiwi369: 'Cause it's not the ending, Copper.
Copper: *Glares again*.
Akiza: How many reviews do you want?
AnimeKiwi369: I only got 11 for the last chapter, so I'm going to just ask for 10.
Yusei: Is that an official review request?
AnimeKiwi369: Mmm, not yet. I just want to give the readers a heads up! I have a new poll on my profile! And I will not be updating as often as previously mentioned. So please be kind and please review! I'll update when I can! And I appreciate those who have, did, will, and are review/reviewing. So please review! ;D