Wowza! Seventeen reviews! You guys are awesome! As promised, here is a bonus chapter! Well, it's Thursday for me, anyway.

Many thanks to Star-Rose Lover, AnimeKiwi369, RobotFish, TFRiD Queen, theforgottenpeople96, RunoandAkizafan, Seeker Heart, FiringShootingStar, and Mixer18 for their reviews!

And we have six guests and Noctis Glale as anons! Thanks, Noctis, for signing your name still. It makes it a lot easier to know who's who. Because it's so confusing, I'm just going to reply in a general manner, unless you sign a name like that guy –points at Noctis Glale– Except I already replied to you, so…

First off, if you don't want to get an account, I totally respect that. However, if you don't sign a name, even at the end of your review, then I won't reply to you here. It's just too complicated, sorry ^^;

To our returning guest (Thanks for telling me it's you!), thanks for making my story the first you review. It truly means a lot, as do all of your compliments. I appreciate you stopping by and, frankly, your English is excellent. Please do let me know if you don't understand a part of the language :)

Continued notes after the chapter. You should read this one before I say anything else.

As per usual, many thanks to RobotFish for his beta work! Tres bien, monsieur!

Sunset Horizon
Chapter 08 – Prelude to Discord

Yusei laid back on his bed, absently flipping through another of Goodwin's novels. He hadn't been paying attention, but he was fairly sure a wolf and a princess somehow played into it. There was something with four legs and fangs trying to eat a girl whose tiara just fell off, anyway. Why did Goodwin read this crap?

A knock sounded on the door, but he ignored it in favor of skipping a few pages ahead to find some text discussing someone's assassination. Kalin opened the door somewhere to his left and the words he spoke had his mind completely leaving the book and focusing on the conversation around the corner. "Oh, Miss Akiza. What brings you here?"

Her voice sounded back, saying, "Kalin, I need to speak to Yusei. Is he here?"

Yusei frantically started to make motions to his friend, trying to tell him to tell Akiza that he wasn't home. However, Kalin only smiled and said, "Sure. Come on inside."

Closing his eyes, Yusei took a moment to collect his thoughts before rolling out of his bunk and dropping to his feet, greeting her with a brief, "Miss Izinski."

The other Enforcers had gotten the gist of what had happened between the two of them, but Kalin was the only one to offer any sort of comment. Of course, he had chastised him for taking advantage of the situation, even though he stressed that he made sure she had approved. No one seemed to be on his side lately.

Jack, under normal circumstances, would have congratulated him for finally getting somewhere, but had neglected to say anything beyond insults. He was still angry at him for losing control of himself and getting drunk on the roof of Miss Izinski's bar a few days ago, which was Jack's way of showing he cared and was worried for his friend's well-being.

Crow hadn't said a word on the situation and just shrugged it off as he did everything else. He had an easygoing personality and it took a lot to get him riled up. Yusei hadn't expected a different reaction out of him and wasn't at all surprised when he didn't say anything.

He felt his heart lodge into his throat as he met her gaze, his mind flying in every possible direction. Why was she here? What could she possibly have to say that wasn't said the morning after they'd awoken together? Her golden eyes looked so much harder than usual, so coarse and defiant. She didn't have the look of playful merriment she wore in her bar, nor the lust-filled hunger she'd had during their night spent in each other's arms. Rather, she was more unreadable than ever before, and he wasn't sure what to make of that.

He did what he thought was best for the situation and forced his expression to fall flat, keeping his mouth a thin line and his eyes bored. If she wasn't going to share her feelings, then there was no point in him sharing his. He could play the cold-faced jerk. After all, he'd been doing it for the last five years.

Akiza crossed her arms in front of her and narrowed her eyes at him. "You haven't been back to the Claw in several days and your tab has yet to be paid. I'm here to collect."

Crow frowned from his seat on the floor and said, "I'm pretty sure my tab is farther behind…"

Yusei cast a sideways glare at his friend, hoping he got the message as he asked the woman in front of him, "How much do I owe?"

Before she could reply, Crow shifted to stand and turned to face Jack, saying, "Hey, Jack, weren't you going to pick up that, uh, thing from that place?"

Jack frowned thoughtfully from his seat at one of the desks. "No, I don't recall…"

Kalin's face lit up as he caught on, then added, "Yes, I remember. Crow and I were going with you to help carry it back since it's so big."

"What the bloody hell are you two talking about?"

Crow nodded his head towards Yusei and Akiza, saying, "Remember, Jack? Down on the other side of town? It should take us an hour, at least."

He seemed to finally catch on and pouted as he shifted to stand. No doubt he wanted to stay and see how this played out. "Oh, right. That."

Kalin nodded and grabbed a hat from the shelf before tossing it to the blond. "Here. Let's go."

Yusei watched as his friends filed out the door, knowing they were making up a blatantly obvious excuse to give him time alone with Miss Izinski. He wasn't sure whether to appreciate the notion or not. Sighing, he muttered, "Just a second," as he sidestepped around her and over to the door. He pushed it open and was met with the faces of his friends, all three leaning in to eavesdrop. Frowning, he spoke in a clear voice, saying, "Go. Away."

They pulled back at once and muttered intangible things under their breaths as they walked away. Yusei kept the door open, watching them go until they were out of sight before finally closing it and facing Miss Izinski again. "Sorry about that."

She nodded, staying silent as he walked back over to the desk closer to where he was and opened a drawer, pulling out a wad of bills all folded neatly together. He started counting them out, doing the math in his head since the last time he'd paid his tab and how many drinks he'd had since. He'd been to the bar three times since his last payment, so he figured it should be roughly fourteen drinks worth. He'd give her extra, anyway.

"It wasn't just about a good time."

He looked up from his counting, raising an eyebrow in curiosity before muttering, "Oh?"

She nodded once and turned away slightly, not wanting to look him in the eye as she said, "You're right. I don't love you. But what I said was true. I was seeing something better in you."

He glanced back at the bills, unable to look at her any longer, either. "And that made you want to jump into bed with me?"

She released a groan of annoyance and touched a hand to her forehead. "Look, I didn't come here to argue. I wanted to explain what happened that night, all right?"

He gave a slight nod, signaling for her to continue. She spoke again, saying, "I took you to my room that night because I knew you had feelings for me, and for a moment, I felt something for you, too. I didn't give myself to you out of some feeling of debt for saving my father. I wanted to know what it felt like to be with someone who truly cares about me, not just an empty, loveless unity. That night, Yusei, I did love you. If I had the ability to go back and do the night over, even knowing what I know now, I wouldn't change anything."

He nodded slowly, absorbing her words carefully. He could argue the point that she used his feelings for her, but there wouldn't be much of a reason. What was done was done and, as long as she wanted it, he would be all right with it. "Then I'm glad. I'm glad the night wasn't a total waste for you. I'm glad that you were able to have your cherished night of mutual feelings before your parents marry you off," he said as he finished counting the proper amount.

"Thank you," she mumbled, reaching out for the money as he held it towards her.

He drew his hand back just before she could take it, saying, "Make me a promise, Miss Izinski."

She didn't look amused or at all surprised by his actions as she asked, "What is it?"

"If," he started, inhaling a deep breath. "Promise me that if you ever feel that feeling again, on a more permanent basis, you'll come and let me know. I'll be waiting for you."

She frowned, thinking his words through. "All right. I will. However, if I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath."

Nodding, he held the bills out towards her and said, "Pleasure doing business with you, Miss Izinski. Am I still welcome in your bar?"

She accepted the money, reaching to tuck it into the bust of her dress. "As long as you don't cause trouble, I won't be picky about who comes in."

"Then I'll be by for a drink later. Take care."

She gave a slight dip of her chin as an acknowledgement before saying, "Thank you, Yusei. For everything."

Then she turned around and left.

…

The following day, Yusei trailed through the streets in the general direction of the town square. Goodwin was supposedly going to make an announcement 'beneficial to the whole town.' He wasn't sure what that meant, exactly, but there was only one way to find out. Whenever Goodwin said something was good, it was usually the opposite.

He sighed and leaned back against the pillar supporting a shop's overhang and absently played his fingers along Stardust's grip. He caught sight of Crow and Kalin entering the crowd far to his left, the former holding a bread roll to munch on. There was no sign of Jack in any direction. He was an easy one to pick out in a crowd, being tall and blond. The two traits weren't often found in combination in any citizen of Yliaster, especially on someone with such pale skin.

Jack had learned early on that he didn't tan well.

His friend was a foreigner of the neighboring country of Granel, though he had chosen to live in the hot and humid town of New Domino for almost as long as he'd known him. But just because he looked a little different didn't make him any less of a friend. Jack had saved his life when they'd first met and he trusted him to always have his back.

However, it appeared that he had no intention of being present for Goodwin's speech. Yusei shrugged to himself as he squinted in the sunlight. He didn't really care. He could be filled in later. They knew better than to make public attacks on Goodwin's people. Innocents would only end up getting involved if they broke out in a battle in the middle of town in broad daylight.

Moments later, Goodwin stepped up onto the raised platform constructed for purposes such as this, smiling and waving at the people of town. How nice it must feel to know that all the people cheering and clapping were doing so in utter ignorance of his illegal dealings. The man was guilty of more crimes than Yusei cared to count at the moment, but no one in the town knew the full extent of his reaches in the Underground. Hell, Yusei and the Enforcers probably didn't even know how deep he went.

"People of New Domino! I come before you today with bittersweet news. In light of recent health issues, I've deigned to step down from my role as your governor."

Yusei's eyebrows rose. This was unexpected. And what health issues? As far as he knew, Goodwin didn't have any 'health issues.' No doubt it was just another farce to get the hell out of town. He must have known they were close to exposing his slave trade, so he must have shipped the slaves out, destroyed any paperwork, and made an excuse to get out. Any knowledge the Enforcers had wouldn't do any good if he wasn't governor anymore.

Damn. Just when they were so close!

He couldn't help himself as he angrily punched one fist into his other hand, gritting his teeth as he glared at Goodwin's smiling form. The man on the podium was currently waving his hands in a motion to silence the saddened calls of the crowd, then finally continued to say, "However! You know I will not leave you without making sure you have an equally loving governor to replace me!"

If that wasn't utter bullshit, Yusei didn't know what was.

"I would like to take this opportunity to introduce my nephew to you. He will be taking my place as your governor and will do everything in his power to see to your needs!" He waved his hand, motioning a tall, slender man to step up beside him. His red hair trickled down his neck, his bangs flipping high over his head in a strong arc. "May I introduce, Divine Sayer!"

Sayer? Yusei's eyebrows rose simultaneously as he took in the sight of the man on the podium. He looked different, that was for sure. Leaner, possibly muscled, but Yusei was doubting that. The man had never been one to rely on personal muscle, always having his cronies take care of anyone he didn't like. He didn't have those ridiculous bangs, either.

Something fishy was at play here, and he intended to find out what it was. The facts didn't add up, but the people in this town were gullible enough to believe it. He wouldn't stand for it, and he'd be sure to share what he knew about their new governor with the others as soon as possible.

Sayer smiled and waved, the curl of his lips no less fake than Goodwin's was, then said, "People of New Domino! I realize I am a newcomer, but I look forward to meeting all of you and getting to know you. Not as a governor, but as a friend. This town is my home now, too, and I pray you'll accept me as one other already has."

What did he mean by that? Was he referring to Goodwin? Yusei leaned back, pretending like he couldn't care less while watching with intense hatred. He'd never liked that man. He was an arrogant bastard who never had any care for anyone with less money or status than him.

"I have been in contact with a member of your community for some time and, I must admit, after receiving her letters and hearing her ideals and her dreams, I fell in love with her. Even though I had not met her personally until I arrived in town this morning, I asked her to marry me by post. You may think this is foolish, but then I suppose that makes me a foolish man in love."

This didn't sound good. Knowing Sayer, he was using this engagement as an ulterior motive for something. Granted, it had been at least eight years since he'd last seen him, but someone like him didn't just change like that. He always had a selfish reason for everything he did. He was the type to live solely for himself and probably had less care for an individual woman than Jack did.

This wasn't adding up in his head well.

Sayer gestured down to the crowd, saying, "Though I'm sure all of you know her, please allow me to introduce my fiancée. She is a truly special woman with more intelligence and wit than I have ever seen in a woman before. Please, come up here, Akiza."

Vomit rose in Yusei's throat as he heard the name spoken, but forced himself to swallow it down. Training his eyes on the podium, he looked for the woman in question, hoping and praying he had heard incorrectly. He felt his heart ram up into his throat as the woman stepped up the short stairs and turned to stand beside Sayer, waving with a forced smile on her face.

He gnashed his teeth, snarling in Sayer's unwitting direction as he absorbed the sight of Miss Izinski. She wore a smile, but it was strained and she looked as if she didn't want to be there. No doubt the ignorant crowd just read it as embarrassment at being the center of attention. They were such fools. The look on her face clearly read of sadness and loneliness. Why had she agreed? Did Sayer force her to? Threaten someone she cared about? Leo? Her mother?

He would make Sayer pay. His hand slipped down to grip Stardust Dragon in its holster before slowly pulling it out. He could take him out from back here and have the weapon put away and be out of sight before anyone registered Sayer had been killed. It was an easy shot.

A hand pressed down on his shoulder, stopping him from raising his gun. He glanced to his right, narrowing his eyes at the sight of Jack standing there and hissed for his ears only, "What the hell, Jack? Why are you stopping me?"

The blond scowled and stayed silent, waiting until Yusei released Stardust before letting go of his shoulder. "Don't be a bloody jealous fool."

"I'm not! Just look at her! She's not happy to be up there. There's no way she could love him."

Jack rolled his eyes and gripped the shoulder of his jacket again, dragging him away from the square and in the general direction of their home. "If you would let go of the thought of being her knight in shining armor for one moment, you'd clearly be able to see the many things wrong with what you were about to do."

He paused. "What do you mean?"

"For one, killing the new governor in cold blood, in broad daylight, clearly spells out bad things for us. Second, we don't know the nature of this engagement. It's possible it was arranged and she agreed for a reason other than love. Maybe he's promised to excuse her father of his crimes in exchange."

He shook his head. "No, Miss Izinski wouldn't give her whole life up like that. She'd find something else she could offer instead."

He peered over his shoulder to glance sideways at his friend. "And you say you aren't her stalker."

Yusei froze in his tracks, Jack's words lost on him. His stomach dropped heavily as Miss Izinski's words from the previous day rang in his head, "I wanted to know what it felt like to be with someone who truly cares about me, not just an empty, loveless unity. That night, Yusei, I did love you."

Had she known about this for that long? Had she agreed before they'd slept together? Was she engaged to another man when he'd made love to her? The thought hadn't even crossed his mind, so he had no indication of whether it was possible or not until now.

But why Sayer, of all the men out there? Yusei had done all he'd done for her, protecting her and driving away the hungry perverts because he'd wanted for her to find a man who could love her. Now she was doomed to a loveless marriage, anyway.

What the hell was she thinking?

Before you say anything, to those of you who want to kill me for making Sayer a villain, I want to say something. I love his character. Really, I do. I love the role he plays in canon and even ship him with Akiza on a secondary to Yusei. Okay, fine. A third...on...dary... He's my third pick for Akiza after Yusei and Z-one, okay? He plays the role of a villain in this fic because, quite frankly, he's insane. Also, there really aren't a lot of enemies in the 5D's universe, especially since I love the Future Block (Z-one and friends) and want them to play awesome roles. Well, Jakob, not so much, but whatever :P

For those of you who want to kill Sayer for getting in the middle, don't worry. His arrival will play quite the role in Yusei's and Akiza's relationship :)

Please, bear with me as we get into a more serious turn of the tale. Things are only going to get more interesting and more action-packed, so hang on!

And, yes, I am going to shamelessly self-plug my Facebook page at the end of every chapter. Please visit and tell me what you think! I'll be posting any image manips or fanarts I do, so there're a few extras :) Granted, I'm not the best artist, so… Anyway, please stop by! www. facebook. c-o-m /OCValkyrie (Remove spaces and hyphens)

Please review!

-Valk

P.S. I am familiar with their Japanese names, if you choose to use them in your review :)