Hello, everyone! Welcome to another chapter! I'm so glad to hear that some of you are really liking it! As you all know, this is a gift to Jade546, and I'm so glad to hear that you enjoy it! Thank you to everyone who follows/faves/reviews my fics, I love hearing back from the readers!
Jade546: Thank you for the support!
NightStar1990: I had to do it! I wanted Yusei to pull out his ninja-skills!
By the way, I forgot to mention that I have a knack with automotive things, so I'm having a lot of fun testing my knowledge with this story! Without further ado, I bid you good reading! I don't own rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds!
Jump Start
"A DATE?!" Crow smacked Yusei's back as they worked on their duel runners in the garage. They had gotten up early to make some tune ups as well as to talk over what had happened the night before. He raised an eyebrow as Jack made the comment that it was about time. "C'mon, Jack, go easy on him. It's been about four years and there's been a lot going on with the both of them. If they had gone out when we were going through all that crap, it would have just made things complicated. You of all people should know that, Jack, since you had to go and almost lose to Carly when she turned Dark Signer."
Yusei pretended to focus on the pinion and oil rings as his expression twisted into a grimace as Jack choked on his drink. It was the truth, he had held off asking her for a date because of all the world saving and then he sent her off to Germany for her to pursue foreign studies. He remembered the look in her eyes when he had sent her off on the plane and it tore him to pieces. "It wasn't the right time." Crow made the comment that now was as good as any and it caused a small smile to play across his lips. "Believe me, I'm going to make sure she has the time of her life."
"How do you plan to do that?" Jack glanced down at him from his perch at the table, pouring himself another cup of the black beverage. "You took her skating already-"
"Wait, you took her skating?!" Yusei leaned backward as Crow's face suddenly appeared inches from his own.
He held up his hands in a defensive manner. "It was to help her learn how to ride a duel runner!"
"Not according to the twins," Jack mumbled before sipping from his cup. "They felt like the third and fourth wheel."
"Who knew you were such a sly dog," Crow nudged him in the ribs before turning back to his runner. "So skating is out of the question. There's always the classic dinner and a movie, but that's a big risque and predicable. Maybe you could take her to that place she took us to! Oh wait, that won't work."
Yusei's eyebrow rose as his friend continued. He was genuinely surprised at the Blackwing duelist's interest in this whole situation, but a part of him felt as he needed to outdo anything that his friends could ever imagine. A light bulb flashed in his mind as there was mention of a picnic. If he played his cards right, as he usually did, then this would be her best date ever. His plans faltered as Jack mentioned Darwin. "That bloke needed a good knocking," the blonde shifted his gaze towards Yusei. "Who knows how long he's been tailing Akiza."
"Who wouldn't?" Crow leaned against his runner. "She's smart, drop dead gorgeous, has a cute laugh, soft hair-"
"When have you felt her hair?" Yusei's head snapped to the left, his cobalt eyes warning his friend to carefully think of his answer before answering.
The message rang loud and clear, judging from the way that Crow's throat shifted as he swallowed. "W-well, it was when we were sitting in the restaurant. Remember when she dropped her napkin and bent to pick it up before any of us could? Her hair brushed my hand and it was...really soft." His cheeks tinted pink as his two friends gave him odd looks. "Hey! At least I didn't smell it! Unlike Yusei!" He stiffened as his eyes locked on something over Yusei's shoulder and a hesitant smile tilted his lips upward. "H-hey, Akiza!"
Hands rested on Yusei's shoulders and leaned him backward until her face came into view. "Hey there, beautiful." He smiled while placing one of his own hands on hers. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. Have you picked when?" He suggested that night and her face lit up with excitement. "That would work great!"
"Six okay?" he asked, earning a nod. "And don't worry about what to wear, you are beautiful no matter what you chose." Crow's jaw dropped and a look of disbelief crossed Jack's features as her cheeks grew pink. They had never seen Yusei act like this! Akiza was just as surprised as the other two! Yusei called her "beautiful"?! They haven't even gone on the date yet and she was flustered! She quickly made her exit and Crow took the opportunity to shuffle over to his friend. Yusei's brows furrowed as his friend began to rummage around in his black hair. "What are you doing?"
"I'm looking for the Yus I know!"
...
Knuckles gently knocked against wood as the grandmother clock struck six. He quickly checked himself over and nodded in approval. Jack had suggested a tailored outfit while Crow had said that his old duds would bring back the old days. He had dismissed them both and had instead gone for a casual approach: dark gray denim jeans, a wine red hooded short sleeved top with tribal patterns in metallic gold thread, black shoes and had accessorized with black belt-like bands around his wrists. Not too flashy but not too dull either. His lips lifted into a smile as Star appeared next to him, purring loudly. "Think she'll like this?" The cat meowed and head-butted the man's leg, earning a chuckle. "I'm going to take that as a yes."
"He's usually right about these sort of things," a feminine voice giggled, drawing his attention back to the door. "I do very much like what I see." Akiza smiled as his jaw fell to the floor. She mentally thanked her college friend for giving her this outfit recently. It was an off the shoulder sleeved whispy chiffon dress the color of twilight that was knee length with a flattering sweetheart neckline and a slim band of light turquoise lace around her waist that matched her floral earrings. On her lips was a dark red colored balm that tasted like cherries and matched the color that were her simple strappy sandals. She felt her cheeks warm as Yusei struggled for words, failing miserably, then simply smiled and offered his arm. "Where are the other two?"
"Not sure," He opened the front door for her, gesturing for her to lead the way outside. Movement from the kitchen caused his smile to turn devious as Jack and Crow's faces appeared over the bar. They were wearing looks of disappointment and anger, yet they remained where they were. Yusei had found out about Jack asking Carly to follow them as well as Crow's "favor" that someone in the department owed him. Needless to say that he had quickly given them motives of terminating their courses of action and assured them that if he caught either of their people, then there would be dire consequences. "but I bet they are finding something to occupy themselves."
Her eyes widened as he lead the way to where the runners were. Parked in front of them was a wine red McLaren MP4-12C. "What-"
"It's just a rental," he winked, opening the passenger door for her. "or maybe it's not." He couldn't help but chuckle as she ignored him and instead began walking around the car. When she asked what had impulsed him to rent such a car, he scratched the back of his head while his cobalt orbs found her caramel ones. "I noticed that you don't have any other vehicles besides the runner, and I knew that we would be dressing up for tonight so I decided to get it in case the weather took a turn for the worse on the way there."
Akiza blanched. "Isn't that what normal people use an umbrella for?" She rolled her eyes when his eyebrow rose. "Right, we aren't "normal"."
"Are you ready, my lady?" he asked, gesturing to the open door he was holding. In the blink of an eye, they were inside the car and on their way. His lips lifted into a smile as she asked what he had in mind for the evening. "You're going to have to wait and see." Merging onto the Interstate, he pushed a button on the touch screen dashboard that began playing a playlist of songs that he had remembered that she had listed in her duel runner's computer. He caught the surprised glance she gave him as "Blink" by Cascada began playing. It seemed at though she was going to reach forward and stop the music but his eyes widened as she smiled, winked, then began singing along. He couldn't believe the heavenly sounds coming from the girl sitting next to him and he found his concentration wavering from the road to the angel in the passenger seat. Her voice rose and fell effortlessly with the music, filling the car with clear crisp notes. Words failed him as the song concluded, the car filling with silence before it was filled with her laughter.
"You should see the look on your face," she giggled, hiding a wide smile behind her hand. "I know I'm not the greatest, but at least I'm not as bad as Taylor Swift without her sound engineer.(A/N: Believe it or not, I have connections and they have confirmed that she is very flat without some technological assistance)"
"You're right," Yusei's cobalt orbs locked on her caramel ones, revealing nothing but sincerity and adoration. "You are twenty times better than any singer I've ever heard."
Akiza's cheeks flushed bright red. She had never sang before anyone before, so to hear such high praise from someone she held so dear and the first to reveal her love of singing was mind blowing. Her heart warmed as his right hand lifted from the wheel and rested against the center console, palm open, and slipped her own into his waiting hand. A shiver shot through her body the second their skins made contact and it wasn't just Akiza that felt it. Yusei's breathing suddenly deepened as his figure shivered ever so slightly but thankfully she had been focused on their hands instead of his body's sudden movement. Their concentration snapped to the dashboard as piano music began to play.
He glanced in her direction curiously as she began to hum along, adding to the haunting music. "I don't think I've heard this song before. What's it from?"
"It's from a video game, evidently," she shrugged. "It's about a silent boy that is turned into a wolf to save the kingdom with the help of an otherworldly princess."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but that sounds like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I never took you to be a gamer."
"I'm not, I just like to watch the story line unfold." Her eyes narrowed slightly. If he knew the title, then did that mean that he played in his free-time? "I was almost in tears when the Light Guardians restored Midna's life and Link ran to her. The look on his face when he saw her in her true form...amazing." He simply smiled, his eyes remaining on the road ahead. Maybe a different approach was in order. "It was a surprise to me when Zant was revealed to be Midna's brother."
"That's actually not true, Zant was in no way related to Midna. He wanted to take her power and make it his own." Yusei automatically answered, then cringed slightly as he caught sight of her teasing smile and slipped into the Exit 304B before she noticed the sign. "Okay, you caught me. I like to play the occasional video game or two and this one happens to be on my top ten."
"If you don't mind me asking," she said lowly, her eyes dropping to their hands. "Why is it on your list?"
"Because it reminds me of us." His fingers tightened slightly around her own as his chest warmed. "The beautiful princess, wielding unknown power, joins with a silent boy, who turns into a wolf when he comes into contact with magic similar to hers. He protects and assists her through their journey to save their homes, though they have no parents or families. They don't know much about each other, but they trust one another and grow together through each trial and obstacle. Take this song, for example. It's titled "Midna's Lament". She was hurt because of Zant and he was unable to help her in any way. I couldn't help but imagine myself in his shoes -paws- with my closest friend's life hanging by a thread and the person that came to mind, the person that I would travel across the world for...would be you, Akiza."
Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes at his words. She had watched the cut scenes and clips many times, but now she was able to understand why she had been drawn to the story in the first place: it was like looking into a mirror and seeing their reflections. "I-I never thought of it that way..." Her free hand rose and pressed against her lips as they began to quiver.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories," Yusei apologized, regretting bringing his view of the game to light when he spotted the moisture in her eyes. "I'm sorry that I upset you."
"No," she shook her head, wiping the corners of her eyes with her fingers. A genuine, beautiful smile spread across her cherry hued lips as she looked into his eyes. "It's sweet, really, but I'm not an imp."
...
"Are your eyes closed?" he asked as he was pulling the basket from the trunk. "No peeking."
"You sure know how to keep a girl on her toes," she giggled. "Yes, they are."
"Good." He had everything laid out and the food was ready. The timing couldn't have been more perfect either, the sun was just beginning to brush the horizon as he began to light the candles. He moved to open the passenger door and gently took her hands into his. "Okay, don't open them yet, but I'm going to lead you for about twenty-four steps. Do you trust me?"
"With my life."
His heart stuttered and clenched as her hands clasped his tightly. He moved to stand behind her and took a deep breath. "Okay, you can open them now."
Akiza's eyes opened and her hands would have flown to her chest if they hadn't been in his. Before her was a path lined with candles that lead to blanket that held food and two bottles of wine. The coastline sparkled in the setting sun's light and the sound of the ocean was causing waves of calmness to spread throughout her body and could vaguely hear soft piano music coming from what she could guess was a Bluetooth sound system that was hidden among the shrubbery. "Yusei, I don't know what to say!"
"Then maybe words aren't necessary," he whispered, gently leading her towards the picnic. "Just...feel."
She smiled and took her seat as he began to list off the dinner options: chicken cordon blue with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, crab Alfredo pasta with breadsticks that had toasted Parmesan cheese, and blue cheese crusted filet mignon with bacon-wrapped asparagus. For drinks he had chosen from the Italian vintage Stella Rosa: Black and Platinum. "You put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?"
"I've honestly wanted to bring you here shortly after the Ark cradle incident, but then things kept getting in the way," he said lowly, handing her a dish with the selections she had wordlessly made with her eyes and pouring the wine into two glasses. They ate in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying the scenery and each other's company. Then he placed his plate and glass off to the side. "You were creating a life for yourself and I didn't want to stand in the way of that."
She placed the plate and glass next to her before she reached forward, capturing his face between her hands. "It's because of you that I have my life and freedom, Yusei, and I can't imagine what I would be doing or where I would be right now if it wasn't for you. I'm so glad that I met you and I hope that you can forgive me for everything that I put you through." His brow furrowed in confusion as she shuffled forward and lightly pressed her fingers against where he had scars from their first ever duel. "I'm so sorry that I hurt you like I did-" Her words were cut off from his lips covering hers in a soft kiss that lasted for what felt like an eternity to her before he pulled back and found herself looking into his cobalt orbs, finding them warm.
"Akiza, I forgave you years ago," he whispered, pulling her into his chest and wrapping his arms around her. "You were in a place that would be difficult for anyone to come away from in one piece and I'm so glad that it was me that you chose."
"But I put you through so much pain; my parents, Sayer, the Dark Signers-"
"I'm going to stop you right there," he held her at arms length, his eyes growing firm. "I could have walked away at any point, anytime I wanted, and saving the world wasn't the only thing on my mind. Keeping you safe and making sure that you had help when you needed it always came first for me. Every duel you were in, every minuted that you were out of sight, I thought about you and worried about you. I had faith that you could win your duels and do whatever you set your mind to and look at yourself now. You are living in an amazing house with two cats, your parents tell me that your career is sky high, and you have grown more beautiful and stronger than I thought possible. Akiza, stop blaming yourself for what happened in the past and look towards your future."
Her lips quivered as her hands rested on his arms. "Even if that past comes back to bite you?"
"Even if it does, I'm not going anywhere." He leaned forward and captured her lips in a firm yet heated kiss. Her hands fell to rest on his chest as his rose and cupped her face as her eyes fluttered shut. It felt as if the blood in his veins became lava as she sighed against his lips and shivered as her hands rose to bury themselves in his hair. A groan rose from the back of his throat as she hummed softly and gently nibbled on his bottom lip, making his hammering heart skip several beats. He lightly pressed his tongue against her lips, begging for entrance, and they parted ever so slightly as his hands drifted down to rest on her waist. His senses were filled with cherries and cheese while hers were filled with sandalwood and the smallest hint of garlic from the mashed potatoes. They pulled away as their lungs burned for oxygen and rested their foreheads against one another, their eyes dark and clouded. Every cell in his body was begging for him to shower her with affection, but he held back the newborn hunger that threatened to consume him. Instead, he sat back and smiled as she whined softly. "Before I forget, there is desert."
Please don't kill me!*hide behind my kitty* Please let me know what you think! Hope to hear from you all soon! XOXOXXOXO!