So as it seems I have a huge issue of not uploading the chapters I write...
I'm up to chapter 9 and I haven't even updated chapter 5, I love my consistency.
I've been drawing and typing non stop and so my wrists, shoulders and back hurt like hell and I have a raging headache so I feel like shit. I haven't had caffeine in months and I'm dying for a cup of coffee.
Edit: Thank you to CitrusUnshiu for pointing out that I spelt Sherry's name wrong and that I was missing the accents on the word "désolé". If there are nay other continuity errors or mistakes that I have made please don't hesitate to let me know. I don't bite. If there is anything you guys would like me to work into the story, let me know and I will see if I can!
I don't own Yugioh 5ds
Yusei flopped back down into the armchair in his room. Jack had just left early and Bruno was making dinner in the kitchen next door. It's been 2 days since he had told Jack about what happened to him at the facility and things were if possible even more tense and awkward between them. The blond man stiffened every time Yusei spoke to him and hadn't met his eyes. He could swear there was a flush across his cheeks every time Yusei caught him staring. Perhaps he was coming down with something.
Yusei thought back on the events leading up to the accident. The truth was he didn't know if he was mad at Jack or not. It was a fleeting feeling, one day it was there, another day it wasn't. He was just frustrated and tired. Honestly he was at the point that he would even go to one of the shady doctors in the back alley and have his dead leg amputated, no anesthesia, no nothing. 'Although', he cracked a small smile, 'Bruno would enjoy making me a prosthetic.'
Secretly he'd been thinking of designs for one, trying to make it compatible with a runner. It was slow going and would depend heavily on if he could even recover. But those were big ifs.
Bruno knocked on his door and called "Its chow time Yus! Come on!"
Yusei grabbed his crutch and limped towards his door. Bruno had laid out the numerous bowls and plates with a large hotpot in the center of the table. There were chopsticks and other utensils in a small holder. Bruno was already seated.
"Smells great Bruno, thanks."Yusei smiled. He grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started digging into the rice. He was starving.
"Thanks. I grabbed a bunch of spices and Jack managed to grab us some meat. He got a new job, did you hear?"
Yusei nodded. "As Senator Izinski's driver right? I take it he met up with Akiza then?"
Bruno nodded. "Yeah. He's getting paid a lot too. Plus he can take out the car on weekends. Crow invited us for an outing tomorrow. Us, the twins, Akiza and Jack at the mall. We need some new clothes plus we can eat out."
Yusei felt uncomfortable. On one hand he didn't want to go out in public and endure those jeers but on the other he didn't want to dash Bruno's excitement. "Sure but I don't want chinese."
Bruno shuddered and gagged. "Amen to that. How long did we eat chinese for?"
"About 2 months."replied Yusei grimly. "And after that we had alot of leftovers."
" is putting me off my food."Bruno took a bit spoonful of rice and shoved it into his mouth.
"Nothing puts you off your food."Yusei laughed lightly. He reached a hand towards Bruno's face and brushed away a few grains of rice. "Such a child." His hand hovered over Bruno's for a few seconds. The touch was gentle but it had so many different meanings.
Bruno took it gently and pulled it away. He gave a sad smile. "Yus, you know it can't be me. Your heart isn't with mine, I can tell."
"W-What do you mean?You know how I feel about you Bruno."
Bruno shook his head. "You're mistaking kindness for love. You don't love me Yusei. I can tell."
Yusei said nothing.
Bruno got up and placed his plate in the sink. "Well I have to get back to an essay for my computer professor. He's making me do it in exchange for skipping his class yesterday. Good night Yusei."He grabbed the hotpot and filled it with water in the sink. He placed a brief hand on Yusei's shoulder and walked off towards his room.
Yusei sat for a little while longer. "Damn it all."He whispered to himself in the silence of his garage.
"Akiza how long are you going to take?"Jack grumbled checking his watch. He leaned against the red Chevy in front of the Izinski household. Technically this was the car Akiza used but it was also the car he was loaned on weekends. He drove the Senator around in a silver porsche. Normally when he was on a chauffeur job, he would have to wear a suit and gloves, just to look the now he was wearing a casual, white coat, white button down and dark worn gray jeans. Akiza's house was the exact opposite of his own. It was huge and sprawling, with a garden and a few servants. According to the Senator however, Jack's demeanor could pass him off as a figure more affluent and powerful than he truly was. The Senator was a good man. He was lobbying heavily for more rights for people with brands and for more healthcare and help for those who were struggling financially.
Akiza jogged through the large double doors and down the stairs. She wore a red dress with white pokka dots and black accents. A rose headband fastened her bangs on top of her head. "Sorry! Sorry! I was getting ready."
"Honestly Akiza, we aren't going for a date or something. You don't have to dress up nicely."
She punched his shoulder and her face went red. "I'll have you know I wouldn't be going out dressed like a slob like you." Jack wasn't a slob by no means. He always dressed nicely for always being broke. His clothes were simple but smartly put together. Casual but posh.
"Ouch."He muttered but sat in the driver's seat. Akiza sat in the back. "So whats the address? I hope its not too far."
She leaned over and typed the address onto the touchscreen gps embedded into the dashboard."There we go." Jack followed the route displayed while they made small talk. Akiza learned that Jack has been working at Yusei's Garage. Jack learned that Yusei has been tutoring Akiza and the twins.
He pulled into a driveway and two almost identical children ran up to the car. "Hey Akiza!"
"Hey guys!" She called out the window.
"Why are there two of them?"Jack asked, peering at them. "Clones?"
She sighed. "I forgot you have the brain the size of a pea."
"Hey-!"
The car door opened and the kids clambered it.
"Hey Akiza is this the idiot you told us about? "One of the kids asked. Jack couldn't tell which gender the kid was but if he had to guess, based on the clothes, that it was a boy.
"Akiza! I'm not an idiot. " Jack scowled at the boy. "And the names Jack Atlas to you, brat. I'm the king and don't you forget it."
"The king of what?"He challenged unfazed. "Where's your crown?"
"I'm the king of everything. My crown is being repaired right now."
"So you don't have a crown?"The boy drawled.
Before Jack could go off on the small boy Akiza cut in. "Jack we're late. We have to go pick them up."
"And whose fault is that?I wasn't the one fooling around with makeup and perfume."
"I. Was. Not. Fooling. Around!" She yanked on his ear. "Now drive, lackey."
"Ouch! Ouch! Don't rip my ear off! Geez women and their temperament! What's wrong with you?"
Luna and Leo exchanged glances, Leo's amusement clashing with Luna's anxiousness. "Chill'ax sis. You're too tense and worked up. We've got Aki, we're fine."
They introduced themselves to Jack in a break in Akiza and Jack's argument. Jack spotted a few key differences between them which was vital because they looked almost identical. Luna wore her hair in pigtails. Leo wore his in a ponytail. Luna was quiet. Leo was as loud as an army of geese. Luna was mature. Leo was less mature.
The twins were technically living alone, with their parents only coming home on weekends and friday nights even then very sporadically. They were pretty independent and could do things people twice their age couldn't. They had met Yusei through Akiza who was a family friend. They've only known each other for a little less than a year but Jack could hear the awe in their voices when they spoke about Yusei. He'd always been like that. Even their stuffy old landlord fawned over him back when they shared an apartment.
They made their last stop at Yusei's garage where the twins dismounted out of the car. They ran and skipped inside yelling for the garage's occupants.
"Yusei! Yusei! Hey Bruno! Come on. "
Yusei was standing near the cabinets rifling through its contents. They ran up to him. "Hey guys. I'm coming. I'm coming. Bruno!"
Bruno appeared at the top of the stairs and flew down them. "Well if it isn't my favorite twins! Hey Luna, Leo." He grabbed the keys to the garage and held the side door open for them, locking it as they left.
Yusei caught sight of Jack and paused. His heart felt like it wasn trying to beat out of his chest. "Um, does anyone else want to sit in the front seat?"He asked. The twins, Akiza and Bruno were all crammed into the back, Luna was sitting on Akiza's lap.
Jack scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Come on Yusei, I don't smell, although you do." He wrinkled his nose. "Seriously when did either of you last take a bath?"
"These are the only clothes we have. The washing machine disintegrated our others. We have to get more." Yusei said, lowering himself slowly onto the seat. "I tried washing these yesterday. I guess I couldn't get the stench out."
"Well let's fix that shall we? We're going to get you new clothes. You smell like the garage."
Crow sat next to his runner in the New Domino City Mall's parking lot. He had grabbed himself a pepsi from the apartment and was sipping it while typing out a list on his phone. He also planned to buy the kids a few new clothes and necessary items. He sighed. Marla was getting older. Sooner or later she's going to need bras and period products. He'd ask Akiza about those things. She knew of his intentions and wouldn't think of him as rude for asking. It nearly brought tears to his eyes when he thought of his kids all grown up.
He checked the time again. They were 10 minutes late. He rolled his eyes. Of course they were. The one day he takes a quick break from work and his friends are late. He could imagine the car ride now. Jack and Akiza were probably bickering with each other, Yusei was probably trying to calm them down and the twins and Bruno were probably either laughing or making it worse.
He was relieved they were all talking to each other again. Akiza had often vented to him how furious she was at Jack and it broke his heart. They used to be so close with each other. Jack looked after Akiza like a younger sister. They were like family.
A bright red car pulled up in the free parking spot next to him. He got up off the asphalt and dusted his palms. "About time. I was wondering if you guys bailed."
The twins jumped out of the car. "How are you two?" Crow smiled ruffling their hair. They responded in a chorus of 'goods' and 'how are yous'.
Everyone else dismounted. Bruno stretched his arms. "Thank god! I think I was starting to get claustrophobia."
"That makes me glad I was driving." said Jack. He pocketed his keys and looked towards Yusei. The raven haired man seemed to have a light sheen of sweat across his brow. He was breathing hard as he leaned on his crutch. Jack frowned and was about to cross over to him but before he could Bruno leaned over to Yusei looking concerned. Jack's stomach plummeted. Bruno was whispering something in Yusei's ear and Yusei's expression relaxed and he shook his head with a small smile.
Jack's lungs felt like they were deflating. Were they-? .No. Yusei wouldn't- But were they? It felt like someone had just blown up Jack's universe into a thousand tiny pieces. They couldn't be-There was no way….
"Jack come on! You planning on standing there forever?"Crow called, arms crossed. Jack had been so startled he didn't even notice that Yusei and Bruno had left and were following Akiza and the twins.
Jack turned to Crow who frowned. "You okay dude? You look like you've seen a ghost."
" 's nothing."
Crow raised an eyebrow but didn't press him.
They walked after the others and into the mall. The mall was four stories each dedicated to a section. The 1st and 2nd floors were stores and boutiques. The 3rd was a play area and food court. The 4th was filled with high end restaurants and a few bars. The play area had a long blue slide that crossed on the 2nd floor and a huge ball pit that was every child's dream.
"Damn I wish I could have brought the kids to this place."Crow murmured.
"Whats stopping you?"asked Bruno.
"They don't really like new people and everyone here would probably send them to the hills. Hell, its difficult getting them to go to school but its important."
"What are we going to do first?"Luna asked, her eyes glittering.
"Let's go up to the 3rd floor. I wanna go to the ball pit!"Leo was jumping around nearly knocking the cardboard cutouts of the famous actress Misty who was advertising a new shampoo brand.
"Leo be careful."Yusei said, gesturing to the boy. "You're going to-" Leo face planted over a lady's bag slipping its contents. "-trip."
Luna ran up to him and Yusei hobbled behind her. "Leo are you okay? I am so sorry."She bowed to the blond lady who had owned the purse. "My brother is an idiot."
The lady laughed slightly and responded."It's okay. Honestly it is alright. It was my fault for leaving my bag over there. " The lady spoke with a heavy french accent. She started to pick her stuff up and Akiza bent down and helped her.
"Leo!"Luna scowled at her brother who was nursing a bruise of his head.
"I'm sorry."He said to the blond lady.
She laughed again, a beautiful airy sound. "C'est bon. C'est bon. Are you okay little boy?"
"Oh I hope nothing is broken." Akiza murmured worriedly. There were bottles of perfume and makeup in the lady's bag. A few feminie products had also slipped out.
"Oh no,no. Its fine really. This is just an excuse to get more."
Leo looked almost close to tears. "I keep messing up."He shot fervent glances towards Yusei and moved slightly to block him. "Its my fault. If you want to punish someone, punish me."
The blond lady was shocked. "Oh no. Please don't cry little boy.I would never hurt you, I would never hurt a child."
Her eyes roved over to Yusei, who was hurriedly trying to cover his brand with his bangs but failing. "Leo. Nobody's going to hurt you alright? It was an accident, wasn't it?"He looked at the lady.
"Oui,Oui. Of course. Thank you miss..." She turned to Akiza.
"Akiza. M-m-my n-name is A-akiza Izinski." She squeaked, handing the lady the bag staring. The blond lady took the bag warmly and for a moment Akiza didn't let go. They stared into each other's eyes.
Finally the blond lady awkwardly gave the bag a tug. "My bag, ma chere."
"O-oh right." Akiza withdrew her hand from the bag quickly.
She turned to Leo again and bent slightly."Would you like some candy little boy? That fall was rather hard."
He nodded tearfully and took the candy.
"How about little girl?" Luna smiled and accepted the sweets. The twins chorused their appreciation.
"Why don't you two go with Bruno to the 3rd floor? " Yusei asked, smiling. He nodded at Bruno.
The small trio left, leaving Jack, Akiza, Yusei, Crow and the blond lady.
"Very spirited children." The lady said playfully.
"Yeah they're a handful." Yusei smiled.
"Oh désolé. I didn't introduce myself did I? My name is Sherry LeBlanc. Nice to meet you all." She inclined her head.
"I'm Crow Hogan." Crow waved grinning.
"Jack Atlas."Jack huffed with his arms crossed.
"Yusei Fudo."Yusei said.
Sherry turned towards Akiza. "And you already introduced yourself beautiful." She winked.
Akiza's face was as red as her hair."Um...Ah..yeah."
"May I ask what that boy meant by punishment? It seems like a terrible thing for a child to even think for such an honest mistake." Sherry asked, more questions in her guarded expression. Her eyes were drawn towards the strip of gold under Yusei's blue eyes.
Yusei lowered his gaze. His body tensed."Its cause of my brand. We had an incident about a week ago where Leo got into a confrontation with someone. I stepped in. I guess he is still scared it might happen again." Normally he would have left a while ago but he could feel that this girl was different. She seemed familiar.
"I see." She looked disgusted. "Well I'll have you know that I'm not utter trash like them. It makes my skin boil just imagining what happened. This is exactly what I'm against."
"Oh I remember you! "Crow snapped his fingers. "You're a pro racer aren't you. Dame Sherry. Also the leader of the Human Brand movement. The lead organization that's fighting for the rights of the branded. You're like a legend."
"Oh please, I'm only doing what anyone would do. We are all human. My father was branded and we lost our entire fortune because of it. My mother was murdered for being associated with him. I decided I never wanted anything like that to happen again."
"I'm sorry."Akiza said. "About your parents."
Sherry waved her off. "Don't be. I've made my peace with it. But enough about me. Yusei Fudo and Jack Atlas hm? I recognize those names. You guys set the record time in the Preliminaries of the Pro races, no?" Her eyes drifted down to Yusei's leg. "I believe they told everyone there was an accident and so your runners ups were brought in. Not the most pleasant pair."
"That was nearly three years ago. I'm surprised you remember,"Jack said.
"You two set a never before reached time. Of course I would notice. I've been trying to beat that time ever since. I'm always a few seconds too short." She looked at them appraisingly. "I would love to race against the two of you someday." She whipped out a card and held it out to Yusei. "My number."
Yusei took it."I'm sorry to disappoint, but I can't race anymore. My body isn't what it used to be."
She flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave him a level stare. "Another thing that stuck me about your races was the tenacity you showed. The odds were against you yet you never gave up. In every one of your races you were confident. It was clear how much you loved racing. I want a challenge Yusei Fudo and I believe you are the only one who can give me one. Don't tell me you lost your drive, your nerve. I believe every obstacle can be conquered. Can you conquer yours?"
A tall mountain of a man in a suit walked up to them. "Miss Sherry, the car is waiting. We must leave."
"Very well Elsworth. I am coming. "She turned back to Yusei. "Think about it. I would be willing to sponsor the two of you or just one if you can show me you can get back up. Don't let the Facility beat you."
As she walked past them, she leaned over to Akiza and stuffed a piece of paper in her hand with a wink. She whispered something and walked off.
"Um Akiza are you alright?" Jack asked. Akiza seemed like she was melting.
"U-ug-j-ajghs-k" She mumbled incohearently.
Thar it is... RoseKnightshipping and one sided Toolshipping
I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Please stay safe no matter where you are in the world. This world is changing but people shouldn't get hurt in the process, I pray you guys wouldn't.