I get out of the shower and dry my hair. Still damp, I let it hang around my shoulders. I take Yusei's riding jacket that he left on the chair in his room and put it on. I hear a cry coming from the garage so I go down to investigate.
"I can't believe I lost!" Rua exclaims. I walk down the stairs into the garage. I see cards sprawled out in front of Yusei and Rua.
"Cheer up, Rua." Ruka smiles at her brother. "It just shows how much further you have to go."
"Even the best duelists have a few losses under their belts." Yusei chuckles.
"I suppose you're right." Rua sighs. "Next time we duel, I won't lose. A future Riding Duel champion can't lose to anyone."
"I'll look forward to the next time we duel then." Yusei nods. "I won't lose so easily."
"Yuuka!" Rua turns to me as I reach the bottom of the stairs. "I'll duel you too!"
"Rua, you can't just challenge everyone." Ruka sighs.
"No, I'll accept your challenge when you come back." I chuckle. "It'll give you a reason for you to come back."
"Of course, we'll come back!" Rua nods furiously at me.
"Yeah," Ruka nods too.
"Are you two gonna go get ready for tomorrow?" Yusei asks, getting his deck together.
"I guess, there's still a lot of packing to do." Ruka nods, while Rua looks at the ceiling.
"Don't worry about us, kid." I say to Rua, moving to Yusei's side. "We'll still be here when you get back." Rua looks at me with wide eyes, in the middle of also getting his deck together. "You two have gotten through a lot worse before, moving will be a breeze."
"I'm gonna miss you guys." Rua tackles the both of us into a hug.
"Aw, kiddo." I pat the top of his head. "We're gonna miss you too." I smile at Ruka, who looks rather upset. I stretch my arm out to her and she joins in the hug.
"We'll be here for you when you're ready to come back." Yusei says, smiling at both of them. "Make sure you keep in touch."
"We will, don't worry." Ruka steps back, which makes Rua step back too.
"Good luck, you guys." I say, nodding.
"Goodbye, then." Yusei says, as the twins make their way to leave.
"Goodbye." They chime slightly out of sync before the door closes behind them.
Yusei sighs.
"Same," I respond.
"What?"
"I feel the same."
"Yeah," he nods. We don't have to say anything, we just know. It's going to be a rough couple of days from here on out. "You know, I think if I went easy on him, I would have lost."
"Really?" I turn to him.
"Yeah, it'll be great to see what that kid gets up to in the future."
"All of our friends are going to do great things."
"And us."
"And us," I repeat.
"You stole the jacket again, really?" Yusei pinches the excess fabric on the sleeve.
"Yes, I love this jacket very much." I hug myself to prove the point. I get the scent of Yusei as I do it, which makes me happy. "It's important."
"I guess." Yusei shakes his head. "Out of all the jackets, you chose that one?"
"Out of everyone, I chose you."
Yusei's eyes go wide, and I swear his face gets a little flushed. I mean it's true, being bi, I get to basically choose from everyone. Even though I'm bi, I'd still date people in the middle, not that it matters much anymore.
"I feel lucky." He smiles, a tad bashful. "For years, I searched for you in the Satellite. Everyone was convinced that you were dead, but I knew you would be in the City, and I found you. But, after all that time, you still loved me. Even after everything that happened, you still thought of me. That makes me happy."
"Yeah," I nod. I don't know what to say honestly. Knowing that he was waiting for me, even looking for me, just makes that time away from him less painful. I spent those years convincing myself that I would never see Yusei again. Now, it almost doesn't feel real that I'm here. Yusei is the first thing that I see when I wake up, and he's the last thing I see before I fall asleep. Somehow, it almost feels worth it. Like all of that pain and suffering all lead to this exact moment, where I'm standing with the man I love, his jacket around me, and I'm happy for once in my existence. "I still love you."
"I love you too," he says. The look on his face is so warm that I feel it in my chest. There's a comfortable silence as we just stare at each other and smile.
I'm standing in the kitchen enjoying yet another cup of coffee. Yusei went to go help the twins finish packing, they needed help but I couldn't hear what they said from Yusei's phone. Crow comes into the kitchen, looking a bit teary-eyed.
"So, I'm guessing you said goodbye to the kids then?" Crow's changed out of his uniform after this morning, throwing a leather jacket over his usual yellow shirt.
"Yeah," he sighs. "It was rough, not gonna lie."
"They're not going anywhere." I respond. "Martha will take good care of them, you know that better than anyone."
"I'm not doubting Martha." Crow rolls his eyes. "It's just that… I'll miss them kids, y'know? Even after they stopped living with me, I saw them practically everyday and now I'm moving halfway across the world. I'm just afraid of what will happen when I'm not there? It sounds strange, but something bad could happen. Something good could happen, that might be even worse."
"I know what you mean." I smile sadly. "That's just what's gonna happen. Those kids will always be thinking of you, Crow. I'll keep an eye on them, if that would make you happy. Nothing bad will happen if I'm around. As for the good things… you're gonna have to make them happen when you come back. It'll give you a reason to visit."
"Are you saying I wouldn't visit?"
"I never said that."
"You're one of my best friends, Yuuka. You're basically part of the only family I have." Crow furrows his eyebrows a little, before they relax. "I know we disagree on a lot of things, but I still care about you a lot. I'm glad you came back into our lives. I don't know what we wouldn't have done without you."
"I'm sure if Yusei talked to Z-"
"No. That's not what I'm talking about, Yuuka." He shakes his head. "I'm talking about us, here. Jack and I may act like all you do is get in our hair, but we're actually glad that we have you back. You've helped us out a lot since you got back. Hell, I don't know what we would have done if you didn't come back. I don't think Yusei could have lasted much longer, he was completely gone." He scratches the back of his neck, he freezes a little when he looks at my face. "But, what's important is that you came back." He nods. "I'm glad Yusei never gave up on you."
"Me too." There's a pause of silence. "I'm gonna miss you, Crow. I mean it."
"I will too."
"Stop that, I'm gonna start crying." I pat my eyes in the hopes that I don't look like a crybaby. Crow chuckles. "You're making fun of me."
"You look how I feel." He pats the top of my head. "You're crying for the both of us."
"You're not incapable of crying like Jack is, you can't fool me." Crow breaks out into laughter. "But I'm serious, you're one of my best friends and I'm gonna miss you a whole lot. If you don't come back to visit me at least once a year, I'm personally going over to America to kick your ass. I'll beat your ass in a Riding Duel on live TV, watch me. I'll do it." I throw my arm around Crow's neck, giving him a noogie.
"I believe you, I believe you!" Crow tries to break out of it. "How about I let you come over sometime?"
"Nice accommodation?" I ask.
"You and Yusei can go on a nice road trip together."
"Sounds great." I release him and Crow glares at me slightly as he rubs the back of his neck.
"I feel like you're blackmailing me."
"I'm doing it out of love, I promise."
"Sure." Crow drags out the word.
"I mean it!" I answer. "I don't want you to forget about us, okay?"
"Yuuka, come on." Crow shakes his head. "I know you have trust issues, but remember, I was your first ever friend and I'd never do that." He puts his fist to his chest, as if it's a matter of pride.
"Go on and pack, dweeb." I smack the back of his head. He says goodbye to me before going up the stairs.
By sunset, there's a row of immaculate-looking purple suitcases in the kitchen. No doubt who they belong to.
"Catch." I barely manage to catch the small suitcase that Jack practically throws at me from the top of the ladder.
"Some warning would be nice." I retort sarcastically.
"You're a psychic, you can deal with it." Jack answers, coming into the kitchen.
"That's not how that works and you know it."
"Whatever."
"Packed already?" I change the topic.
"Yeah, most of it has been for a while." Jack knew that he was leaving for months.
"So, you've said goodbye to Carly then, I assume?" I sigh.
"Of course, women are only a distraction." He turns towards me, looking quite serious. "If I'm to become King again, I need to do it alone."
"Did you… tell her that?" I blink slowly at him. The evening light streams in the window, hurting my eyes slightly.
"Yes, why wouldn't I?" I look at his face again. He's being completely serious.
"Why are you such an idiot!?" I start throwing punches in Jack's direction. He blocks most of them, with some hitting his chest. "Why would you say that? Do you realise what you've done?"
"Why do you think I'm an idiot?" Jack, realising that I've stopped throwing punches for the time being, crosses his arms. I think I'm the only person he'll listen to when it comes to this stuff.
"Why do you think?" I sigh, pressing my fingertips to my temples. "Lemme explain in the simplest way I can. Carly, the woman that you love. Carly, who's always supported you and stayed by your side. That's who you're leaving behind. Jack, she'd be more than willing to go with you to Europe. I thought we'd been over this. I thought you were done with keeping her at a distance for her sake. It's clear that you two love each other, and that you're ready for the next step. For the love of card games, go to her and tell her that. Jack, if you want to become King again, fine. But please, realise that you can't do this alone. You need someone by your side. Carly would be very willing to be by your side, and let her. Please, for once in your life, do the right thing."
There's silence. I see the dust particles floating in the air between us. Jack's mouth forms a hard line.
"I hate it when you're right," is all he says.
"At least someone's getting through to you." I sigh. "I can't believe you would actually leave her behind."
"Don't tell anyone about this." Jack's eyes suspiciously move towards the wall. "I-"
"Can't let people know that you're stupid?"
"Yuuka." He glares at me slightly.
"You know I'm right."
"As much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to miss you."
"Wow." I fake a gasp for dramatic effect. "Breaking news, Jack Atlas has emotions. Where's Carly when you need her?"
"Why are you like this?"
"Great question."
There's silence. We don't say anything, but I don't think we need to. Out of the guys, Jack was the closest thing I had to a brother. As much as he doesn't like to admit it, he agrees. He thinks of me as the sister he never had. He's always been too protective of me. He's been an asshole to me, just for the sake of it. We fought countless times over nothing, involving even more punches. There's no words we can say at this point. I feel like it would be pointless.
"I guess I'm leaving then, I suppose."
"Go get the girl, tiger." I chuckle.
"Don't." He shakes his head. "Just don't."
"Goodbye, Yuuka." He turns away from me, heading to the garage. "I'll see you later."
"Bye, Jack." I chuckle to myself as I watch his retreating back.
I open the garage door when I come back from my jog, something my therapist is making me do everyday. I leave the large doors open to air it out. It's gotten quite stuffy lately. No one's been coming in and out as much, I suppose. I immediately feel Yusei's aura in the kitchen, and I smile. It makes me feel like I'm home. No matter where we end up going, as long as I'm by his side, I'm always home. Yusei hears me come in, so he comes downstairs.
"It's pretty empty in here, isn't it?" Yusei asks, looking around the room. He's spent most of the day sorting this room, so it's looking rather empty.
"It is," I sigh. I remember how this room was an important part in our early relationship. So it being empty now makes this whole experience feel like the end of an era.
"Are you staying here still?" I look at his sad face, trying to change the topic. "Now that we know that Jack and Crow are moving out."
"I'll stay here a while longer probably." He shrugs his shoulders. "I'm sure Zora won't mind. Though, I might have to get some new roommates."
"Ew," is all I say.
"That's exactly how I feel." He sighs.
I feel Aki's aura before she comes into the garage. She opens the front door without knocking, as usual.
"Yuuka, I'm glad I found you." She says, slightly out of breath.
"I guess that's my cue to leave." Yusei pats my shoulder before returning to the kitchen. I blink rapidly, surprised at how fast he moved.
"You were looking for me?" I turn my attention to Aki, who's currently brushing the hair out of her face. "What's up?"
"I just wanted to talk to you properly before I leave." She walks down the ramp, stopping to look at the mostly empty bookshelves. "I figured it was right."
"What did you want to talk to me about?" I feel a little uneasy suddenly.
"I just wanted to thank you, for everything." She turns around to look at me, and smiles. "You've done a lot for me, and I'm grateful for that."
"You don't need to thank me, anyone else would have done that." I shake my head.
"You're wrong. You were there for me when I really needed you." Aki steps forward a little, but she's still a few paces away from me. "I needed a friend, and you became that. Do you remember? I had never gone shopping with anyone my own age before." She chuckles.
"Now, you complain when we don't go." I laugh along with her. I remember how nervous she was. She pretended to be untouchable, but she was just a scared girl underneath. "You've come so far." I sigh at the memories. "It's hard to believe that you're the same person." I met her once as the Black Rose Witch. I doubt she knows that it was me, since I was wearing a mask. She tried to seriously injure, if not kill me. "You were so scary back then."
"You were just as bad!" Aki shakes her head. "You used to sit in the back of detention, looking like you wanted to murder everyone in the room. Then, next thing I hear about you is that you dropped out and joined a gang, then you nearly got murdered. I think that applies to you as much as it does to me."
"That's fair." I shrug my shoulders and laugh. "In fairness, you did get a lot better after dueling Divine. You kicked his ass, it was great. Like, any pride he had was gone."
"You think so?" I nod, and she looks a little flustered. "I don't think I could have done it without you. I'm glad I asked you to come with me."
"And you didn't ask Yusei, that made me feel very flattered." I say that and Aki's eyes widen. "What?"
"Well, I had my reasons for that." She covers her mouth and clears her throat.
"You gotta tell me now!" I put my hands on my hips. "You can't say shit like that and not explain it."
"Well," she clears her throat again, "I may have had a tiny crush on you? It wasn't a huge thing, and I got over it pretty quickly since I knew I had no chance with you. But, that's why I asked you to come with me that time."
"That's why you asked me if I liked Yusei." I come to the sudden realisation. "I thought you liked Yusei, and that's why you asked me."
"No, I mean I was infatuated with him at some point." Aki sighs. "But that ended when I realised I was starting to rely on him like I did Divine. That was the end of that."
"You're grown so much, I'm proud of you." I moved slightly closer to her, she's about three paces away now. "I can't wait to see where you'll go from here. You'll be a great doctor."
"Thank you," she smiles brightly at me. "I should say the same to you. Who thought you would be leading a revolution? Not just inside the gang world, but in this entire City."
"Not me." I cackle slightly, Aki gives me a look. "I suppose this is its own revolution, isn't it? I'll be changing the lives of thousands of psychics and Satellites for the better."
"I wonder how much this City is going to change when I'm gone." Aki sighs, before regaining her composure. "I'm afraid I'll come back and I won't recognise my hometown. I want my children to experience the best possible version of this City, but I still want it to be the same."
"It will never change." I turn around so I see the twinkling lights outside the garage door. "The heart of this City will keep beating. The times and the people will change, but it will remain the same. Don't be afraid. Leave, chase your dreams. Yusei and I will always be here, watching over our home. When you come back, we'll be waiting for you."
"Yuuka…" Aki mutters. I move towards her again, putting my hands on her shoulders.
"I know you're scared, but I need you to put your head up. You've dealt with worse things before. You've saved the world twice after all, how bad could medical school be?" Aki's eyes move like she's admitting that I'm right. "You'll be okay, you'll come home one day. Until then, I need you to smile. Nothing can faze you if you're wearing that smile of yours. It's when you look the best."
There's silence. Aki's eyes move around my face, as if she's taking everything in. She is. This is how she wants to remember my face. Smiling, full of hope. She finally nods.
"I need to get going." She says, suddenly snapping back into reality. "I'll see you tomorrow for the send off."
"Yeah, get some rest." I chuckle. "You'll need it." Aki moves towards the ramp so she can leave. She looks back towards me. She tackles me into a hug.
"I'll miss you, Yuuka." She whispers into my shoulder.
"I'll miss you too." I pat the top of her head. She steps back from me. There's a pause as she stares at my face again. "Goodbye, Aki."
"It's not goodbye, Yuuka." She shakes her head. "It's until we meet again."
"I'll see you later then?" I chuckle. Aki waves at me before walking onto the ramp. I hear footsteps and feel Crow's aura approaching.
"Crow!" Aki exclaims. I turn around to see Crow putting his hand on the wall, out of breath.
"Okay, I caught you in time." Crow waves his hand as he tries to catch his breath. "I thought I had missed you. But no, I'm good, you're still here."
"So, I'm gonna let you two talk." I point my fingers at me, swinging them around to point at the other. "I'm gonna go… do something."
I practically sprint up the stairs and into the kitchen. Yusei's sitting on the loveseat, waiting for me. His posture straightens up when he sees me.
"How did that go?" He asks as I take a seat beside him.
"It was nice." I sigh, slumping my shoulders. The reality of saying goodbye to everyone is starting to kick in. "Crow's down there with her now."
"Place your bets now."
"They're gonna kiss."
"That's wishful thinking." Yusei shakes his head. "You know what they're like."
"We'll see what happens." I lean into Yusei, who wraps his arm around my waist. "How are you doing?"
"I don't know," he answers honestly.
"That's fair." I reach forward and grab two journals and a pen off the coffee table. My therapist told me to start journals. She said that in order to separate the other Yuuka from myself, I need to remember what's mine and what's hers. I have all of her memories, but the line between mine and hers is blurred. She told me to get two notebooks and in each notebook, write down what memories belong to who. I've filled up about a third of each notebook. I'm telling her story piece by piece.
"Are you going to write some more?" Yusei asks, leaning back into the corner of the loveseat, pulling him with him.
"Might as well." I open up the notebook with my memories. "I was thinking of writing about my memories today. I wanna make sure I remember them, y'know." Yusei doesn't say anything, but nods. I find the last page where I wrote. It's telling the story of how my psychic powers materialised. I wrote the other Yuuka's version of the story in the other notebook too.
"What are you writing about today?"
"How I met everyone." I click the pen, pink ink of course.
"Okay, start telling me, go." Yusei and I do this together. I try and tell the story to him while I write it down. I feel like I can articulate it better that way. He corrects me on some small details, mostly because having that many memories inside one head isn't good for that. "You, me, Jack and Crow."
"Lemme see." I tap the pen against my chin. "I had just arrived at Martha's. She tried to introduce me to everyone, but I was too shy. Jack was the tallest out of everyone, so I saw him first. Martha went to cook dinner, and I tried to follow her. She wouldn't let me because she wanted me to talk to the other kids, so I stood next to the kitchen in the hall. Crow came up to me and asked me if I liked dueling. When I nodded, he dragged me by the arm to the dining room table and made me duel him. I was really bad so you tried to help me. I still lost though, I think I drew a bad card. I have a bad habit of doing that, now that I think about it. Crow kept pulling me along. He introduced me to you and Jack properly. I remember Jack said that Crow wasn't his friend, but it was obvious that he was lying. Then, Martha made us take the cards off the table for dinner. Yeah, that's the main chunk of it. Wait, you helped me make a card combo after dinner. That was the first time that it was just us two."
"Yeah, that's right." Yusei nods. "You sat between Crow and I during dinner. You ate like you haven't seen food in weeks."
"You're not wrong." I answer. "My mother died a few weeks before Martha found me. I had been living off small rolls of practically rotten bread, thrown away at the end of the day in the market. I need to write that down. Remind me tomorrow to write about Martha finding me."
"Okay," he kisses the top of my head. "Next, tell me about how you met Aki."
"Right," I turn the page of the journal since the last story took up most of the page. "I was in Duel Academy. I hadn't been there long, so I was about fourteen. I think Mr. Perlow sent me to detention for… not wearing my necktie? He said that, but I think it's because I have a marker, to be honest. I'd heard rumours of someone in the school who was a psychic duelist. They had blown a hole in the roof of a dueling arena. It's then that I learnt what a psychic was. I mean, we had heard about them in the Satellite, but there wasn't a name for them. In detention, I always sat in the back of the room, in the corner. Aki walked in and sat in the front row, three seats away from the door. She always sat there. I figured out quite quickly that she was the psychic. I always felt bad for her, but I never said anything. We sat together in more detentions than I can count. Then, I found out that I'm a psychic and dropped out of school. Aki did attack me once as the Black Rose Witch though, but since I was also wearing a mask, she didn't recognise me. I finally met her again here, and now she's one of my best friends."
"I didn't know that." Yusei hums.
"Which part?"
"She attacked you."
"It's a small world." I shrug my shoulders. "I became friends with Takumi, not knowing he was a gang leader so there's that."
"I suppose."
"I'm guessing you want me to write about the twins now?" Yusei nods, so I turn another page. "Well, technically the first time I met them was at Saiga's place. I was looking for you, but I found them. They said you were in the Satellite, so I went too. But let's not talk about that right now. I saw them again in the Satellite. They were with you, but let's skip over that. Then, they walked in with Aki after Black Flag fell, and that's that."
"They told me that you were looking for me then." Yusei comments. "I just assumed you went missing like everyone else." He sighs. I haven't wrote about my time as a Dark Signer yet. I know for a fact those memories are mine, and not the other Yuuka's. But still, they're not exactly memories that I want to drag up.
"Okay, we're changing the subject." I say, closing the journal. "Tomorrow, I want to write about the WRGP." The other Yuuka entered a tournament similar to the WRGP, so I want to separate those memories in my head.
"Yeah," Yusei nods his head. "We'll have plenty of time to do that." He flicks through the pages of the journals with my memories. "I want you to write about the time we stayed up all night on the roof of the Team Satisfaction base."
"Yeah, I can do that-"
"And the time we danced in the rain."
"Isn't that when you fell for me?"
"Yeah, and also the time we started dating."
"You just want me to write about you."
"You're not wrong." He chuckles. "I just like it when you write about me, since you always talk about the important things."
"That's cute." I chuckle along with him. We turn to look at the stairs when we hear the garage door close. I notice the lack of Aki's aura downstairs, and Crow's becoming almost overwhelming. His feet thunder up the stairs.
"Oh my gods!" He exclaims, once he gets into the kitchen. "She kissed me." His hands cover most of his face.
"Told you," I immediately turn to smirk at Yusei. "But was that your first kiss?" I ask Crow, who's just pacing very fast around the kitchen.
"Nah," Yusei answers for him. "His first kiss was Kiryu."
"Wasn't your first kiss Kiryu too?"
"Yeah, and?" I squint at Yusei. I notice from the corner of my eye that Crow's stopped pacing and, instead, is leaning on the desk across from us.
"Was I the only person not to kiss Kiryu? Why?" I shake my head. "Wait, nevermind, that man is as gay as a Christmas tree." I look back to Crow. "Continue."
"It was my first kiss with a girl." Crow takes a shaky, deep breath. "She kissed me, and told me that she wants to try long distance."
"Oh wow, that's amazing!" I gasp.
"I know." Crow nods his head slowly in disbelief. "I'm gonna go lie on my bed and scream for a while."
"Have fun." Yusei says as Crow goes upstairs.
"And you said nothing would happen." I turn to Yusei again, smirking.
"You didn't expect that either, so shut up."
"You're just salty that I was right." I grin to myself.
We stay there, just talking, until we look over at the little timer on the oven and it says that it's two in the morning.
"We should probably go to sleep, or something, it's getting pretty late." I sigh.
"I don't want to sleep." Yusei answers. "I know it sounds weird, but I want to take in the City while everyone is still here. It's my last chance to feel the air before they all leave. I want to remember it."
"I suppose you've got a point there." I curl my legs up to my chest. "Do you want to go for a walk then? If so, I want to take a shower and change."
"Yeah, I'll wait here."
Once I'm out of the shower and I dry my hair, I throw on a plain pink shirt, with a small pocket on the chest, with some black skinny jeans. Yusei's exactly where I left him, staring at the ceiling. If his eyes weren't open, I would say that he was sleeping.
"Ready?" I ask.
"Yep," he stands up and I grab his hand. We walk out of the garage, and keep going straight. We're silent for the most part. Without asking each other, we somehow end up where we saw the Ark Cradle disappear. It seems crazy that I tried to throw myself off these rails nearly six months ago. I never told Yusei where my suicide attempt happened, but I don't dare bring it up now.
Yusei places both of his hands on the railings and takes a deep breath. I stand beside him, overlooking our City. Even at such a late hour, the lights are still so bright. This City never sleeps, and to be fair, neither do I.
"I wish I could tell everyone to stay," He says after a long period of silence, "but I know I can't. Everyone choose their own path. They're taking responsibility for their own futures. I know that our bonds will never break, but I still can't help but be sad."
"I'm staying." I lean on the railings, my shoulder grazing against his arm.
"You chose your own path too." He hangs his head.
"What do you mean?"
"I remember when I first met you, you were so fragile. Like anything could break you. I felt like I had to protect you, and that's what I did. I knew if you joined Team Satisfaction, you'd only get hurt. When I met you again in the City, I thought the same thing. You always seem so scared and alone. I thought that I could fix it. You seemed so wrapped up in this whole gang thing, and then the whole Z-One thing. I thought I would lose you again. But then, you showed me. You proved that you're a capable woman. I don't need to protect you anymore." He turns to look at me. "All I need to do is support you."
"Thank you." I smile brightly, while squinting slightly because of the glare from the City lights. "It means a lot." Yusei nods.
"Now, you've chosen your own path." He continues. "You recognise what can be done better in this City, and you're working to change it. You've changed thousands of lives for the better, and you're not even done. You're joining the latest wave of Police recruits. I'm proud of you." I'm getting flustered so I just nod. "I'm going to follow you, because I've realised something."
Yusei hops up onto the railings. My heart jumps in my chest. I go to say something, but stop when he holds his hand out for me. I take it, trusting him, and jump onto the railings. We stand there, looking over our City, holding hands.
"We are this City, Yuuka." He keeps his eye firmly fixed on me. "We've put everything we have into this City. I'm going to make Neo Domino City a place that we can be proud of. I'm going to go to university and build that Moment framework. I want to find a way to stop that future from ever happening."
"Yeah," I answer, "let's do it together."
"Like we'd have it any other way." There's a comfortable silence for a few seconds. "Yuuka, I have something to ask."
"Why are we still up here? Cause I'm wondering that." Yusei sighs and jumps down off the railings, back onto solid ground. Not the solid concrete a long way down.
"It wasn't that." He shakes his head, offering his hand to me. I smile, and take it.
"What is it then?"
"Well," he takes a deep breath. This is a bit worrying. This could be anything. He leans his forearms on the railings again. "Since Jack and Crow are moving out, I'll be alone in Poppo Time. Zora said that the rent will still be free for me, but I might get some roommates. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound ideal."
"So?" I blink slowly, I think I know what's coming next.
"Yuuka, we should move in together." My brain can barely process his words. "I know what you're thinking, but listen. I got a lot of money between the WRGP winnings and the cash prize from the Key to the City. The money you got from Raiden is still sitting under my mattress. That's enough to, at least, put down a deposit for an apartment. Admittedly, I've been looking into some apartments. I found one within our price range that's in walking distance from the university. If you say no, that's-"
"That sounds perfect." I'm smiling and I feel the tears burning my eyes. "That's… I would love that." Yusei's face breaks into this great smile.
"I'm glad." He sighs in relief. "I was wondering what you would say."
"I would never say no." I brush my shoulder against his. "Besides, we've practically been living together since we started dating."
"I mean, you're not wrong."
"Idiot." I chuckle. "Will we start heading back?"
"Not yet." He stares at the City lights straight on. I can't help but feel like there's a question that he's not asking, but I don't press him. "I just want to take everything in."
"Okay," I wiggle my arm under his, linking them together. "I'll wait."
After pulling yet another all nighter with Yusei, I head over to Kasumi's house to move the last of my things over to Yusei's- no, our place. We decided that until we find our own apartment, I would just live at Poppo Time. Not much is left here, I realise when I open the wardrobe. I had brought most of it over to Yusei's, and didn't bring it back.
"I should have seen this coming," Kasumi sighed when I told her.
I start throwing clothes and everything in the drawers into boxes that I found lying around. It's amazing how little I have here, despite the fact that I technically lived here for nearly a year. I manage to get everything into three medium-sized boxes and two trash bags. My sewing machine would have to get moved over later. I put the boxes outside of my old bedroom door. I pause, noticing similar, albeit bigger, boxes in front of Kaoru's door. His door opens.
"What are you-" He goes to ask, but changes the question. "You too?"
"Moving out, yeah."
"Yep, hard to believe that you're doing it too."
"Moving in with Takumi after, what, six months?" I shake my head. Yusei and I have been dating for nearly a year already.
"Apparently, not-straight couples move faster." He shrugs his shoulders. "That's what Takumi told me. I've heard for queer women that it's even faster."
"So, Emiko and Anako will be married by the end of the year then?" I laugh to myself.
"I don't know." He leans on the doorframe, not getting the joke. I just roll my eyes.
"Nevermind."
"Hey, Yuuka…" Kaoru says, rather timidly. So, I meet his eyes and nod. "I just wanted to thank you. I know it sounds weird, but everything good in my life now is because of you."
"What do you mean?" I blink slowly.
"I mean, before I found you again, Emiko was my only friend." He sighs. "Then, I met Shinji, Reika, Anako, and everyone else. I met Takumi because of you. I know what I actually want to do in life now, and I'm going for it. We're off to Police Academy in a few weeks. My life has, literally, changed for the better because of you, and I don't think I could ever thank you enough for it."
"Don't thank me." I shake my head. "You came into my life when I needed it too. You're the best brother anyone could ask for, and I don't know what I'd do without you."
"C'mere." Kaoru stretches out his arm, demanding a hug. He walks across the landing, and pulls me into a hug. "I love you, sis."
"I love you too, big guy." I respond. "It's almost like the end of an era, isn't it?"
"Yeah," he mutters.
"Hey." Kasumi comes marching up the stairs. "Are you two having a nice family moment without me?"
"I think so," Kaoru answers.
"I can't believe that you're both moving out on the same day." Kasumi shakes her head. "I have to get another cat to replace you."
"Mrs. Whiskers needs a friend." I say as said cat rubs its head against my leg.
"Agreed." She laughs. "But, make sure you visit me now. I know that you two love your boyfriends very much, so it might be hard, but please, make an effort."
"Sure thing, mom." I laugh it off. Both Kaoru and Kasumi's heads whip around to look at me. "I mean, Kasumi."
"No, no, no, no! You called me mom." Tears are already spilling from Kasumi's eyes. She pulls me into a hug, her tears dripping into my light pink shirt. "I can't believe you called me mom. You've never said that before. You always called me by my name, I can't believe it." I look towards Kaoru who's smiling. He's wanted me to call Kasumi my mother for years, something about resembling a normal, happy family.
"Okay mom, I have to get going. I'm saying goodbye to my friends." I pat her on the shoulders so she stops holding me in a death grip. I called her mom again, I realise. I'm not as against using it as I used to be. It makes her happy, so I might as well keep it up. "I'll be back for the boxes later."
"Ah yes, have fun baby!" Kasumi calls out as I jogging down the stairs and into the garage to my D-Wheel.
I arrive back in the Poppo Time garage. Jack and Crow's D-Wheels are gone. They told us last night that they would probably just meet up with us when everyone else is. Yusei's lying on the couch, still awake from what I can read in his aura.
"How did packing go?" Yusei asks as I take my helmet off.
"I managed to make Kasumi cry, but aside from that, good." I throw my knee and elbow pads on the desk.
"How did you do that exactly?"
"I called her mom by accident."
"That makes sense." He puts an arm out, inviting to lie on the couch beside him.
"I'm going to miss this couch." I say, feeling the all-too-familiar material underneath me as I lie down. "It's important."
"We started dating on this couch." I feel Yusei nodding beside me. "The only thing we haven't done on this couch is bang on it."
"That can be arranged."
"What?"
"What?"
"I'm just going to ignore that comment because we have to leave soon. Also, because that hasn't happened yet." Yusei checks the time on his phone, which I can't see, and moves to get up, taking me with him.
"I'm demisexual, it's part of the package."
"True," he answers. "I'm changing into my old riding gear for nostalgia sake, feel free to do the same."
"You just like how my ass looks in that suit."
"You're not wrong, but I am thinking about the whole gesture of it here."
Once I've changed into my riding suit, I sit on my D-Wheel for a few minutes, just thinking. This is the last time I'll leave this garage and meet up with my friends. But there's a bright future waiting for all of them. I have Yusei by my side, and that's all that matters. I stretch out my arm towards Yusei. He interweaves his fingers with mine.
"I love you," I say.
"I love you too."
Everything's going to be okay, I keep repeating to myself. Knowing my friends are going out there and shaping their own futures makes me happier than anything, I'm so proud of them. Now, I'm doing the same with my boyfriend, who I love more than anything, at my side. As long as he's there, I'll be ready for whatever life throws at me.
I look at Yusei, who stares right back at me. We nod at each other and set off.
We meet everyone else on the highway. We line up our D-Wheels, or Duel Boards in the case of the twins, and stare at each other for a few moments. We take in this moment. This is how I'm going to remember my friends.
And I'm okay with that. Perfectly happy, even.
"Here we go, everyone! This is our last run!" Yusei calls out, and we take off. I can feel the strength of everyone's determination in their auras. I pray that their strength guides me, and I do the same for them.
I hear the Crimson Dragon roar. I look up as it flies over our heads, matching our pace.
"The Crimson Dragon?" I hear Yusei ask.
Everyone's marks begin to light up. I look at Yusei's arm. The mark starts to hover over his arm, before turning into a red ball of light and soaring up to the Crimson Dragon, who absorbs it. I look around, everyone's marks are doing the same.
The Crimson Dragon roars one final time. My vision goes white for a second. I'm no longer on my D-Wheel but there's wind still blowing in my face. In front of me is the other Yuuka, she's smiling. Z-One, no- Her Yusei appears behind her. Another figure appears between us. It's the figure of a young girl with short black hair. I can't make out who she is, but seeing her makes me feel at ease. Everything starts to fade back to the real world.
"Crimson Dragon, you finished your mission." I hear Yusei say, as I come back to reality.
Yusei accelerates and I follow. I stop just ahead of him. He raises his hand for a high-five, and I do the same. Jack passes, high-fiving both of us. Then, Crow, Aki, and finally the twins. They pass. Yusei and I watch them as they drive on. They each take a different fork in the road. Yusei and I sit there as we watch them get further and further away. Then, they're gone.
I turn back and look at Yusei, who smiles back at me. He peels off his right glove, baring his arm to me. The Signer mark is gone. I take one of my gloves off and intertwine my fingers with his.
Here is where my future starts. This exact moment. I'm no longer bound to the things that shackled me in the past. No gangs, no ancient wars, no alternative-future selves. No allegiance to an old deity who expects you to protect the world. I get to live, as myself, with my boyfriend. Nothing will stop us, from now until forever. It's as Yusei says, we take charge of our own destinies. I want a better future, for me, for Yusei, for us, for everyone. I will grasp it with my own hands. One day at a time. With Yusei by my side, forever and always.
ACT III ACCEPTANCE END
A/N: One final chapter. The Epilogue of Waking Up Normal goes up next week!