In case some people are wondering, I dumped the Orichalcos arc and decided to maybe add it in the future, in perhaps a sequel of CSP or something similar, so now we are moving on with the story. I'm sorry for making you guys wait for so long. I hope you will enjoy the chapter.
Special thanks to HunterHQ and FlowersHeart17 who gave me ideas to include in this chapter, and CitrusUnshiu who helped me with the editing, and Okazakisan who pointed out a few things.
The chapter begins in Estelle's point of view.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 93: Confessions
Yusei and Jack returned to Japan after a successful mission of stopping the Crimson Devil from creating chaos in Nazca. Just like in the anime, Jack unlocked Blazing Soul and used his power to absorb Red Nova's power and created Red Dragon Archfiend's evolution form; Red Nova Dragon.
Now, with both Yusei and Jack unlocking their powers and obtaining the evolved forms of their Signer Dragons, we had a bigger chance of advancing in the World Racing Grand Prix once the tournament would resume, which was only going to happen next month in July.
However, at this moment, the Signers and I had gathered in the living room of Goodwin's mansion with my adoptive father and Ish. It was Ish who had requested the Signers' presence because she had something important to tell us. She hadn't told me beforehand of what she wanted to say, so I had no idea what to expect. The Signers sat on one of the couches and armchairs while Ish and I sat on another couch facing my friends. Goodwin was in Sector Security Headquarters for work, so he couldn't join us this time.
"Why are we here again?" Leo asked.
"Leo, have you already forgotten?" Luna sighed in defeat. "Ms. Ish wants to tell us something very important."
Ish giggled softly at the twins' reactions. "Please, little Luna, you can just call me Ish."
"Sorry…", Luna blushed in embarrassment.
"So what is this meeting about?" Yusei asked. "Since you asked Bruno not to be here, I assume it has something to do…with our Marks."
"Yes", I nodded, verifying Yusei's guess.
"But what about Sherry?" Crow wondered, his right shoulder still being wrapped in bandages. "Isn't she…an outsider in this matter?"
"Crow, that's a bad thing to say!" Aki scolded him.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend someone!" Crow waved his free hand in defense.
"It's okay, Aki", Sherry spoke. "I understand Crow's reasoning."
Jack sipped a cup of coffee before he paid attention to the meeting. "Quit stalling and just tell us already, ma'am", he said in a very controlled voice, but I could still snap up the impatience. "We've got to go training for the WRGP now that Yusei and I've got new cards."
"I will, Jack", Ish nodded. "You all know that I used to be friends with Rex and Roman, right?"
"Yeah, I think we heard that from Estelle", Yusei nodded as he turned to me.
"Yes, at Goodwin's birthday party last year", I explained.
"My connection to the Goodwin brothers began a long time ago, but for you to fully understand how I became friends with them, I must start from the very beginning", Ish said. "I come from a village in Nazca that is located close to the Nazca Lines. My family was the richest in that village, but my parents were anything but loving. They were extremely strict and didn't give me freedom to choose what I wanted to do. They arranged my marriage for me without my consent once I became an adult, so I begged them to let me experience the world for just a couple of years before I could settle down. As an adult, they couldn't hold me back, so they allowed me to travel to Japan and study in university. That is when I met Rex and Roman…and Arisa and Ikuto."
Yusei snapped his head up when he heard his parents' names. "You met…my parents?"
"Yes, I did, Yusei", Ish smiled warmly with a hint of sadness. "You look just like your father, except Ikuto didn't have the golden streaks in his hair like you do, and you inherited your mother's gentle eyes. They would be so proud of you."
Yusei looked down so his spiky bangs covered his face, but I could tell he was a little sad and perhaps wondered if his parents would really be proud of him. He clearly still had some doubt in his heart.
Ish must have noticed my crush's change of mood, so she continued her story. "The five of us went to the same university, but I didn't go to the engineering courses. I preferred art and music, so we had different schedules. However, we were still able to make time to meet up and have some fun. One day, Arisa confessed she liked studying history, so she asked me lots of questions about the myths of the Nazca Lines."
Yusei lifted his head up when he heard about his mother's interest. "She asked you about the Nazca Lines?"
"Weren't the Four Stars of Destiny and the Original Ener-D Reactor named after the Nazca Lines?" Aki asked.
"Mina said those were their codenames", Jack nodded. "This must've been the origin of their names."
That may explain how and where the Original Ener-D got its codenames from. I remembered there was barely any official information about Arisa in my world, so this came as a big surprise.
"It didn't take long before I started feeling a connection toward Roman", Ish continued. "I thought it was only because of a crush, but I later found out that wasn't the case."
"Why is that?" Crow asked.
Ish took a deep breath before she turned to me. "Estelle… The Duel we had the other day was actually a test."
"A test? For what?" I wondered while raising an eyebrow.
"To see whether you truly deserve the Mark you are carrying on your right arm or not."
"Wait a minute…!" Leo spoke up. "The only people who know what our Marks are about are the ones who know the original story of the Crimson Dragon! And since you're from Nazca, ma'am…"
Luna gasped in realization. "Are you one of the descendants of the People of the Stars, Ish?"
"Yes and no, Luna", Ish giggled.
Aki's breath got stuck in her mouth as she probably figured it out. "No way… A-Are you a previous Signer?"
"No, but you were very close, Aki", Ish replied.
If Ish wasn't a Signer, then… No way?!
"Were you…the Priestess before me, Ish?" I asked in disbelief.
She turned to me with a serious expression. "Yes."
Crow drank some juice when he suddenly choked on it after hearing the stunning revelation. He coughed harshly as he wiped the beverage off his chin with a napkin. "W-What'd you just say…?"
"I was the previous Crimson Star Priestess", Ish said it loud and clear.
"What?!" the rest of us exclaimed in disbelief.
I was just as surprised as the others. Ish was the Priestess before me? I checked her bare arms to see if she had any signs of Marks, but the only thing I found on her right arm was the scar of a pentagram.
"What happened that made you lose the Mark?" I asked.
Ish sighed softly through her nose with a solemn expression. "I was born with the Mark of the Crimson Star, so I knew I would one day need to step up to fulfill my role as the Crimson Star Priestess. I quickly learned the reason of the connection with Roman was because he had the Mark of the Head. When he and Rex heard about the tale of the Crimson Dragon from me, they understood Roman and I were chosen by the God for a purpose in the near future."
"To stop the Earthbound Immortals, right?" Yusei asked.
"Yes", Ish nodded. "The only problems we had were we didn't know where to find the other Signers and when the Earthbound Immortals were going to crawl out from their prison and enter the surface. However, because of the little freedom I had, I was unable to carry out my duty and look for the Signers with Roman. I knew Roman, Rex, Arisa, and Ikuto planned to become colleagues in the future while constructing the very first Ener-D Reactor, or Momentum, so all I could do for them was to wish their very best."
"Momentum?" Yusei repeated.
"That was the original name your father came up with for the Reactor he was already planning in the university", Ish explained. "I assume he changed his mind sometime along the road into Ener-D, since it's related to the energy the Duel Disks produce during Duels."
Oh, this was interesting to hear. The Reactor was originally meant to be called Momentum, like in the Japanese subbed version? Why did it get changed? Because of the more reasonable name? Then again, both names made sense for the Reactor.
"I soon got married and lived a miserable life in a very controlling relationship", Ish continued her tale. "After ten long abusive years and not being blessed with a child, my husband and I had a divorce and I was left alone penniless and without help from my family. I had to rebuild my life again from the bottom, which was difficult. Even so, I never lost hope while I kept singing on the streets of Lima to earn enough money for the daily bread."
"That's so sad…", Luna mumbled sadly.
Ish took a short break as she lifted her teacup up to her lips to moisten her throat. "Shortly after the divorce, I soon got scouted by a talent agency and they helped me build a career by becoming a singer", she continued with a tiny smile. "I finally had a roof over my head and ate three meals a day as I worked hard to have a stable life." Her shoulders sank as her lips turned downward. "One day, in the middle of the night, I woke up by sensing massive pain from my Mark, a pain I've never experienced before, not even while married to my ex-husband. I knew something was wrong, so I turned the news on and saw the live footage of Domino City being destroyed and split into two by the meltdown of Zero Reverse…"
I noticed how her hands on her lap clenched into fists. She was holding her feelings back or she was in control of them, but the memories still hurt her to this day.
"I could no longer feel the connection with Roman, so I feared the worst", Ish confessed with a sad expression. "My fears were confirmed when I came across the list of the deceased and missing people in the incident and saw Roman, Rex, Ikuto, and Arisa's names. The four dear friends I made in Japan were gone…including my first love." A small tear appeared by the corner of her right eyelid, but she quickly wiped it off. "I was going to reach out to them after my successful career and see them again, but they were gone. My heart felt like it was going to rip apart; they had showed me more love and warmth than my own family, so it was like I had lost my second family."
I noticed from my periphery how Yusei, Jack, and Crow shared a knowing glance. They must have understood Ish's feelings about second family. They lost their biological family because of Zero Reverse, but found a second family in Martha and in each other when they quickly bonded and became childhood friends and foster brothers.
"It took some time for me to comprehend the situation and when I did, the Crimson Dragon reached out to me", Ish continued. "He informed me he lost connection to the Mark of the Head and couldn't retrieve it now that Roman was deceased. The Crimson Dragon said he had sensed a dark aura coming from Roman before Zero Reverse, so it is highly possible the Earthbound Immortals used their power to hide the energy of the Mark and made it unable to track it down. The Crimson Dragon concluded the next time the Immortals would attempt opening the now closed gate between the two worlds was in seventeen years. By that time, the other Signers, including myself, would become weak and fragile to handle the Shadows, so he removed the Marks of the Signers to pass them over to the next generation of Signers to succeed us and carry out the duty to protect our world. I was told the next Signer with the Mark of the Wings was already born because the former bearer unfortunately passed away before the major incident."
I blinked my eyes in surprise. The previous Signers were still alive and yet the Crimson Dragon chose to remove their Marks? Didn't the lore in my world say the Marks were only passed over to the next generation by the time the former Signers passed away? Then again, it made some kind of sense that the Crimson Dragon needed to rely on the younger blood to tackle the Earthbound Immortals. Ish may be a strong Duelist, but she is in her early fifties now and maybe the mental and physical strain from Dueling the Dark Signers could've been too difficult for her and the previous Signers to handle.
"I was allowed to keep my Mark because the Crimson Dragon had picked out a couple of candidates whom he would watch over and later decide who would succeed me and bless them with the Mark of the Crimson Star. He mentioned one of the candidates was a young maiden from another world, which sounded remarkable at first. Almost two decades later, the Crimson Dragon appeared in a dream and told me he had chosen my successor and removed my Mark by the time he transported Estelle to our world. The only evidence I have left as the previous Crimson Star Priestess is the scar of the Mark on my arm. Since I lost the majority of my power, I couldn't contact the Crimson Dragon and ask him how the new Signers and Priestess were faring, but I got all the information through the media when the King of the Netherworld crawled up to the surface and attempted to destroy the planet, and I heard the details from Goodwin after we reconnected on his birthday party. I may be late to say this, but thank you for saving our world."
Jack snorted loudly with a proud smirk. "Of course, ma'am! It's our duty to protect our home from all danger! I'll burn the enemies into ashes with my blazing soul and Red Dragon Archfiend!"
"Hey, you can't take all the credit, Jack!" Crow argued. "I helped out too, even when I wasn't a Signer yet!"
"Which was a dumb move of you to Duel Greiger when he was a Dark Signer!" Jack retorted. "You're lucky Yusei was by your side so he could've stepped in and save you if things went downhill!"
"Which never happened!" Crow growled.
"Guys, stop bickering!" Aki scolded the duo.
"Some things never change, do they?" Leo commented.
"Well, I guess it depends on who asks that question", Luna told her brother.
"I have a question, Ish", Yusei spoke up while raising his hand.
"Yes, Yusei?" Ish responded.
"I got the Mark of the Tail before, so why did the Crimson Dragon give me the Mark of the Head after Estelle removed the complete Seal off of Goodwin?"
"The Mark of the Head is usually given to the Signer who has the capacity of a leader. Roman was supposed to be the leader of the former Signers, so that's why he was born with the Head Mark. The Crimson Dragon must've sensed your leadership and deemed you worthy of becoming the new leader of the Signers, but because the Mark of the Head was missing and corrupted by the Immortals, he gave you the Tail Mark to reassure you were one of the chosen Signers."
"Then are you familiar with Iliaster?"
"Only a little bit. I've heard of Iliaster in the old legends that they were part of the Immortals. However, now, after hearing who they actually are, it makes sense why there's little information about them. They have the power to alter history, so they were able to erase their tracks."
"But now we know who they are, so we can prepare ourselves to stop them once and for all…in the World Racing Grand Prix."
"Which is, sadly, still postponed", Crow sighed as he leant back against the couch. "The days feel much longer now that we barely have things to do. My shoulder is still in bad shape, so I can't do my delivery business."
"I love summer vacation, but I hate the homework part", Leo sighed in defeat as he placed his arms on the coffee table before he rested his head on top of them. "There's always so much to do I feel like my head will fry."
"That's because you barely pay attention on the classes, Leo", Luna told him. "You only have energy for the Dueling sessions."
"Of course, because I want to become a professional Duelist!" Leo perked up by the thoughts of Duel Monsters. "Why should I focus on the other classes?"
"Because they are necessary in case you want to try something else in the future besides Dueling?" Luna rationalized.
"Well, I don't want to do that!" Leo argued.
Ish giggled at the twins. "You two are so adorable when you argue with each other."
"I'm not adorable!" Leo retorted with red embarrassed cheeks. "I'm awesome and powerful! And, one day, I'll beat both Yusei and Jack in Turbo Duels!"
"Good luck with that", Jack snorted amusingly.
"But, like your sister said, Leo, you should try paying a little more attention", Ish said. "I wanted to become a painter in the past, but because of my circumstances I was unable to achieve my first goal, so I studied music and attended chores to perfect my voice to become a singer. You should have at least one backup plan in case your first goal is unable to be achieved."
"Okay…", Leo sulked before he buried his face onto his arms. "I'll think about it."
I checked the pendulum clock on the wall next to the fireplace and saw it was about lunchtime. "How about we finish the meeting now and we go and have some lunch?" I suggested.
"Lunch?!" Crow and Leo perked up when they heard the magic word.
"Since the weather is quite hot, it's going to be cool chicken salad", I told my friends as we all stood up from our seats. "Is that okay?"
"I'd prefer if it was cool noodles, but I'll eat the salad", Jack muttered.
"Hey, be grateful that Estelle and Ish are treating us!" Crow shouted before he slapped the back of the blonde's head with his good hand.
Jack almost tripped on his feet when he got hit on the back, but he quickly found his balance and turned around to face the Blackwing Duelist. "I am grateful! You didn't have to hit me that hard, Crow!"
"Then express it in other words instead of sounding like you're complaining at everything!" Crow retorted.
"Jack, Crow, stop it already", Yusei sighed as he stepped in between his foster brothers and pushed them away from each other.
Jack and Crow glared at each other before they turned their heads away with frowns. Jack crossed his arms while Crow rested his good hand on his hips as they walked toward the closed doors. Only a few footsteps away did the doors open from the other side with Bruno peeking inside. "Hey, guys, lunch is ready-"
He noticed the two Signers' expressions and quickly stepped to the side before he could accidently get shoved to the side by Jack. Bruno had a nervous expression and turned to the rest of us as we walked out of the living room. "What happened between them?" he asked.
"Nothing you have to worry about, Bruno", Yusei told him.
"I still wonder how you can endure them, Yusei", Aki commented. "They're like water and oil."
"I'm simply used to their shenanigans", Yusei replied as he rubbed the back of his head. "But I know they care for each other deep inside."
Ish and I walked in the back as we watched my friends talking while heading to the dining room where the lunch was waiting. I couldn't stop smiling at the sight of my friends. They were a reminder of what I had gained ever since coming to this world.
"You have good friends, Estelle", Ish told me.
"Yeah…", I nodded.
The elderly woman placed a hand on my left shoulder and rubbed it with her thumb. "Make sure to always hold them dear."
"I will."
XXXXXXXXXX
A couple of days after we had the big talk, Aki called and asked if I wanted to join a slumber party. I had never been on one before, so I said yes. I prepared a duffel bag with some change of clothes, a nightgown, some snacks, and my cards so we could play and even trade. Bruno felt a little jealous that I was going on a slumber party, so I told him he should ask Yusei and the others if they wanted to have a slumber party in the garage. To my surprise, the Satellite Trio agreed to it, so they were going to have their own slumber party on the same night as the girls'.
When I arrived to Aki's place, I was greeted by her, Carly, Luna, Mei, Sakura, and even Miyuki. I was a little surprised not to see Sherry among the visitors. Aki said with a slight disappointed expression that Sherry had kindly declined the invitation.
We were right now scattered around in her bedroom, changed into our pyjamas and nightgowns. I was wearing a black simple flowy spaghetti-strapped nightgown that reached to my knees. Carly had a light blue long-sleeved button-up pyjamas with pants that were tied by a thick white thread. Luna wore the same pyjamas she used in the anime, including the nightcap. Mei had a sporty set of pyjamas consisting of a black tank top that revealed her stomach and a pair of red shorts. Sakura had a cherry blossom colored flowy short-sleeved nightgown with pastel pink frills by the collar and the hem of the skirt reaching her mid-thighs. Miyuki wore light indigo pyjamas with flower patterns in slight darker indigo colors. Aki was wearing a purple nightgown with short puffy sleeves and skirt that reached her ankles. Her energy stabilizer had been replaced by a curler, so her long bangs wouldn't get in her face.
"I was hoping we could get closer, but Sherry is still kind of an enigma", Aki sighed in disappointment as she sat on the bed on her knees.
Miyuki sat in Sakura's lap on the other side of the bed as she got her long hair brushed by teenager who in turn got her hair brushed by Mei. "What is an enigma?" the pre-teen asked.
"It's when someone or something that is mysterious", Sakura explained.
"I'm sure Sherry will one day learn to relax and enjoy life", Mei spoke up as she finished brushing Sakura's hair and started braiding it. "She still has quite the serious vibe around her."
"Considering her past, it will take time for her to settle down", I commented as I sat on the soft carpet floor with Luna and Carly while going through the reporter's cards. "We should give her time until she feels ready."
Luna bit off a piece of a dark chocolate-covered pocky as she sat on a cushion on the carpet and watched me and Carly doing some trades. "I'm actually glad I can have some time-off from Leo", the female twin said. "He's my brother, but he can sometimes be a little too much."
Aki rolled down on her stomach and turned to us before she crossed her arms and rested her chin on top of them. "I'm sure he's having a blast with the boys. I mean, he admires Yusei and Jack very much."
"Yeah, but he's got so much energy when he's excited", Luna sighed before she turned to Miyuki who was on her way to get off the bed. "Why do you even like my brother, Miyuki?"
Said girl almost tripped when she got off the bed, but she quickly grabbed onto the covers and found her balance. "W-What?!" she exclaimed with a bright red face.
Carly snapped her head up when she heard the theme of the question. "Oh! Is it time to talk about romance? I'd love to talk about our crushes!"
"Well, they do say it wouldn't be a true slumber party if you don't talk about romance", Mei chuckled as she and Sakura got off the bed and sat down on the carpet. "We should do that."
"Yeah! I'm curious about your crushes!" Sakura nodded excitedly, her single braid flying around as she moved her head.
"Okay", Aki nodded as she was the last person to join us on the floor. "I've never talked about romance, so I'm a little excited myself."
Carly and I put away our cards before we all brought out the snacks we had taken with us and shared with each other. "So who should go first?" I asked.
"I suggest Miyuki, since Luna asked her about Leo", Sakura suggested.
"M-Me…?" Miyuki stuttered nervously before she looked down on her lap where she played with her hands. "W-Well… I… I like Leo's goofy side. He always makes me smile when I'm sad and…he's nice and determined, refusing to give up in Duels when he's in a corner. And… Whenever he loses a Duel, I want to comfort him and tell him he will win next time."
"Aww, that's so cute!" Sakura cooed.
"Leo easily sulks whenever he loses a Duel, but he's gotten better on accepting the defeats now", Luna pointed out. "I guess he's getting mature."
"Well, that was about my crush; now it's your turn, Luna", Miyuki smirked.
Luna blushed when she heard it was her turn. "Me…?"
"Yes, you", Miyuki nodded. "Who do you like; your childhood friend Dexter or our classmate Sly? To me, it looks like you like Sly."
Luna played with the pom-pom on her nightcap as she looked to the side, trying to hide her red cheeks. "Y-Yes, I think I have a crush on Sly", she admitted before she got a slight sad face. "But… Almost every girl in class has a crush on him now that he got adopted by Misty and became a popular child model."
"Is he really that popular?" I wondered, since I didn't follow the news about models and famous people.
"Yes!" Miyuki nodded rapidly. "Girls in other classes look for him almost every day in the Academy and they give him their homemade sweets."
"And he accepts each one of them…", Luna mumbled sadly. "I've given him some sweets too, but I don't think he sees them as special…"
From what I heard, it sounded like the popular schoolboy drama I used to read in manga books; how one boy at school is popular and treats his fans equally, but there are a few girls who truly love him but feel like they would never get noticed by him no matter how hard they try to get his attention.
I rubbed Luna's back to give her comfort. "It's tough not to get your feelings reciprocated by your crush, but you're still young, Luna", I told her. "Crushes come and go when you're young. I had a couple of crushes myself until I became an adult and learned what love actually is."
"Then… What is love?" Luna asked as she turned to me with big eyes.
"I know the answer on that!" Carly raised her hand up before she placed her hands on her chest where her heart was beating. "Love is when your heart starts feeling warm when you think about the one you care deeply for. You want to do everything you can to make sure they are okay and help them get through their toughest times in life. I want to be by Jack side while he goes through difficult times and support him all the way to he becomes the King of Games again. And then…" She started blushing hard as she cupped her face and wiggled left and left. "I'll become his queen!" She fell down to the floor on her back as she hid her red face. "Kyaa! That was so embarrassing!"
"That wasn't embarrassing at all, Carly", Sakura smiled before she got a concerned expression. "But Jack Atlas is quite hard to approach, so it's a mystery how you got close to him."
Carly calmed down and sat up on her backside with her cheeks still a little pink. "I helped him when he was feeling down after the Fortune Cup and we've been good friends ever since", she explained. "He may look like he's hard to approach, but once you get to know him you can find a soft teddy bear inside of him."
Aki and I couldn't help but giggle at Carly's choice of words of how she described Jack's gentle side. She was somewhat right, but Jack was more of a tsundere than a teddy bear. In my point of view, the best way to use the term on a man was if he had a similar physics as a bear, like Greiger.
"I think Jack is scary", Miyuki commented. "He always has an angry face."
"That's just the way he is, Miyuki", Mei told her. "But if he keeps having that angry face, he'll be quite a grumpy man when he gets old."
"He will not be a grumpy man!" Carly retorted irritably. "He will be a loving man and father to our son and daughter!"
"Oi, oi, no need to think that far into the future yet", I sweat dropped.
"Then what about you and Yusei, Estelle, hm?" Carly asked with a mischievous smirk.
"M-Me…?" I repeated in surprise, feeling my heart racing in my chest.
"I'm curious too", Aki smirked. "What are your feelings toward Yusei, Estelle?"
"Um…", I began nervously, sensing all eyes were staring at me. "I love him…very much."
"We already know that", Aki sighed loudly in defeat as she face palmed herself. "But how much and why?"
I looked down on my lap as I played with the hem of my nightgown. "My crush on Yusei began when I saw him for the first time", I confessed. "I was attracted to his looks and personality as I got to know him. I first assumed the feelings I had for him was similar to a sibling love, but that wasn't the case. Seeing how much burden he's carrying on his shoulders, I want to help him by lifting off that weight and carry half of it. He's too strict on himself and keeps everything locked up inside of him. I want to make him feel safe in my presence to let it go when the pressure gets too much on him. I want to see him happy, so I'm willing to let go of my feelings if he finds someone else to love. That's how much I love him."
"Aww, you're so considerate!" Sakura smiled widely.
"But why would you give up on him if he finds someone else?" Carly wondered.
"I don't want to be selfish", I replied. "Besides, you can't demand someone to love you. You need to earn their trust and friendship first, and if nothing else blossoms from that… Then it's meaningless to try reaching for something you wish for."
"Is that what adult love is about?" Miyuki wondered. "It sounds so complicated… Why do you have to give up on the one you love?"
"Love will always be complicated, Miyuki", I explained. "If you love someone but they don't love you back, you don't want them to suffer, right? Then it's best to let them go instead of shackling them to you, knowing they will just be sad and miserable by your side."
"I…don't understand all of it, but it sounds fair", Luna nodded. "I wouldn't want my boyfriend to feel sad if he didn't love me."
"You're still too young to have a boyfriend, Luna", Aki commented. "But your time will come one day. Just like with Miyuki."
"Are you going to confess to Yusei, Estelle?" Carly wondered.
"After the World Racing Grand Prix is over", I replied. "Whether our team will win or lose."
"Team 5D's will definitely win!" Carly said determinedly.
"Not if our team wins", Sakura said teasingly.
"Moving on!" I called before we could lose sight of the romance talk. "Do you have a romantic interest toward someone, Aki?"
Aki's face brightened up when the romance baton was passed to her. "Me…?" She suddenly looked very conflicted, as if she didn't know what to say next. "I…", she started, looking down on her hands. "I…am a little interested in someone right now."
"So you do have a love interest?" Sakura shrieked happily.
Aki nodded slightly, still looking at her now intertwined hands. "I met them a while ago, so we aren't that close yet."
"That's all?" Sakura asked disappointingly, causing Aki to look up to us.
"What do you like about that person?" Mei asked, trying to get the red-head to talk about her crush.
"That's right! We all talked about what we like about our romantic interest!" Carly chimed in.
"I… Um…", the red-head started, her gaze going back to her hands.
For some reason, she seemed so nervous, which made me wonder why she was so secretive about her love interest.
"I admire their courage and determination to reach their goal, but I…", she stopped, trying to find the correct words. "I'm worried about them. They're always on the move and I'm worried they will one day crash and burn and I don't want that to happen. I want to help them, but I don't know how."
The way she described the person she was interested in sounded like Sherry. I had noticed some signs between them, but Sherry still had a shield up that bounced everyone who tried to approach her back, good and bad people alike. It must be her defense mechanism she had built up throughout the years of survival.
"I think it's best if you tell them directly, Aki", Sakura suggested with a reassuring smile. "I mean, communication is the key in every type of relationship. If you don't tell them about your concerns, they will never know you want to help them."
Aki's facial expression softened a bit, as she returned the smile slightly. "You're right… I should try talking to them next time. Thank you, Sakura", she said, before she suddenly got a confused expression. "Wait… You sounded like you have experience about relationships. Have you dated before?"
Sakura giggled with a soft blush on her cheeks as Mei wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to her side with a smile. "Well…", the pink-haired girl began as she turned to the blackette with a big yet nervous smile.
"We're in a relationship", Mei confessed confidently.
It took a couple of seconds for the rest of us to comprehend what we just heard in which both Mei and Sakura seemed to get more nervous by each second. The one to react first was Carly who shrieked in joy. "I knew it! You two have the same vibes as my cousin and his boyfriend!" the reporter smiled, referring to Blaze and Aeon.
"You two…are dating?" Miyuki asked as she tilted her head to the side.
"You two were dating this whole time?" Aki asked confusedly, but somehow it looked like she was relieved by that information.
I was extremely surprised. This came out of the blue. Since I rarely saw Sakura and Mei, I hadn't seen much of how they interacted with each other.
"Actually, we recently started dating, Aki", Sakura replied. "When we met and became friends with you, we were still on the friendship phase."
"Sakura confessed to me on Valentine's Day before I could confess to her", Mei chuckled as she caressed her girlfriend's arm with her hand.
"We've been dating since then", Sakura added happily.
"I never realized that…", Aki mumbled.
"Of course not! Back then, your head was kinda busy with Duel Runner practice with your white knight and her loyal steed", Sakura giggled.
Aki's cheeks turned red and she started fumbling with her hands. "S-Sherry is not my…my… Umm…" She realized we were smirking at her, obviously knowing who she had a crush on, so she grabbed a pillow from her bed and hit Sakura with it. "Shut up!"
Sakura laughed as she got hit by the soft pillow while Aki's face turned redder by her awkward laughter. Sakura and Miyuki quickly grabbed their own pillows and joined the fight.
Carly crawled over to Mei as I watched the girls tumbling around with the pillows. "I'll always be supportive of you guys", the reporter told the blackette.
"Thank you, Carly. I really appreciate it", Mei nodded before she and Carly held hands in the same way the characters do in the anime when they're on the same side.
"Congratulations, Mei", I smiled. "Take good care of Sakura."
"I always will", Mei responded before she turned to the brawling girls. "Speaking of, I should step in and defend my girlfriend."
"I'll join you!" Carly called excitedly. "Let's go save your princess!"
The duo hurried to grab their own pillows before they started hitting Aki with them, putting her at a disadvantage now that she was getting overpowered.
I soon noticed Luna had been quiet this entire time. I looked around and spotted her by the bookcase. She was staring at something on one of the shelves.
"Luna?" I called as I walked over to her.
The little Signer held a manga book in her hand that she had picked up from the bookcase. It turned out to be a girls' love manga just like the rest of the books on that specific shelf. There were also a few boys' love manga I hadn't seen before when I was in Aki's bedroom last time.
"I saw these and got curious", Luna explained as she showed me the manga she held. "Mom and Dad told me these types of books are dirty, but they don't look like that."
"Hey, who allowed you to touch my manga?" Aki said nervously from her bed before she threw a pillow against my head.
That's it! Luna and I joined in on the pillow fight. It didn't take long before we all were exhausted by the pillow fight. Soon, Setsuko checked on us and said we should go and sleep, so we fixed the blankets and pillows on the bed and floor before Aki turned the lights off.
"Good night, girls…", she yawned.
"Good night…", the rest of us replied before falling asleep.
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The part of Aki being a girls' and boys' love fan was inspired by the Twitter user Zack PyO who drew a Snow White parody comic featuring a few 5D's characters and the male protagonists from every YGO anime season plus the YGO manga "Ocg Structures". Aki was reading "Snow White" for Leo and Luna with a twist; Yusei was Snow White and Bruno was the prince. (I have a feeling Aki secretly supports ToolShipping, lol!) You should go check out Zack PyO's Twitter account; they make amazing drawings and comics!
The boy's slumber party will be featured in the beginning of the next chapter.
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Inoue Miyuki belongs to Springflowerangel.
Aeon Utopa and Blaze belong to darkworldprince.