Contemplations

A/N: (This is going to be a long chapter. Longer than the other two put together just so you're aware!)

There was silence on both ends of the phone as Yusei and Akiza contemplated what to say to each other. After what felt like an eternity, Akiza began speaking.

"Yusei… H-How are you?! It's been so long since we talked."

"It has been a while." Yusei responded in the cool and collected manner that he was known for. Yusei fell silent as hundreds of thoughts were flowing through his analytical mind.

What do I ask her?

Why didn't she try reaching out to me sooner?

I really missed her but…

Akiza began to speak once she noticed that he wasn't going to continue the conversation without some prompting in the right direction.

"Yusei. I know it's been a while. And I'm sure you're probably wondering why I haven't called or written to you in a while…"

"I am. Akiza, how come you didn't try to stay in touch more? Did you not miss me?"

"I did! I wanted to but I guess I got scared…" Akiza admitted.

"Why were you scared, Akiza? You know how much my bonds with my friends mean to me… You, Jack, Crow, Leo, and Luna. I-I consider you guys my…"

Akiza was surprised as the conviction Yusei displayed while talking about Team 5D's. Stunned by his confession, Akiza immediately felt guilty. She knew that Yusei must have been having a hard time because he was "alone" in New Domino City. He still had Martha and Trudge among others, but, it wasn't the same. He didn't stop dueling because he couldn't do it. The real reason he stopped dueling was because it was too painful. Dueling brought Yusei a lot of pain and joy. It did for all of Team 5D's.

"Yusei, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. It's more complicated than you think. I-I always... loved you Yusei! It was too hard for me to tell you this when I was about to leave. We were young and had our whole lives ahead of us! I was going to school and you were following in your father's footsteps of becoming a scientist. I meant to talk to you sooner, but it didn't work out that way in the end…"

Taking in everything Akiza said, Yusei was torn. He was ecstatic that Akiza felt the same way that he did. But, on the other hand, he didn't realize how hurt he was.

His feelings for Akiza ran deeper than he thought.

Yusei was stumped. He thought it would be easier than this to tell Akiza how he felt. But, he never anticipated his feelings taking on a life of their own. Realizing that Akiza had been patiently waiting for him to answer, he started to respond to her.

"Akiza. I feel the same way about you. That day, when you were about to leave to study abroad, I did a lot of thinking. I wasn't able to put my thoughts together. Why did I think about you so much? Every time I saw you, my heart skipped a beat. It wasn't until I thought back to what Jaden Yuki had told me about the woman he loved that I put everything together. Akiza, I missed your smile. I missed your passion. You're the bravest woman I know. I meant what I said all those years ago:

You still have the most beautiful smile in the world."

Akiza wasn't sure if this was real. The man that she had loved for so many years had been about her in the same way that she had been thinking about him. Even after all this time that had passed since they talked, he still thought about her every day. Akiza was feeling incredibly rhapsodic at that particular moment. But, the one thing that made Akiza even happier was this:

Yusei hadn't let his situation change who he was.

"Yusei, I don't know what to say. That's the sweetest thing anyone has said to me. Before we continue though, I wanted to ask you something."

"Of course. Ask away." Yusei said invitingly.

"Yusei… Are you lonely? I've been keeping up with you and while you've done so much for the scientific community and you made so many advancements in the world, you don't seem happy! You don't smile as much as you used to from what I see in your interviews, and if I'm correct it's been a while since you've dueled?"

Yusei's heart sank slightly. He was surprised at the degree to which Akiza had been keeping up with his life. He knew she was always very perceptive, so it came as no surprise that she was able to come up with all of this. Akiza was right, though. Yusei hadn't been happy in a long time. He spent so much time trying to take his mind off of the fact that his life had changed so dramatically, that he ended up working himself into a pit of misery.

The truth was that he hadn't come to terms with his past. It took him years to finally accept the ramifications of his father's actions, but he hadn't even began to deal with the absence of his friends from his life.

It was a mountain he wasn't ready to conquer.

But maybe he has a chance now.

Focusing back to the conversation with Akiza, Yusei took a deep breath and began to climb the mountain he had ignored for a good portion of his adult life.

"That's a good question, Akiza. You're right, I am lonely. I wished you all the very best in your futures, and I meant it. My hope was that you would all reach your potential and leave your marks on the world. I wanted to be the thing that keep us all connected. And, in a way I was. Jack, Crow, Leo, and Luna all kept in touch with me often. But, it wasn't the same."

Akiza's heart sank slightly after hearing what Yusei had to say. She continued to listen as he took a slight pause before continuing with his explanation.

"I dove into my work as a scientist. Because I was the only one left in the city, I had to face a lot of the memories we had as a team every day. While it was nice to reminisce, it also made me sad because we wouldn't be able to have those memories again. At least, not in that way. We were all at a point in our lives where we needed to forge our own paths. Jack and Crow as champion duelists, you as a future doctor, Luna as a student, and Leo as a turbo duelist.

I didn't want to get in the way of that.

If I had asked you, would you have stayed here?"

Yusei's question was met with an uncomfortable silence as Akiza pondered the question he was asking. Thinking back to the time when she saw Yusei last, Akiza realizes that she wasn't sure what she would do. Knowing this, Akiza answers Yusei in the only way she knew how.

"I-I'm not sure."

"And that's why I didn't ask. It wouldn't have been fair of me to ask you to stay, to ask any of you to stay. I wanted to though. I thought about it every day. If I made the right decision. Should I have gone with Jack and Crow and conquered the dueling circuit? But, I couldn't leave. I'm a part of New Domino City. Everything I know is here. I-I guess I'm torn. I'm not happy… If I were being honest, I feel trapped.

"Yusei. You shouldn't feel trapped! Just because we moved on to our futures, doesn't mean that you shouldn't as well. It's true that it may not have been fair to ask us to stay because that could have held us back. But pretending to be happy, when you're really not isn't right either!

Yusei, I love you!

And because I love you, I can't stand by while you do this to yourself! Akiza half-shouted into the phone. Backing the phone away slightly, Yusei smiled at Akiza's display of passion. She's still the same after all these years, Yusei thought to himself.

"You need to duel again, Yusei. If you're ever going to be able to move forward, you have to duel again." Akiza said adamantly. She knew that at the heart, Yusei would always be a duelist. That's where his passion was. It's was made his heart ignite.

"Akiza… I-I don't know if I can. It's been so long."

"Yusei, you'll always be able to duel. You taught us so much through dueling. When we were Team 5D's, you always had our best interests at heart. You showed us what it meant to have bonds. That's something that can never be taken away from any of us. We laughed. We cried. There was pain, and there was joy. But, dueling is a part of who we are. It's what you do, Yusei! I know you're doing great things in the scientific community, but that's not where your heart lies."

"You've given me a lot to think about, Akiza." Yusei said.

"Good! I'm glad I was able to get through to you. I have one more question, Yusei."

"What is it, Akiza?"

"What's holding you back, Yusei?"

"What's holding me back?"

"Yeah… what's holding you back? As long as I've known you, I never thought you'd be the type of person who would be okay will feeling trapped. You always pushed forward, regardless of the obstacles that were ahead of you. That's why you were able to inspire us! I know you weren't perfect, and like everyone else you had your struggles, but you still believed in your future. In our futures! You saved me from my own despair, helped me reunite with my parents, and saved New Domino city multiple times! You were able guide Jack away from his arrogance and show him the value of friendship. Leo and Luna looked up to you and were inspired by your courage!"

"Akiza… is that what you really believe?"

"Of course, Yusei! You always put everyone before yourself. But, maybe that also was too much of a burden for you. As a team, I think we relied on you more than we should have. You constantly fought on our behalf, and I know that took a toll on you. Constantly having to save us and the city. I'm sorry for burdening you like that, Yusei." Akiza apologized. There was a sadness that palpitated through her voice.

It was the realization that she had been unknowingly put Yusei through so much which hurt her.

"Akiza, it's not your fault! It's not anyone's fault. I chose to do that. That was my prerogative. You shouldn't feel responsible for my decisions. I didn't mind saving the city and looking out for you guys. At that time, I considered it my duty as a friend. I… I was happy to help because I knew that's what one should do for those he considers precious in his life. And you can't forget, Akiza, that you guys helped me many times as well! You saved me from those kidnappers back when we were younger. As well as lending me the strength to defeat Zone. I couldn't have saved the city without you guys. We were a team."

Reminiscing on those times in her youth, Akiza felt a warm feeling in her heart realizing that she hadn't thought about her past adventures in a while. She always loved the feeling it gave her thinking about her youth. Much simpler times.

"Akiza. To answer your earlier question, what's holding me back is fear. When we were younger, I had a very hard time coming to terms with the fact that the reason people were suffering in Satellite was partially my fault, due to my father's actions. I-"

"Yusei! How can you blame yourself for that?! You were just an infant when Zero Reverse happened."

"I know! But, even still. I lived in Satellite up until I was 17. I saw the damage that Zero Reverse had done in many people's lives. How it had made people suffer. I constantly felt that it was my responsibility to make things right for the people in Satellite. Their burdens were my burdens. That's why I initially wanted to go to Ark Cradle alone. I didn't want to bring you guys into this mess. And, I guess that's why I've been pushing myself so hard. Even now, as I surpassed my father and helped usher in a new era of dueling technology, I'm still not satisfied."

"Yusei, it's not your fault! Akiza shouted. Your father may have worked on the project, but he realized it wasn't going well and tried to stop it! I know that it must not have been easy for you to deal with all that. Especially since Zero Reverse affected so many people. But, you changed that. You were able to change the world! Yusei, no matter how hard you work, you can't run away from the past. If you want to truly be happy, you have to accept what happened and move forward, with the events of Zero Reverse and Team 5D's."

"How do I move forward?" Yusei genuinely asked.

"One day at a time. You start dueling again. You do things that constantly push your potential. And above all, don't forget to smile, Yusei. You have the most beautiful smile in the world."

Yusei started laughing, for the first time in the entire conversation. He was so caught up in the conversation, he didn't realize how tense he was. Some lunch break it had been.

"You're the one who put that smile on my face, Akiza."

Akiza and Yusei smiled at the same time, signalling the start of a very beautiful relationship.

"Akiza. I'm glad we talked. I missed you. I thought about you every day and I can't wait to see you again.

I love you, Akiza."

"Yusei…"

After their conversation, Yusei sought out a better future for himself. He began to duel again and while he was a little rusty, he was still able to come out on top. He won a few small tournaments as practice for a certain person he intended to face.

Yusei also increased the amount of communication he had with Team 5D's. Although his colleagues were surprised and somewhat frustrated by his departure from the scientific community, they knew that ultimately it was for the best. For the first few weeks after his departure, Yusei had struggled with his decision.

Was he ready?

Did he make a mistake?

Was this the right thing to do?

Yusei battled with these thoughts day in and day out. He had been so accustomed to the daily grind in the science world and pushing his thoughts of his past aside that when it came time to deal with it, he was perplexed. It wasn't until he recalled what Akiza had said to him which made him confident in his decision.

Yusei, no matter how hard you work, you can't run away from the past.

She was right. Fear-based living wasn't acceptable, especially for someone whose mantra revolved around pushing their potential. Yusei decided that day that he needed to accept the fact that his life has changed, and that he needed to deal with it.

After a few months of practice, and constant communication with Akiza, there was a tournament in Germany, where Akiza was located. Yusei immediately signed up for the tournament and flew across the world to meet Akiza. Yusei had also mentioned to Crow, Leo, and Luna that he was going to be in the tournament and hoped to see them there. Without any hesitation, Crow, Leo, and Luna booked flights to go see Yusei compete after so many years.

Seeing each other for the first time in years was something special. Wasting no time, Yusei and Akiza immediately embraced each other after so many years of being apart. After they had caught up, Crow, Leo, and Luna arrived. They spend time sharing stories and reminiscing about the adventures that they had as they made their way to the duel stadium for the tournament. Because of Yusei's reputation, he was chosen as the secret final duelist for the competitor who was able to make their way through the ranks.

After a gruelling few rounds, one competitor now stood facing Yusei, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"It's been a long time since we've dueled, Yusei…"

"It has been, Jack. Let's settle this once and for all!

Riding Duel, Acceleration!" Yusei shouted, as him and Jack barrelled down the course.

Making it around the first corner before Jack, Yusei puts his hand on his deck and begins his assault with a familiar phrase:

"It's my turn! Draw!"

Yusei and Jack clashed, as Akiza, Crow, Leo, and Luna watched eagerly from the stands, excited to see who would win this time around. And for the first time in many years, Yusei and Akiza's contemplations took them exactly where they wanted to be.

-Fin

A/N: (I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I may or may not make one more chapter. Let me know what you guys think! I might also write a Fianceshipping fic next if any of y'all wanna stick around for that as well!)