Chapter 28!

Shimmering-Sky: I correct it and thank you for your help on the duel! It was much appreciated!

Guest: I apologize if I have upset you. Can you elaborate further, so I can know what to fix and/or what is wrong?

A/N: I hope the duel last Chapter was okay and this Chapter has some Christmas time in it. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for your support!

The group of four was furious. No one? Not even the people that had gone to every one of their tournaments? Yusei was most upset, because he had been the person they were trying to help. He was the reason they were here right now. If he didn't mention the twins or Akiza, he might just say something briefly to them. But the person and reason they risked their lives coming here and he didn't even get a thank you? Yusei wanted to go up to him, but a number of people tried to get in his way. They were all clamoring for an autograph or trying to take a picture. As Yusei tried, unsuccessfully, to get through the crowd, Akiza grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him back.

"Come on Yusei. Lets just go home," Akiza said firmly. "But I need to get in there and tell them that they should respect us!" Yusei shouted. Akiza just rolled her eyes and continued to pull on his collar. Leo and Luna watched as she used her woman's strength to get him out of there. Yusei finally gave up and he soon found his hands around a steering wheel. He sighed as Akiza told him the directions back home. "This sucks," Yusei admitted, "I wanted us to get some credit for getting them into the sport." Leo smiled. "Don't worry Yusei! When I go pro, Akiza and you will get mentioned after every one of my million wins." Leo smiled as Luna shook her head at her brother's impossible total.

When they got back, they were all tired, despite not doing any physical activities. Yusei yawned. "I'm going to take a nap," he announced. The other three thought that sounded nice and Yusei decided that Yami and Jaden might not be back for quite a while. So, the others could sleep in their beds until then. As they all fell off into nappy time land, Yusei thought that sleeping on his anger would help it go away. When Yusei woke up, he heard noise and he could hear talking. It was coming from down and upstairs. He saw Akiza when he opened the door and they both looked downstairs.

On the lower level, Yami, Jaden, and Jack were all smiling and celebrating. Yusei immediately noticed Jack leaning on Jaden and Yami's shoulders. He was worried he might have been having too many "adult beverages." He went down, along with Akiza, and the twins followed behind them. "So..." Yusei said as he came and stood in front of them, "It looks like you guys had a fun time." He crossed his arms, along with Akiza and Luna. Jack laughed. "Ohhhh. Yes," he replied a bit slurred, "I got to celebrate that these two guys are going to nationals and then, if they win in just the first round, they'll get an offer from my sponsor." Yami nodded. Yusei noticed that neither Yami nor Jaden appeared to be under any influence, which made him smile.

"So what about you guys?" Yusei asked, "Are you guys doing okay?" Jaden laughed. "Oh yeah," he replied, "Jack here just got excited that he might get more attention and money for helping us." Yusei was a bit annoyed at the last statement. "Well...I did help you too," he replied, "And so did Akiza, Leo, and Luna. I mean...we were there for every tournament you guys were in." Yami shrugged. "Well..." he did say with a bit of hesitance, "Jack is helping us get sponsors and stuff." Yusei leaned forward. "I can help you get sponsors," he shouted. Yami and Jaden chuckled, but Jack's was more loud. He almost sounded like a donkey with his slurred laughter.

"Are you kidddddding?" Jack slurred, "You couldn't land a sponsor in a milllllllllion years." Yusei frowned. "I could too," he countered. Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Whatever." Jack looked at Jaden. "Take the king to the bathroom, so I can relive myself." He then gulped. "In more ways than one," he added. Yami and Jaden dragged him upstairs to the bathroom. Yusei frowned as he watched Jack just barely make it to the restroom in time.

Later, Yusei laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling above him. "You couldn't land a sponsor in a milllllion years," Yusei mocked, "What an idiot." He rolled over to his side and stared at a picture. In it, was Leo, Luna, Yami, Yugi, Akiza, and himself. He looked at the two duelists and then at himself. His body felt different than it did a few minutes ago and he went back to laying on his back. He wondered just how far Yugi and Yami were going to take this. I mean, they did have fans now, and, at Nationals, that was going to definitely increase. Still, Yusei was bothered by the whole thing. He was the reason Yami and Jaden were here in the first place. Why should Jack get all the credit?

Yusei grunted and turned over on his side once more. 'Maybe some sleep will help,' he thought as he decided to get some sleep.

The next morning, Jack left, despite his hangover. He then promised the guys, "Lots of sponsors will be calling." Yusei rolled his eyes and was happy once Akiza came over and they could go to school. As Yusei looked around, he noticed the Christmas decorations going up and remembered that he hadn't gotten a Christmas gift for Akiza. He knew that Jaden and Yami made a good amount of money at state, but it was embarrassing to beg to them. He then thought about doing Duel Runers again, but he quickly dismissed it. Now that the weather was cold, people obviously didn't go out on their Runners anymore. Unless they were crazy.

So, Yusei knew he was down to his last two options: beg Martha and/or Zora or get a job. Yusei tried to think of a job that he could get that he was qualified for. Even with his college degree still not really in motion, his high school diploma was his only other education. Still, Yusei remembered his fame that he had. However, his face firmed up, as he pulled up to a parking spot.

"No!" he shouted, "I will not use that!" Akiza stared at him oddly. "What are you talking about Yusei?" she asked, "You're not going to use your note card on the test tomorrow?" Yusei turned to her. "Uh...of course. I will," he replied, embarrassed that he had forgotten where he was. He quickly got out of the car and rushed inside. Akiza slowly got out and watched him race past other students. "Sometimes I wonder about him," Akiza said to herself.

Later, Yusei was looking online at jobs. He wanted something that he wouldn't be dreading going to every single day. As he scanned the local job ads, he was stunned to find one that sounded interesting, but daunting: Dueling Teacher. Yusei was about to skip over it, but he noticed some information in the description: It was at the local Card Shop, didn't require education, and, best of all, involved people who had some dueling experience. It made Yusei flash back to when Akiza informed him about the Vice Chancelor getting rid of Leo and Luna's class.

When he went over his strategy and how he was going to kick the Chancellor's butt, all the kids knew exactly what he was going to do. They got excited and were all in on the plan. Yusei smiled as he remembered walking off the dueling arena, with all the kids laughing, and thanking him for his work. Yusei smiled and thought that advising people would be very helpful to any person that knew dueling. Plus, he might actually get some adults there as well. He printed out an application and wrote what was a very short resume.

A couple days later, Yusei went over to the card shop after school. Akiza wanted to stay, but Yusei insisted that he get his homework done (even thought it wasn't due for another week). Still, Yusei quickly and quietly went into the card shop, hoping to not draw a lot of attention. There were a few people there and they all smiled once they saw him come inside. "Yusei!" the store manager said happily, "So glad to see you!" Yusei smiled and shook his hand. "So what brings you here?" the manager asked. Yusei looked away nervously.

"I...uh...saw there was a job opening here and wondered if I might apply for it," he replied. The manger smiled. "Great! Why don't we go interview right now?" he asked. Yusei was a bit flustered. "Uhhhh..." he groaned, feeling around at his informal attire, "Are you sure? I mean, I didn't expect an interview already." The manager smiled. "Are you kidding? We'd be great to have you here! Just come in and answer a few questions and we'll be all set." Yusei was awfully nervous, even if the manager seemed as though he was practically giving the job to him.

As Yusei sat down in a small office room in the back, he quickly found himself rocking back and forth nervously. The manager had went to get some paperwork. Still, Yusei felt nervous, as he was only expecting a, "I'll take a look at it," or something like that. Still, the man came in, and was all smiles. "Why are you so nervous Yusei?" he wondered, "You're going to get the job anyways." Yusei frowned. "I want to be sure that this is, because I am qualified and not due to my fame," Yusei stressed. The manager smiled. "Oh you're more than qualified," he replied, "Because this is an entry level position." Yusei thought that it sounded fair and smiled.

It was a part time job, that Yusei could do after school. He would help a wide range of people, but mostly older kids, teenagers, and adults. Yusei would help them with their decks and suggest cards that might work out best for them. He wouldn't be a salesperson, but more like an adviser for anyone wanting a stronger deck. After answering some simple questions, Yusei smiled, as he was told he got the job. Still, Yusei was told that it was due to his resume and not his fame. That made Yusei smile and he would come in a couple of days. Yusei walked out and was excited for his first real job.

As Yusei got ready for his first day, he heard a phone call. He was excited, thinking it was someone from work, or maybe even Akiza. When he got it, it was some guy he didn't know. "I'm looking for Jaden and Yami," he said over the phone. Yusei frowned and shouted. "Jaden! Telephone!" Jaden came downstairs and took the phone from Yusei. He gave him a mean eye as he smiled into it. "Hello?" Jaden asked, "Oh." He turned to Yusei. "An offer from Candy Outfits?" Yusei frowned and stormed out of the room. "I'm getting ready for work," he announced.

The best news about his new job, was that he could come in just his regular clothes. They were very laid back at the shop and they wanted their customers to feel relaxed as well. When Yusei told Akiza of this, she gave him a big hug, and offered to go out to dinner. Still, if it meant not having to listen to Yami and Jaden's sponsor calls, it was worth it. As Yusei went inside for his first day, he was introduced to a lot of the other employees. "All right. So, where do I need to go?" Yusei asked. One of the other employees pointed towards a table.

"Go over there and just sit down and wait." Yusei was confused. "For what?" he asked. The woman smiled. "Just wait to see if anyone comes by and asks for help." Yusei nodded. "All right," he replied and sat down at the table. He looked over and saw a few people looking at cards. He waited for them and smiled when they got close to the table. "Need any help?" he asked.

"No," a girl replied.

Yusei frowned and sighed. He decided to just let it go and wait. He soon saw another guest walk by. "Need help?" The guest just raced by him and didn't even respond. Yusei sighed. "I give autographs," he shouted back at the customer.

As they were walking home from school, Leo was looking at his deck. "Aww man! I need another trap card to help me with our spell caster duels tomorrow." Luna and Dexter looked at him. "Why don't you go to the card shop and see what they have?" his sister offered. Leo smiled. "Yeah and maybe they'll have a special deal where you buy a card and get a piece of candy!" Leo shouted. Luna looked at Dexter as Leo ran ahead. "He does know that only little kids get a piece of candy right?" Luna asked. Dexter shrugged and they ran to catch up to him.

When they got inside, Leo walked towards the section of cards that he was looking for. Since Dexter and Luna had nothing better to do, they looked too. As they skimmed through the cards, Dexter looked up, and saw Yusei sitting at a table. He was all by himself and looking bored. He went up to the twins, when Leo was talking to his sister about a card he found. "Hey guys," Dexter said quickly, "Why is Yusei here?" They both looked baffled. He pointed over in his direction. They all smiled and went up to him. "What are you doing here Yusei?" Dexter asked.

"I'm working here," he replied, "I'm checking and helping people with their decks." The three of them were confused. "That's a job?" Leo asked. Yusei shrugged. "Well...if it gets people to come back and keep updating their decks, sure. Plus, it's called being good to your customers." Leo didn't quite understand yet, but Luna and Dexter did. "Have you helped any people yet?" Luna asked. Yusei shook his head, "No." Luna frowned. "Why don't you show him your deck Dexter?" she suggested, wanting to make the older man happy. "But...I..." Dexter protested. Luna happily put her hands on his shoulders. "Now don't be shy," she said quickly. Dexter was a bit nervous at having the best duelist in the entire world look at his deck. He took it out of his pocket and handed it to him. He then shut his eyes tight.

"This actually looks pretty good," Yusei admitted. Dexter slowly opened his eyes. "Yeah!" Luna replied happily, "And he's won four duels in a row in your dueling class!" Dexter was a bit embarrassed. "Um...yeah," he shyly replied. Yusei handed his deck back. "If it's working for you, the keep going with it." He handed his deck back and Yusei turned to Leo. "Do you want me to take a look at your deck?" he asked. Leo shook his head.

"If I'm going to go pro, then I need to be able to fix my deck by myself." Luna frowned. "Yeah. Too bad you've lost four times in a row." Leo laughed awkwardly, but Luna rolled her eyes. "So, when did you start here?" Luna asked, as Yusei hadn't told them about this yet. "It's my first day," he replied, "And you guys were my first customers." Leo smiled. "Well...I hope you can find some other people that you can help out." Yusei agreed and the three younger ones went on their way. As Yusei looked around, not seeing anyone who needed help, he went up to one of the other employees.

"Hey..." Yusei started and saw the man's name tag, "Henry. How do I attract people to try and help them?" Henry was a tall and husky man, that reminded Yusei of a Teddy Bear. "You just gotta ask if people are okay. If not, then just let them be. Also, don't be afraid to just wait and let them come up to you." Yusei nodded and thanked him for the advice. He went back to his table and sat down, waiting for other people to walk by.

Later, Yusei sighed, as he headed out after his first day. He only had three guests (including Dexter). One girl wasn't sure if one card was the same type as the one she was looking for and another woman wanted to know what pack to buy for her son. Yusei helped both of them, but he was a bit happy that neither of them started screaming over the fact that Yusei Fudo was giving them advice on dueling.

When Yusei got back to the garage, Yami was on the phone, discussing another sponsorship deal. He smiled when he saw the fact that Akiza was there too and he ran over to give her a big hug and kiss. "Oh you're here Yusei," Akiza cheered, "Thank goodness. If I had to hear about one more contract offer, I was going to lose it." Yusei nodded. "Don't worry Akiza. I've had to hear about it every day for the past week." Akiza laughed and they both went upstairs.

"So how was your first day?" Akiza asked. Yusei sighed. "Boring as far people. Exciting as far as other employees. There are these other people that are so nice and friendly to me." Akiza face him.

"So, did they all want your autograph?" she asked. Yusei laughed. "No, but a couple did ask for tips on their dueling strategies," he answered. As Yusei looked around, he noticed that none of the guys really had put up any Christmas decorations yet. He then remembered that he had no idea what to get Akiza for Christmas either. He decided that now would be the best time to ask, as she might forget what she told him as well as giving him the most time to plan.

"So...Akiza..." he started slowly. Akiza waited patiently for him, just like he had done so many times before. "What...exactly...have you had your eyes on...for Christmas." Akiza smiled. "Well...if you're asking what I want for Christmas," she replied, "Then you have to get...nothing." Yusei frowned. "Akiza. Please don't do that whole, 'You're my Christmas present,' stuff. I have a job now and will have some money to get you something. It won't be big, but it certainly is better than nothing." Akiza was now worried and said, "All right. I'll look something up." Akiza took out her phone and started going on the internet. "You don't have to look it up and order it for me. Just show me where to go," Yusei advised her. Akiza nodded and found a website. She then showed him a picture.

"Slippers?" he asked as he took the phone. Akiza nodded. "Yep. They're not too expensive and I need some." She leaned in close. "So my feet will be nice and warm when we cuddle." Yusei wiggled in delight as Akiza pressed her cheek next to his. "Speaking of which, do you wanna watch some TV?" she asked. Yusei nodded and Akiza turned on the television. Yusei smiled, because now he had a gift idea for Akiza.

A few days later, the calls for Yami and Jaden stopped coming. Yet, they now had a lot of paperwork to read over and e-mails to look over. With no time on his laptop and him having to use his laptop sparingly, Yusei decided that it was best to go out and get Akiza her Christmas present. Work was still slow, but there had been an increase in the number of people looking for Christmas present ideas. To Yusei, he thought about getting Akiza a card that symbolized their love, but the well was pretty dry in that regard.

When Yusei got to the mall, he went to the store that sold the slippers Akiza wanted. After wandering through the wrong section five times, he finally found a display with slippers on it. Akiza had just wanted some plain, brown colored ones. As Yusei picked up Akiza's size, he then saw some fuzzy red ones. "Oh! These would so much better!" Yusei said as he felt their soft fuzziness. He went over to the mirror to look at them.

"Ugh. These things would look horrible on me," he commented. He then gasped. "Wait! I have to think like Akiza and how she would react to them. So, I have to try to think like Akiza." He closed his eyes and then reopened with them. He then tried to talk in a high pitched voice.

"Oh. Yusei, these aren't slippers I wanted," he said in a high, crackly voice, "But these ones are so soft and fuzzy! See? Now let me try them on." Yusei put them on the floor and stepped into them. "Oh Yusei! They match my hair so well! They're so beautiful and wonderful, just like you." Yusei then went back to his normal voice. "Well thanks Akiza. I got them just for you." He then took a step and pretended like he was looking at himself.

"Oh Yusei. You don't think you're very smart, but picking these slippers out was a very smart decision," he said in a high frilly voice.

"You're welcome Akiza. I love them, but I love you even more," he said in his normal voice.

"Aww!" he crackled as he steeped to the side, "Come here and kiss me."

Yusei then wrapped his arms around himself, pretending to hug Akiza. As he pretended to smooch and hug, a little girl came over, and stared at him. Her mother came over and took her hand. "Mom. Why is that man acting so weird?" she asked. The mother looked over as Yusei wiggled in place. "It's because he has a few screws loose," she replied.

As Yusei finished his fantasy, he looked around. "Oh good. No one saw me," he said to himself. He wiggled his toes and felt the softness. "This is really soft," he replied, "And it does match Akiza. Soooo...I think I'll get her these ones instead." Yusei smiled as now her gift had a bit of surprise in it as well. They were the same price as the ones Akiza suggested and Yusei was happy to hand over the money. As Yusei went home, he then wondered what Akiza had in store for him. He hoped it was something nice, as he hadn't really given her many ideas.

The next day, Yusei and Akiza were heading towards school and they only had about a week left to go. Yusei was nervous over finals, but Akiza reminded him that the guys had to feed them for a full week during finals week. Yusei was happy about that, especially since Akiza wasn't going to let Jack off the hook for it. As they were getting close to school, Akiza asked him a question.

"All right Yusei. I've told you what I want. Now you have to tell me what you want for Christmas." Yusei shrugged. "I'm sure whatever you get me is good enough." Akiza rolled her eyes. "Come on Yusei. If there's one thing, that's inside of my budget, what would you want?" Yusei looked around. "Uh...nothing," he replied, "Because I have you." Akiza frowned. "Yusei, you told me not to pull that move on me, so you'd better not put that one on me!" she shouted. Yusei pulled into a parking spot and Akiza pulled on his collar, bringing their eyes almost within inches of each other.

"Now what do you want?" she hissed.

Yusei gulped. "Cable TV," he replied. Akiza smiled. "You want cable TV?" she asked. Yusei nodded. "Once Yami and Jaden are on the road, then I won't have much to do outside of school." Akiza smiled. "I think that can be arranged," she replied and opened the door. Yusei smiled and quickly got out of the car. 'All right!' he thought to himself, 'Something I always wanted will finally be mine!' Yusei quickly raced inside and wondered about all the new stuff he might soon be able to watch.

The next week, it was finals week. As Yusei studied in the kitchen, he looked up, and a plate was placed in front of him. "Here you go," Jack said grudge fully. Yusei looked at it, as it was a hot dog on a bun. "Jack. I expect more than this." He lifted up the plate and handed it to Jack. "I told you we should be making BBQ chicken breasts!" Crow shouted. Yusei looked across the table at Akiza, who laughed with him.

Finals week was brutal for both Yusei and Akiza. Yusei was freaking out over having to take two tests at once. Akiza tried to calm Yusei down, even as his heartbeat was racing with nerves. "Just calm down," she shouted, as they sat in the car. Yusei was flying through notes, trying to study one more line. Akiza finally couldn't take it and pulled him into a big kiss on the lips. Suddenly, the notes stopped flying and they leaned back. "You good?" she asked. Yusei took a deep breath. "I'm good," he replied. Akiza smiled. "Now come on. Lets go do out best on the test."

Sure enough, once all the finals were over, Yusei's stress went away. "Finals are tougher than I thought," Yusei admitted to Akiza after their final class. "Don't forget," Akiza reminded him, "The guys have to make us steak tonight." Yusei smiled and they headed home. When they got there, Akiza and Yusei waited for their steak dinner to be done. When they got served, Yusei and Akiza looked it over. "Hmm," Yusei said as he inspected the meat. Yusei looked up at a sweating Jack. It was weird seeing Jack nervous for once, but Yusei knew he could blow his top if something was wrong.

"It looks good," Akiza noted. "But does it taste good?" Yusei questioned. He cut into the meat and took a big bite. As he chewed it, he smiled. "Wow! This is great!" he commented. Akiza took a taste and agreed. Jack smiled proudly. "Of course it is," he answered, "Because I'm obviously the best." In the trash, were containers with pre=seasoned steaks. It then had instructions on the back on how to cook them, just to a certain temperature.

Still, about a week later, everyone was invited to Martha's house for Christmas. Yami and Jaden smiled at seeing actual Christmas decorations, as opposed to their bare garage. Leo and Luna came with gifts for everyone, including a giant laundry basket full for Dexter. Jack got everyone a ticket to see him duel in the nearest city that was hosting. "I'll be sure to make sure you can see my beautiful nose from your seats," Jack commented. Everyone else rolled their eyes. Crow got them all a gift card to the Professional Dueling League shop. He then had to run away. "To find a girl with hair as bright as the sun," was his last hint to them. Everyone then watched him run off.

"Sherry may have hair like the sun," Akiza noted, "But she also has boobs the size of the sun too." Everyone laughed. "If she's got boobs the size of the sun, then Akiza's got some the size of the galaxy!" Yusei shouted and it got even more laughs, even from Akiza herself.

The twins then handed out their gifts, including a fancy restaurant gift for Yusei and Akiza, that Akiza could go multiple times. Jack felt peeved that he didn't get one for Carly, but Leo bought him a weekend trip to a cabin nearby, to which everyone knew what was going to happen there. Martha handed out money and so did the Izinski parents (although Yusei received a bit more, but Akiza made sure he kept quiet about it). Finally, it was time for Yusei and Akiza to exchange gifts.

Yusei went first and was stunned when it was a piece of paper. When Yusei saw it, his face lite up. "No way! This is like...all the sports channels!" he shouted. He gasped. "And there's the Dueling Network? I've never even heard about that one." Jack laughed. "Yeah and you'll see plenty of me on that channel." Yusei rolled his eyes and made sure to make a mental note of that. The subscription was for a year, although Akiza hinted that it would be a continuing thing. Still, it was time for Akiza to open her gift from Yusei. When she did, she saw the fuzzy red slippers.

"Yusei. These aren't the slippers I asked for," Akiza said as she picked them up. Everyone turned to Yusei, who pulled nervously on his collar. He got up to come over and try to explain the reason. However, Akiza quickly put them on and smiled. "Oh! But these are so much better!" she said happily as she walked around in them. Yusei breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down. Despite his relief, Akiza came back, and saw a red box inside the slipper box as well. "What's this?" Akiza asked. Everyone froze as she opened up the small, red wrapped box.

After Akiza unwrapped it, it was now a little black box. As she opened it, Akiza gasped. Inside was a small necklace. It wasn't fancy or very expensive. However, it was a necklace none the less. Akiza looked up at Yusei, who gulped. "Do you like it?" he asked. Akiza stood up on her knees and wrapped her arms around him. She gave him a big kiss on the lips. Yusei, instinctively, leaned back, and let Akiza lay on top of him. However, they could hear people around them both complaining and cheering. So, they opened their eyes and Akiza got off of Yusei.

"Well...at least we now know who's dominate in their relationship," Leo noted. Everyone laughed, as Akiza and Yusei blushed.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the Chapter and thank you for your patience!