EchoGirl: Well, I'm back with another chapter.

Goldfish: We can see that.

EchoGirl: Shh! Anyways, this chapter's basically a whole load of fluffy bunnies, 'cos that's the sort of mood I was in.

Goldfish: Yeah, you've been acting really strange.

EchoGirl: Just do the disclaimer.

Goldfish: Fine, fine. EchoGirl319 does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.

EchoGirl: Thank you.

A Rose in the Stars

Chapter 43

A week (and three days) after the Arcadia incident and Destiny's awakening from her coma, she had at last been officially discharged from the hospital on the condition that she didn't do anything too strenuous. Well that was just dandy, no more duelling for her. Fabulous. At least she was finally out of that horrid hospital gown – she didn't think she could stand another second in that thing. And she wasn't confined to a bed anymore. That was definitely a good thing.

Things were a little awkward to say the least, Destiny had insisted that Akiza stay with her and Yusei instead of with Hideo and Setsuko – now that she had found her mother, Destiny didn't intend to let her go – and now all three were gathered in the living room, occupying the two sofas in awkward silence; Destiny curled up with her back pressed against Akiza who was playing absentmindedly with her hair while sat opposite them, elbows on his knees, resting his chin in his hands watching mother and daughter intently. It was Destiny who finally broke silence.

"He's not dead, you know," she said quietly, "Sayer, I mean."

She could hear her mother's sigh as the violet-haired woman rested her cheek against her thick midnight tresses. She was all too aware that Sayer was probably alive and plotting this very second – was impossible for him to realise that he just wasn't wanted? Couldn't he just die?

"We know he's alive," Yusei said, "we just don't know what his next move is going to be."

"He's definitely got something planned," Akiza supplied, gently wrapping her arms around Destiny's smaller form, careful not to jostle her healing ribs, Destiny leaned back into her, "once he knows he wants something he'll stop at nothing till he gets it and he won't let it slip through his fingers. You remember how he was after I went to help fight the Dark Signers?"

Yusei nodded. "Obsessed," he paused for a moment as if in thought, remembering how he and Mina had been thrown in a cage and left to drown, "and very possessive."

"He should go see a shrink or something," Destiny announced as her mother's arms tightened protectively around her, not wanting her new-found daughter to become the new object of her former mentor's OCD (well, technically she already had, but still), "get his issues sorted. He needs it. Bad."

This earned a small chuckle from her parents, but the suggestion was lost in the seriousness of the situation.

"So what do we do now?" Akiza asked quietly.

Yusei shrugged. "Wait for him to make the first move, I suppose. He's to unpredictable for us to do it any other way."

Do I get any say in this conversation? Destiny wondered. Probably not.

"At least Arcadia's gone," Akiza sighed.

"Are you upset?" Destiny asked her, twisting her head so as her blue eyes could lock gazes with Akiza's brown ones, "it was your home, after all."

"Arcadia hasn't been my home for a very long time, and even at that, it was never truly home," she murmured, glancing across at Yusei, "it took me a long time before I could see that."

"You're home now though, right?"

It seemed like an age that Akiza stared at her with wide brown eyes – the exact same shape as hers – and for a moment Destiny was convinced that she would give her the answer that she dreaded but then her lips curved upwards in a gentle smile which seemed to light up her entire face. "Yes. I'm home and I'm not leaving any time soon."

The grin that broke out across Destiny's face seemed to outshine any other and, reflexively almost, she twisted slightly, ignoring her ribs' protests, and snuggled her head into the crook between Akiza's shoulder and neck. Not caring about the fact she was almost fourteen and possibly considered 'too old for such displays of affection'. Whoever said that could burn in hell for all she cared.

Akiza, despite being taken by surprise, gladly relished her daughter's acceptance of and affection towards her. She had been afraid before that she would be rejected – rejection wasn't something she found she could handle too easily, her parent's rejection when she was a child still stung and she doubted she could bear such a thing happening again – for the way she had left her alone, without a mother for all these years. It turned out that that was obviously not the case.

"I'm sorry I missed out on your childhood," she whispered almost inaudibly, but Destiny was already dozing off. In a matter of seconds she was already asleep; all the same, Akiza still didn't let go. After a moment of watching her sleeping daughter, her gaze turned to Yusei, who was watching them with intense blue eyes.

After a moment of staring, the violet-haired woman turned her head to look out the window. It was dark outside, the sky pitch black with only the full moon and bright lights of New Domino to light up the darkness. There were no stars out and everything was quiet. It must have been almost midnight, past eleven certainly.

"Did you miss me?" she asked, not looking at him, her gaze fixed on the silver moon. It wasn't until the words were out that she realised she'd spoken aloud and she swivelled her head round so that she was once again watching Yusei. He met her gaze unwaveringly, waiting for a moment before he spoke.

"I guess it was like something was gone from my life," he paused, searching for words, "something important, and without everything was… halted, somehow. Like a duel runner missing its entire engine" – Akiza rolled her eyes inwardly, only Yusei could bring mechanics into such a simple question – "or," he gave her a small smile, a teasing glint in his eyes, "a rose missing all its petals. And you, Akiza? What did you feel while you were gone?"

"Each day it felt like another piece of my heart was breaking away," she admitted, blushing slightly in the dim light, "and I deluded myself into believing that I was happy, the same way I deluded myself into thinking that Arcadia was home. Once again I see how wrong I was. And then what?" she asked, an underlying, undeniable bitterness in voice, "engines can be replaced."

He tilted his head slightly as he watched her, "but roses accept no petal but their own. Which always grow back eventually."

Akiza suddenly sat up straighter, losing her grip on the girl in her arms and letting Destiny's head slip down into her lap. "You knew I would come back?"

"One way or another," he responded.

After a moment of consideration, the violet-haired woman got up, leaving Destiny alone lying on the sofa and walked over to sit next to Yusei.

"I always somehow felt that you seemed to know me better than I know myself. That was one of my reasons for hating you originally," she said quietly.

She felt flesh beneath her chin, only to discover that Yusei had removed his glove and was now tilting her head upwards so that she would look him in the eye. She inhaled sharply as she did so, those brilliant sapphire orbs had not ceased their effect on her.

"You remember what I told you during our first duel? At the Fortune Cup? About Black Rose Dragon?"

The words from so long ago echoed within her mind. The words that had she had so denied – though they had actually touched her, quite deeply, not that she would admit that – at the time as Black Rose and Stardust had faced it off.

"Embrace your dragon, it's beautiful – just like you are behind that mask."

She nodded, a faint pink staining her porcelain cheeks.

"The comment still stands."

Then, as if on cue, both began to lean in, agonisingly slowly, until finally their lips met in the middle and Akiza was positive that, as she had many years ago during their first kiss, she could hear the triumphant roar of dragons in the background. Not that she was complaining.

Completely unnoticed by them, they were far too busy now with fingers and thumbs caressing cheeks and necks and burying themselves in hair, on the sofa opposite Destiny lay with both eyes cracked open and a silly grin on her face, watching the entire scene.

Oh, all the things one could witness while pretending to be asleep.


EchoGirl: That was pretty short, but there wasn't all that much to write about...

Goldfish: YES! I HAVE COMPLETED THE BOMB!

EchoGirl: Good for you- wait, what? Did you say that you completed the bomb?

Goldfish: YES! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

*bomb goes off and goldfish bowl explodes. Echo is drenched*

EchoGirl: Well, that kind of backfired, huh?

Goldfish: *flopping about on floor* ACH! I'M DYING, ECHO! I'M DYING! DO SOMETHING! C-CAN'T BRE-BREATHE!

EchoGirl: You better thank me for this later. *scoops Goldfish up in water bottle*

Goldfish: Hah... water...

EchoGirl: Well, that was interesting. Please, please, please review!