Big thanks to everyone for being so patient, I really appreciate it. I see that there might have been a little confusion about last chapter's title so please allow me to explain! Crumple Zone is a section of a vehicle's structure that collapses during impact to absorb energy. Hopefully that will help! This is a gift to Jade546, so I hope you enjoy it! I don't own rights to YuGiOh! 5Ds but I do own this FanFiction. Hope you enjoy!

Recall

Akiza's eyes fluttered, bringing the familiar canopy above her into focus. Her attention shifted to something that moved within the corner of her vision and couldn't help but smile as a warmth brushed her cheek that made her being fill with peace. "You're here."

"Where else would I be?" Yusei's eyes were bright, but there were small shadows beginning to grow under them. Viktor and her father had agreed that the hospital wasn't safe for her anymore and had agreed that using one of their residences would be safest. Hideo had fought for her to return home and Viktor wanted to place members of his gang around her at all times, but Akzia was insistent that she wanted to remain with Yusei. She had agreed to Viktor's offer though and there was plenty of room for them in Yusei's place. Akiza's mother had insisted on filling the room with belongings she had left behind in their own home, making the once bare room homey. Once Viktor had seen that his gang were prepared to protect her, he departed for Moscow so as to converse with the chip engineers and hospital. Yusei, although he was reluctant at first, welcomed the members and was pleasantly surprised when they all offered to help around the house during their stay. He had done a decent job at restoring the old mansion but there were plenty of projects on his to do list. That was eight days ago and Viktor had yet to send any word. His attention shifted to the still full glass of water and pitcher he had left on her nightstand. "Are you feeling up to eating anything?"

The past few days had been rough for her. Her appetite took a huge hit and she was quickly losing weight that concerned them all. Nothing sounded good to her; strawberry yogurt parfait, baked cheesecake, rotisserie chicken wraps, none of it sounded appetizing to her anymore. She hated the helplessness she was feeling but she hated the worry she was causing her loved ones even more. Sitting up, she held back a gasp of pain as the back of her neck throbbed. "Not right now. I'm more tired than anything but I'm beginning to feel gross. A bath sounds nice." Akiza offered a smile as he offered to call Luna or her mother to assist her but she shook her head. "I'll only be in the bathtub, it's not like I'm going to climb Mount Everest."

He relented and offered her his arm as she pushed the blankets off her. Her once curvy figure was now slim, the once tailored clothing now hung from her frame as if she herself was a hanger. The fair olive skin she had received compliments from was now sickly pale and her caramel orbs were now a dark chocolate. Yusei steadied her as she rose to her feet and took a shaky step, his heart clenching painfully when he realized that she was even lighter than the day before.

With his help, she made her way across the room and offered him a small smile as she closed the bathroom door. She pointedly avoided looking into the mirror as she turned the tub faucet on and tested the water's temperature with a wave of her hand while adding her favorite bath bomb. It wasn't long until the bathroom was full of steam and the smell of honeyed strawberries. Akzia couldn't help the frustrated huff that slipped from between her lips as she removed the gym shorts and tank she was wearing. Turning off the water, she slowly slipped into oversized tub and sighed as the warm water embraced her like a safety blanket. The bubbles from the bath bomb had turned the water a dusk color, contrasting almost blindingly against the mint color scheme of the bathroom. Resting her head back against the tub pillow, her hair fanned out around her almost like a veil as she closed her eyes. "Oh no, I forgot my music." Her lips lifted into a smile as the sound of the newly installed kitty door moving and opened her eyes enough to see a familiar phone that was enclosed within a plastic bag. "Thank you, Yusei. You don't have to hang around me as if I'm some elderly person that might fall. How about a snack, maybe some crepes?"

"Will you actually eat them this time?" Yusei rested a hand against the door as she replied that she would. He agreed and departed, promising that he would be back soon.

It wasn't until she heard the bedroom door close that she released the breath she had been holding. As if it was the key to her floodgates, tears began trickling down her face like twin waterfalls as her body began to tremble. First the lump formed in her throat and then a sob wracked her body. The walls magnified the sniffles she attempted to hold back, filling her own ears with sounds that reminded her of a time she had nearly forgotten.

A crowd of people were shouting at her, calling her a witch and freak. Malice and fear were everywhere she looked. No matter how loud she shouted or how much she insisted, her voice was drowned out by their shouts of ill-will. "Stop it! I'm not what you think I am!"

A knock pulled her from the horrible memory. After making sure her tears were washed away and her throat was clear, she asked who it was and drew the curtain that hand around the tub to shield her as the door opened. "H-Hey!"

"Easy," Yusei called, making sure the door didn't open too far and reached as far as he could to place a plate containing two crepes near the tub; one chocolate and the other strawberry, both topped with powdered sugar. "I thought you would like to eat it while its warm." He was moving to close the door when she called out, asking for him to move into the room so she could see his outline. Normally his cheeks would have flushed with heat at her request, but after hearing her lament they remained unchanged as he slipped inside and closed the door. He made sure to keep his eyes on the tiled floor as he moved to sit in one of the seafoam colored armchairs that sat nestled in one of the corners, moving the plate to the table that rested just outside of the curtain so she could reach it with ease. "I'm sorry about what happened to them." Her chest constricted as another memory surfaced, this one more recent.

"Mother, I'm alright, really." She offered a small smile as her mother insisted that she moved back in with them. They were walking up the main staircase with Yusei trailing behind them. From what her mother had planned, they needed all the muscle they could get to pull off what she had planned. Akiza couldn't help the overwhelming nostalgia that filled her as they entered her room. An eyebrow rose as she spotted a package sitting atop of her bed and her mother explained that it had come in the mail. Curious, she used a letter opener to slice through the tape and lifted the flaps. A banshee scream tore from her lips as her eyes fell on its contents: two masses of fur, one black and the other orange, wrapped in a blood-stained cloth. Yusei quickly covered the box and drew her away from the horrible sight, his arms wrapping around her as she wailed and fell into unconsciousness.

That was two days ago. She had been wondering where her two feline companions had gone and had assumed that they were in hiding from all the commotion, but the second she had caught sight of their markings, the last piece of her strength that she had been holding onto shattered. If it wasn't her body hurting, it was her heart or soul. Silent tears began to trickle down her cheeks as she sank farther into the water. "It's all my fault…"

Yusei's breath caught at her whisper. "Akiza, no one blames you for any of this." His heart clenched as a sniffle came from her direction. What could he say that would help her? Noticing her untouched phone, he pulled out his own and pressed a few buttons. Akiza's eyes widened as sorrowful piano music began to fill the room. Maybe words weren't what she needed.

"I…I tried so hard…" Akiza's lips trembled as her sorrow grew, memories of her time with Star and Bullet flooding her vision. "to move on from everything…I even saw a shrink…a new job, a new home, a new beginning…I event went halfway around the world and it wasn't far enough…" Her tears burst forth in a heart-wrenching sob. "No matter how hard I try, my curse follows…"

"That's not true." Yusei's hand clenched. "You broke free of the Black Rose Curse long ago. This is nothing more than a man's actions. He made them of his own choice and no one is to blame but himself. As you said before, each is their own person who are responsible for their own actions. You took responsibility for your own by facing the person you were trying to conceal and letting go of all the negative feelings you were holding for the people around you." It didn't have to be said, but they both questioned why Darwin was fixating on her. "Listen, you have nothing in common with that guy so don't even think that you may understand how he feels. He's like a virus, spreading and infecting others through his actions."

Akiza rested her chin on her knees as he continued, her inner emotions colliding with one another like waves on a beach. Yusei's words were stirring up something that she thought had disappeared when this whole thing had started. Tears weren't going to solve anything and it was time for her to fight back. Reaching through the curtain, she grasped the plate and brought it closer so she could devour its contents. The weakness in her limbs slowly faded with each bite she took and she couldn't help but relish the smallest surge of her psychic powers.

Yusei's attention shifted up from the floor as a plate was shoved into his face as sounds came from the tub. Shock filled him when he realized that it was practically licked clean. "Akiza?"

"It was really good. If the whole scientist thing doesn't work out, you could make it as a chef." She pulled back the curtain as he accepted the plate, revealing her towel-wrapped body. He made sure to keep his eyes on her own but it didn't stop the slight pink to enter them. She didn't miss the opportunity to tease him, asking if the steam was getting to him, and she thought that his smile never looked more happy. She caught him by surprise as she stole a kiss.

Heart hammering, he returned the kiss with vigor. Her lips were soft and held a hint of powdered sugar, testimony to her eating the crepes he had made. There was something new to the kiss though. It was as if she was trying to portray how much she appreciated that he had stayed by her side. His hands rose to cup her face as her own rested on his shoulders, deepening the kiss before slowly easing back so his sapphire orbs could meet her caramel and they shared a smile. She asked if they could invite the others for dinner and he nodded, saying that he himself would extend the invitations and see to the meal. A quick kiss was shared and then he departed, casting one last smile over his shoulder to her as she picked up her phone from the ground.

With Midan's Lament ceased, she was left alone with her thoughts as she finally looked at her reflection. "Time to get started."

Yusie quickly made his way down the staircase, his finger darting across his phone's surface as he created a group message and sent them an invite. He made to put in it his pocket but dismissed the thought as it immediately began ringing. "Yes, you read it right. Akiza wanted to have dinner with everyone." Four voices exclaimed loudly, causing him to hold the phone a few inches from his ringing ear. "Let's plan on seven."

"Did I just hear you right?" His movements stalled as a new voice came from the living room where he had last seen her mother. Her face broke out into a grin as he nodded. "Wonderful news! I'll see if her father is nearby!"

"Sounds good." Yusei nodded, turning his attention back to the phone as they began shooting off questions. "The sooner you get here the sooner you can get filled in." He wasn't surprised when he heard his front door practically explode and the sound of stampeding elephants came from the hallway not even thirty minutes later, taking the opportunity to look up from the preparations he was in the middle of in time to see them fall in a heap on the kitchen floor. "Sorry about that, seems that someone forgot to put up the wet floor sign."

"Cut the crap, Yus!" Crow all but shouted as he removed himself and moved to stand at the bar. "How's she doing?"

Yusei noticed Luna slowly slipping off into the living room from the corner of his eye and called her back. "She's finally eating, so that's a good sign. There's still a long way to go for her though."

"What about the bloke? Any sign of him yet?" Jack growled, crossing his arms.

"Nothing, but that doesn't mean he's not around." Yusei reminded him that the chip was still transmitting, but there was no way to track it while it was still in Akiza. "Let's get it out and then we can find him." His eyes slid from the group in front of him to the doorway as a figure appeared within it, blinking as Akiza's mother requested their attention. A collective gasp filled the room as their friend entered.

Gone where her long tresses that once reached her lower back. It was now the same length that it was when they had first met her as the Black Rose, but there was no barrette holding back her bangs. Instead they were side swept and trimmed to curve around her face. When it was paired with the outfit she had redesigned from her original one, it was breathtaking. A faint blush entered her cheeks the longer they stared at her. "I know it's something different, but come on. You're making me feel like an animal at the zoo." Her breath caught as the twins threw themselves at her, their arms wrapping around. Crow and Jack voiced their approval as she looked to each in turn. The twins released her as Yusei wiped his hands clean with a cloth and approached her. "I'm ready to fight, no more lying down and crying for myself."

He collected her in his arms as squeezed her gently. "Welcome back."

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