Howdy, everyone! Sorry this is so late… With all of my homework to do this week, it was pretty inevitable ^^; I really hope the contents of this chapter will make up for it. But maybe it won't. I dunno. It's worth a shot, right?

Anyway, my thanks go out to Q-A the Authoress, FiringShootingStar, japanese hamm, Flame-Metal-Heart, melan anime, MewBladeXxX, theforgottenpeople96, RobotFish, and AnimeKiwi369 for their incredible reviews!

And our lone anon reviewer, ChibiX! Hehe… Yeah, I was thinking of episode 151, too XD I giggle every time I see that slap. I have a .gif of it saved on my hard drive. As for the other dragons, I'm not really sure yet.

Many thanks to RobotFish for his beta work!

Oh, and I want to clarify. When I say I'm expecting fifty chapters, I mean more like there'll forty-five chapters and a chunky epilogue. Thanks and enjoy the show!

Sunset Horizon
Chapter 41 – Shotgun Opera

Three days after their main force departed, Akiza moved towards the front of the caves as a loud noise came closer. She kept Black Rose Dragon in her hand, trying to keep herself from letting her guard down and hoping it was Yusei and everyone coming back. Focusing her psychic senses in that direction, slowly extending them so she didn't get the massive shock, she pried for incoming emotions.

A wave of relief washed over her as she sensed a strong feeling of accomplishment mixed with exhaustion, hunger, relaxation, and a yearning to reunite with loved ones. She smiled and shifted to holster her pistol under her skirt and muttered for her own benefit, "It's them…"

Luna stood behind her, unarmed for battle but hoping it was their allies, perking up when she heard her. "You're sure, Akiza?"

She nodded, tears filling her eyes as she moved forward, shoving through the crowd and standing on tiptoe to see. Slowly, people started sliding down the hill through the entrance hidden in the trees by Yusei's forge, starting with Sherry, Crow, and Kalin coming in first. Z-one slid down next, moving far too easily for such an old man, and shifted to stand on the side to get out of the way. Katsuro slid down a little shakily, then sighed and stepped to wait by the door with one hand resting casually on the stock of the shotgun behind him.

Yusei came down next, eyes already searching for his wife among the crowd of people waiting. She held her hand over her head, catching his attention while pushing through. Her tears finally broke free as she wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders, clinging to him like there was no tomorrow in sight. For a time, she had worried that might have been true.

He returned the embrace with equal fervor, one hand settling on the back of her waist and the other burying in her hair, his lips pressing soft kisses to her tresses next to it. She gripped his jacket in fistfuls, inhaling his warm scent and staying silent as she acknowledged that he was back and he was all right.

Shifting in his hold slightly, she moved to bring her dominant hand back enough to pound her fist against his chest, her tears turning salty as she vented her frustration against him. He grunted slightly at the change in her demeanor, muttering, "Akiza, what-?"

She hiccupped as she looked up at him, mumbling for his ears only, "H-how could you, Yusei…?"

His face stayed blank, showing he had no idea what she was talking about, causing her to raise her arm to show her gloved forearm. "Don't think I don't know! Why…? What possessed you to do it?"

Eyes widening, he realized what she was talking about and sat in dumbfounded silence for a minute. He averted his gaze slowly, still holding her firmly in his arms, and whispered, "I don't have a good answer for that. I'm sorry, Akiza."

Dropping her forehead to his shoulder, she felt another wave of tears coming as she moved to wrap her arms around him again. "I don't…"

Her emotions got the better of her as she broke down into tears again, causing him to pull her to him more tightly and coo soothingly in her ear, "I promise it'll never happen again. I promise…"

His kiss pressed to her hair again and, as much as she wanted to be angry with him for calling the dragons, she knew it could wait until after she held him a little longer. She let herself melt into his hold, leaning against him and shifting to wipe her tears on his shoulder.

A light tap touched her shoulder, causing her to draw back ever-so-slightly to see Jack standing there with his eyes averted. "Sorry to interrupt, but…"

She nodded once and raised her hand to wipe her eyes, saying, "Carly's fine. Or, she will be." Sniffling, she rested her head on Yusei's shoulder before continuing, "She's in the same room you left her. I healed her enough to halt the permanent damage, but she's still hurt. She can't walk for a quite awhile, but I healed her enough so she will be able to one day. Go to her. She's been waking up today."

He nodded, murmured a quick 'thank you' under his breath, and quickly moved through the tunnels. Yusei's arms pulled her against him again as his voice murmured against her hair, "Jack told me what happened on the way back. I'm glad she's all right."

She nodded and looked around to see a majority of the crowds had thinned out, leaving just pockets of people still reconnecting. Several of the villagers who had gone out were nowhere to be seen, all of them off to return to their families.

Resting her head on Yusei's shoulder, she glanced over some of the others around to see Kalin hugging Misty gently, one hand combing through her silken hair as she smiled warmly in hers and Yusei's direction. She didn't know what that meant, but turned off to see Crow holding Luna in both arms, grinning and touching his forehead to hers with a look of complete happiness on his face. It was good to see them getting along so well. They made a cute pair.

To one side, she saw Lester and Primo talking to their grandfather, Jakob. She didn't know what they were talking about, but she couldn't bring herself to care as she continued to survey the small nook. Sherry was near the entrance, reaching out to grab Bruno's lapel and kissing him full on the lips. He seemed to release a sound of surprise, but slowly seemed to accept it and reciprocate. That was an odd match if she ever saw one.

Jack was back with Carly, leaving the only other occupants of the area as Yusei's father and grandfather. They stood on opposite sides of the room, the latter holding a cigarette between his lips as he lit it. Waving out the match, he looked up at the ceiling and seemed to smile bitterly as he inhaled the tobacco.

His father stood back and watched herself and Yusei interact with a light smile. She offered a weak upturn of her lips and mouthed 'thank you' over Yusei's shoulder, sure that he was the one who stopped Yusei from using the dragons.

Turning back into the crook of Yusei's neck, she held him close and offered a quick prayer of thanks that he came back to her. She'd been terrified that something would happen to him and she would never feel his touch again. Terrible nightmares had plagued her mind, images of seeing his lifeless body being carried into the tunnels or hearing that he would never come back.

It had absolutely terrified her.

Pulling closer, she knew she wouldn't be letting him out of her sight for quite awhile. If his hold on her was any indication, the feeling was mutual. She couldn't wait to go back to their bed and cuddle together, feel his arms hold her close and his lips on hers. It had only been three days since she'd last felt his embrace, but it had tested her every ounce of worry.

"I love you," she murmured, finally letting a small smile crack when he pulled her even more closely.

One hand let go of her slowly, then trailed up to touch her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his. Cupping his hand on her cheek, he whispered, "I love you, too, Akiza. I always will." He drew her a little closer, gently touching his lips to hers as he kissed his wife. It started as a soft touch of the lips, then gradually became a more passionate exchange as they melted to lean into each other.

And then a gunshot rang out.

She felt him stiffen against her, causing her to pull away and instinctively touch his chest for an injury. "Yusei-!"

He relaxed and gripped her upper arms, shaking his head. "I'm fine, Akiza. Are you?"

She nodded, running her hands down the front of his jacket one more time to make sure. Slowly, she tore her eyes away from his and glanced over his shoulder, surveying the area to see what happened. Looks of confusion and worry reflected back on everyone else's face as they looked around for the source. Did someone's weapon go off in their holster? No one had their gun in hand, even.

Slowly, her focus fell on Z-one as his cigarette dropped to the floor and his hand reached to peel back his jacket, revealing a red stain covering the left side of his chest that spread by the second. His eyes stared at it for a long moment, then finally looked up with an impassive expression on his face. "Second bullet…" he muttered, dropping to his knees, "to hit… me…"

Then he dropped to the ground and laid still.

All was silent for a moment as everyone took in the sight of him lying there. Finally, Yusei tore away from Akiza and ran over to him, crying, "Z-one!"

She reached out to stop him, still not knowing who had shot him or where they were. Her senses weren't finding anything, but she knew he wouldn't listen if she tried to keep him near her. He dropped to the ground beside his grandfather, reaching out to lay him on his back and pressed his hands to the wound, not caring about the blood now covering his hands. "Z-one, don't you dare die on me…"

A high-pitched cry of agony sounded from the side and she turned to see Misty trying to move towards Z-one, one hand outstretched uselessly towards the scene. Kalin held her back with an arm around her waist, keeping her from getting too close as she shakily murmured, "No…! My… My vision…"

Kalin looked to her and asked, "Misty…?"

She buried her face in her hands as tears burst forward, mumbling through her tears, "I thought it was Yusei… It never crossed my mind that…"

He shifted to hold her a little more tightly, shushing her until later. They needed to take care of Z-one right now. Akiza knew she would never forgive herself if she didn't do anything and moved over, kneeling next to Yusei and murmuring, "Let me heal him."

He nodded, keeping his hands over the wound to apply pressure as she moved closer, hoping and praying she wouldn't fail. Z-one was her husband's hero and she knew that if anything happened to him, he'd be left broken and empty.

"Bah, missed."

Everyone else looked up as a voice sounded, trying to find the source of the malicious tone. No one except their group was present, leaving them confused as the same voice sounded again, "Guess I'll have to try again."

A gunshot sounded, causing a small amount of soil on the cave wall to scatter from the impact. Yusei looked up to see his father holding his pistol, aiming at nothing in particular. Katsuro stayed silent as the mysterious voice sounded again, this time saying, "Never was easy to screw with you, Katsuro."

With his hands still covered in his grandfather's blood, he slowly shifted to stand while trusting Z-one to his wife. "What the hell?"

A slight blur shifted through the cavern, gradually bending until it took the shape of a human. The camouflaged coloring started to fade, revealing a tall man with gold-blond hair and long-barreled pistol in his hand. He smirked and said, "You caught me."

Yusei's jaw dropped, his eyes narrowing in anger as he snarled, "Roman?!"

The man, Roman, shook his head and said, "I was aiming for you, but I hit the wrong one."

Fury burned through his blood, but a throb in his chest told him that Akiza's and Luna's presence would keep him from losing control. He considered himself to be a strong person, but he couldn't fight them as tears of frustration pricked his eyes. His childhood mentor had shot his grandfather. But why? He gripped Stardust and pulled it from his holster as he shouted, "What the hell, Roman? Why?! Why would you do this?"

He grinned and didn't seem to care that there were people all around him drawing their pistols. "Did you make that?" he asked, nodding his head towards his former pupil's weapon. "I always knew you had a talent for the craft."

He ignored him as he asked again, "Why did you shoot Z-one?"

"I told you," he muttered, completely calm despite the anger pouring in on him from all sides. "I was aiming for you."

Ice gripped his heart as he managed, in a much weaker tone than before, "Why do you want to kill me?"

He shrugged. "It'd serve you right. Revenge is a bitch, as they say."

"R-revenge…?" he stammered.

He nodded, saying, "You killed my brother, so I want you dead."

Yusei froze, wondering what he was talking about. "Your… brother…?"

"Please," he grumbled. "Don't tell me you didn't know. There are only so many 'Goodwin' families in the Capital."

He felt as though his heart had stopped beating, his breathing becoming labored as the realization hit him. "You… Goodwin's your…?"

He choked a short laugh, then doubled over in a full-out belly laugh. "You never knew my surname, did you?"

Before Yusei could answer, a deafening gunshot fired in the small caves. Roman grunted and shifted to grip his side as blood soaked through his shirt, then glanced over his shoulder to see Katsuro standing there with his shotgun pointed towards him. The barrel was still smoking as he glared with the darkest look Yusei had ever seen and murmured, "My son killed your brother, yes, but you shot my father, then continued to threaten my son. Best friends or not, I can't forgive you, Roman."

He coughed a short laugh, then turned to spit up a wad of blood. "Heh… You got more gall than I gave you credit for, Katsuro."

He cocked the forend and pointed his weapon again, saying, "No one messes with my family. Now taste the power of the Zero Reverse you created."

He fired again, this time hitting his old friend in the chest. All Yusei could do was watch as his father cocked it back again and squeezed the trigger, raining his rarely-seen anger down on the man. There was a flame in his eyes, one he had never seen before, as he emptied his ammunition in a flurry of rage.

He stood conflicted, not sure if he should stop his father from killing his mentor, point Stardust and help, or forget the whole thing and see how Z-one was doing. He stood still, unable to think clearly as Roman dropped to the ground with a dry laugh. There was no way he'd be able to survive six shotgun shells at point blank.

Unless his apparent inhuman powers had something to do with healing injuries. He had been invisible, after all. Was he an Earthbound, too? Had he been one this whole time? Back when he'd taught him how to smith? Did he have that power to go invisible back then?

He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so confused.

Turning on his heel, he walked away and dropped down to the ground beside Akiza, gently touching her shoulder as he looked down at Z-one. Slowly, her hands moved away from the bullet wound and drew back to fold on her lap, her shoulders shaking as she shook her head. She swallowed the lump in her throat before managing to mumble, "I'm sorry, Yusei…"

He bit back his urges to cry and scream, instead wrapping one arm around her shoulders and pulling her against him. He didn't trust himself to speak, instead shifting to pull her against him and hold her tightly.

Z-one was gone.

…

Akiza walked into their room, slowly and silently. She didn't want to startle him, but she has to make sure he was all right. Worry had settled deep in her gut, her heart hoping that he would one day be back to her fun-loving and carefree lover.

He had spent a full two days at his grandfather's side, just staring at his lifeless body. Akiza didn't know if he was praying, mourning, or just in shock. Any of the three were plausible and understandable.

If only she were stronger. If only she had honed her powers enough to save him.

No, that wouldn't have done any good. She did have the power to save him, but there was another factor at play. It was as if he hadn't wanted to be healed. His soul had pulled away from her, unwilling to let her save him.

It was as if he wanted to die.

She hadn't been able to tell Yusei about that yet. Instead, she let him believe that she just hadn't been strong enough or quick enough to heal him.

As she entered their room, she found him lying on their bed with his back to her, completely still except for the occasional shift from breathing. Maybe he was asleep? She walked over and softly seated herself on the bed behind him, lightly touching his shoulder. "Yusei..."

He turned slightly, tucking his face into his pillow a little more. In the three days since the battle was over and Z-one had died, he hadn't said a word. He'd barely grunted, and she found she had to force food down his throat. It broke her heart that there was nothing she could do for him. "Yusei," she murmured again, shifting to hold a water canteen in front of him. "Please drink something."

He didn't move or say anything, as she half-expected, causing her to drop the jug on the bed in front of him and lie down. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing one hand to his heart, and touched her cheek to his back. She knew he was shaken and hurt, but she wanted him to take care of himself again. She wanted the man who laughed cheerfully and never failed to cheer her up. Why couldn't she make him smile the way he always made her smile?

She wasn't how long they laid there like that, but, finally, she felt his hand cover hers and squeeze tightly. He spoke slowly, his voice cracking slightly from disuse, and muttered, "Zachem lyubovʹ kosnulasʹ nas?"

She pulled away from him slightly, shifting to sit up halfway so she could see his face. She'd only caught the word for 'love' in there, but didn't know what he'd said overall. Reaching out, she touched his cheek and hummed a short, "Hm?"

He rolled slightly, looking her in the eye, and muttered, "Why did we fall in love?"

Before his words had fully registered, she reached out and slapped him across the cheek. Tears pricked her eyes as she said, "Why did we…? Yusei, listen to yourself! I know you're hurting, but that's no reason to…"

He averted his gaze and muttered, "I just don't understand… I don't deserve you, Akiza. Every time something bad happens, I keep to myself and take on the burdens of whatever happened. You're always right there, waiting with open arms, but I… I push you away. I don't… I don't deserve you."

She shifted to wrap her hand around his and held tightly, staying silent as she thought his words through. Finally, she nodded slowly and reached out to touch his cheek with her free hand and murmured, "No, you don't. You've done some really stupid things—like calling on the dragons—but… I love you, Yusei." Moving slightly, she let go of his hand and shifted to cup his chin and force his eyes to stay on hers. "I'll always love you, Yusei. As your wife and as the mother of your child, I'll never stop loving you."

He stared in mild surprise as she licked her lips absently and continued, "It doesn't matter what stupid thing you do. I'll always be here and I'll always love you. So, please, talk to me. Tell me what's on your mind and let me help you."

He reached out, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. "I'm sorry, Akiza…"

She shifted to raise her hand to slap him again, frowning sternly in a silent way of telling him that he was going into his shell again. "Yusei…"

Swallowing once, he nodded his understanding. "Back in the Capital… Beneath my family's home, there's a crypt where all the past senators and their families were buried… My grandmother is there, too…"

She knew what he was getting at. She wasn't stupid. "You mean you have to return to the Capital to lay Z-one to rest?"

He nodded. "I have to."

She reached out, pulling to climb onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I'm going with you."

His arms pulled her closer, his voice murmuring in her ear, "Are you sure? It'd be your first time leaving town, wouldn't it?"

She nodded, but managed a weak smile up at him. "Although, from what I've heard, there's not much left of the town to stay in. Besides, it'd do me some good to see the world."

As he opened his mouth to try to change her mind, she touched a finger to his lips and continued, "But most importantly, I'm going to give my husband the support he needs right now."

He managed a slight nod and pulled her as close as he could, murmuring, "I love you, Akiza. I promise I'll do better. You… No…" he muttered, shaking his head slightly, "Both of you deserve better."

So… Who saw that coming? Did you think I could kill Z-one? I mean, you know how much I love him. Truth-be-told, this chapter is one I've wanted to write for a long, long time now. Surprisingly, it's one of my favorites. Also, Papa Fudo's a badass XD And Yusei's manning up to be a father. Lots of changes in the Fudo family in this chapter.

I'll be quiet now and wait to hear your comments. I can't wait to see what you guys have to say XD

Oh, and visit my Facebook! facebook.c!om/OCValkyrie (Remove the exclamation point). Turns out, as long as the exclamation point is in there, you don't need the spaces to keep FFnet from censoring it. Coolio.

Please review!

-Valk