All right, I want to apologize for the delay in a chapter. I had my spring break last week and went home to my family. It was not the most enjoyable break I've ever had. Anyway, you guys don't want to hear about my problems, I'm sure :)

My thanks go out to japanese hamm, melan anime, ptd163, FiringShootingStar, sasuhina gal, MewBladeXxX, Flame-Metal-Heart, Q-A the Authoress, theforgottenpeople96, AnimeKiwi369, PyronicTao, Rapis-Razuri, and RobotFish for their reviews last chapter!

As for anons, we have Poohbear4u, LDC, and ChibiX! Poohbear4u: Yes, I did. Despite the fact that I love him, I value the telling of a good story more XD LDC: Almost time for a field trip! ChibiX: Yeah, I'm going to miss Z-one's comments, too. I had a lot of fun writing those. And you're right! I think I first post around the end of May or early June last year, so it has almost been a year… Wow.

And, as always, many thanks to my awesome beta, RobotFish!

Oh, and for those of you who liked Z-one in here, I have a proposal at the end of the chapter…

Sunset Horizon
Chapter 42 – Setting Sun

Yusei sat back in the meeting room, leaning back from his seat on a barrel. His eyes stayed on the pack of cigarettes in his hands, absently opening the cover as he touched the blood staining one side. He had no intention of trying one, but the carton had been in Z-one's breast pocket when he was shot, leaving him unable to throw them out.

Instead, he just flipped the box in his hands, over and over, listening to the remaining contents shuffle around as they slid back and forth. He'd seen the label several times, leaving him to assume it was Z-one's favorite kind. No one else in their settlement that he knew of smoked, so his supply had been packed away by his father with the other small amount of things he'd had with him.

There was silence in the room as they waited for Misty to start her tale. She sat at the table, her leather-bound book in front of her, with Kalin seated beside her. Yusei knew something had happened out on the battlefield with his friend. He had seemed content when he came back in, leaving him to believe he'd gotten his much-desired revenge.

Crow had come in with a tall, dark-skinned man who turned out to be Annie's and Max's biological brother. The three had been very happy to be reunited and Yusei was glad the kids had their brother back.

Jack was still with Carly, watching her and helping her when she woke up. Yusei had never seen his brother so diligent about anything before, but, there he was, sitting by her side, bringing her food and water, and helping change her bandages. He was like a whole different person. Not that it was a bad thing at all. He was actually ecstatic—or as ecstatic as he could be right now—that Jack was learning to rely on another.

He leaned back, glancing through the room at its occupants. Besides his white- and orange-haired brothers, Akiza, Luna, his father, Primo, and Bruno stood waiting. Yusei didn't know where the other two members of Infinity, Jakob and Lester, were, but he couldn't care. He was wondering about this vision Misty had mentioned and no one, not even Kalin, had really seemed to know what she was talking about.

Slowly, she extended her hands to stretch across the table, then drew them back to settle on her book. Closing her eyes, she murmured, "A few weeks ago, after the soiree, I had a vision. Here, let me read what I documented of it and I'll explain further if need be."

She paused as she pulled the ties on the cover and lifted the cover, shifting through dog-eared and tabbed pages until she found the one she wanted. Clearing her through slightly, she started to read, "Date received: Monday, January seventh. Type: Concentrated. Clarity: Shaded. Background: Unknown. Focus: Yusei Fudo. Light: Bleak. Sound: Silent. Content: A brief image consisting of Yusei. He froze slightly, then peeled his jacket back to reveal a blood stain over his heart. His lips moved, but no sound came out as he fell to his knees. He proceeded to the ground, then laid still, unmoving. There is no doubt that he is dead. His image was lightly blurred, making it impossible to tell his age at the time."

She stayed silent, then closed her book softly. Everyone looked to each other as they wondered the full extent of her visions. It was the first time Yusei had heard a word-for-word excerpt from her log, forcing him to ask, "What are all those categories in the beginning? What do they mean?"

Misty tucked her hair behind her ear and nodded, understanding his question. "It's a system I came up with a long time ago to make logging easier. 'Type' refers to the type of vision. In this case, it was concentrated. Basically, that's my code to say that I saw nothing except the subject. In this case, Yusei. Or, rather, Z-one. It was just his figure on a white background. I had no idea where it would happen or who would be present.

"'Clarity' refers to how clear the image is. They vary from crystal clear to extremely blurred. In this case, it was closer to blurred than clear. Which is no doubt how I managed to mistake a sixty-some year old man for a twenty-some. Age aside, Yusei and Z-one do—did—look remarkably alike. It was an easy mistake. 'Background' is just a way to note if it was in a city, home, road, field, et cetera. Since this one was concentrated, the background was unknown.

"'Focus' refers to who is involved the most. It makes it easier to locate the vision I'm looking for without trudging through every page. 'Light' is a way to meter the positivity or negativity of a vision. It ranges from wonderful to bleak. 'Sound' is just to record if there was anything to be heard in the vision. Sometimes, I can hear voices or commotion involved. It helps to pinpoint when and where the vision happens. And, obviously, 'content' is the vision itself in detail."

"So…" Akiza started slowly, "You're saying you saw Z-one's death, but you thought it was Yusei? Did you warn him?"

She shook her head. "My visions don't work like that. It's been my experience in the past where if I try to warn someone and prevent something from happening, the surrounding events are that much worse. It seems that more lives are spared if I stay silent."

Everyone stayed silent for a long moment before Katsuro spoke up, saying, "Misty… If you don't mind me asking, how did you know my father?"

She nodded once and looked back to her book. "A reasonable question. To be honest, I'm surprised no one else has asked yet." Clearing her throat slightly, she leaned back in her chair and said, "I was born in the Capital. My family wasn't poor, but we weren't quite middle class, either. My parents both worked to support us, but I was able to go to a school and get an education.

"When I was seven and my younger brother, Toby, was two, our mother was taken by illness. Things were harder then, but we managed. When I was twelve and Toby was seven, our father lost his life in an accident at work. I don't know exactly what happened, but his employer came to our house one day and told us something had happened and my father wouldn't be coming home ever again. I didn't know what to do, so I tried to keep going as we did before.

"One day, two men arrived at our door and said the landlord hadn't received any money in a few months. I tried explaining that our parents were dead and we didn't have anywhere else to go, but all they cared about was money. We barely had enough time to pack some food and clothes before they threw us out. Toby and I were left to live on the streets. I had no way of caring for my little brother beyond stealing food.

"By then, a year had passed since our father's death. We were wandering the streets during the Moonlight Wine Festival, hoping we could steal some food when no one was looking. It was crowded out; people dancing and talking and drinking everywhere. I held onto Toby's hand to make sure we didn't get separated, but… somewhere along the way, we got split up. I don't know what happened exactly. Just people pushing by, and then his hand was no longer in mine.

"I stayed in that city square for three days until I was chased out, hoping Toby would look for me in the place where we were split up. He was only eight, so I imagine he didn't really know his way around. I haven't seen him since that night. I wandered alone, feeling broken without Toby. He had been my reason for living."

Yusei listened to her story, feeling halfway sorry for all the trouble she went through and halfway annoyed that she hadn't gotten to the point yet. As soon as he realized how cold his thoughts seemed, he felt the guilt rise up in his throat and looked away. Misty was his friend, after all. Staying silent, he waited for her to continue.

She heaved a heavy sigh and said, "I wandered alone, fourteen at this point. I stayed in the Capital, surviving on scraps and stolen food. One day, I was reaching to steal a piece of fruit from a street vendor. The owner caught me and grabbed my wrist, throwing me to the ground and demanding that I apologize. I groveled, begged for mercy. I was just hungry. He told me that a woman should apologize in a different way and said he…" She took a deep breath to brace herself before finishing, "He said he would enjoy me that night.

"He reached out to grab my arm and pull me behind his cart for later, dragging me on the ground. I was in tears by this point, crying and begging him to stop. He froze at the sound of a gun cocking, then a voice said, 'You shouldn't treat a lady so roughly.'"

Yusei glanced back up at that. "That was…?"

She nodded, a soft and fond smile playing at her lips. "That was how I met Z-one. He saved me that day, threatened the vendor and told him he could have him out of business by the end of the day. The man demanded how, and all the response Z-one gave was an introduction. I had never heard of him before that day, but the vendor paled considerably and apologized half-heartedly.

"Z-one extended an arm for me to come to him and I was just scared of the vendor, so I took the invitation and ran to him. Something about him just gave off friendly vibes. He bought me some food and I told him my story. He listened kindly, never interrupting and smiling softly. When I told him I had nowhere to go, he took me to Infinity to be trained as a member. I learned their ways and fought for their cause.

"As time went by, my debt to Z-one only grew. Everyone in Infinity was his second family, but he would always wear this fond smile when he talked about his silly, irrational grandson," she murmured, shooting a smile in Yusei's direction. He only shrugged, signaling for her to continue. "It was clear in the way he spoke that he loved his family dearly, but he always had a place for the members of Infinity. We were like his surrogate children.

"Even so… Even knowing how dearly he loved his wife and how he thought of me as his daughter… A part of me couldn't help but fall in love with him. It was more out of admiration than an actual desire to be with him. A childish crush, if you will. I was, admittedly, a little jealous of his wife for being able to love him openly, but I never spited her. I never had any real desire to be with Z-one on a physical level or anything. I suppose, looking back, perhaps I loved him as a father.

"Regardless, in time, I knew I loved Kalin in a very different way as I started to see visions of this town. Two years after entering Infinity, I was possessed by the Earthbound. As it turned out, reports were made of me sneaking into others' rooms and stealing things, or making inappropriate advancements on other members of Infinity. Z-one told me about it one day, asking why I had done those things, but I had no recollection of it and told him as such.

"I could tell he wanted to believe me, so he said I had one more chance. The Earthbound got the better of me one night and snuck into Z-one's room with a knife. The next morning, he told me to leave. No one in the group had known of Earthbounds at the time, so no one knew to contact the church. He was sad to force me out, I know. It wasn't in his nature to force people away, but he had to do what was best for his family.

"Sometime later, I encountered the priest who would tame the Earthbound, leaving me with my visions. After that, I wandered the country, following my visions until I wound up in this town. Failing Toby and Z-one were my two greatest shames. And, now, I've failed Z-one again, for the last time. After all he did for me…"

The room stayed silent for a long moment as she shifted to pull her knees to her chest, curling on the chair as she stared at the table distantly. Kalin shifted to stand beside her, touching a hand to hers comfortingly.

Finally, Yusei shifted to stand and said, "We're going to the Capital to lay him to rest. You're welcome to come, if you want, Misty."

She looked up in surprise, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "R-really…?"

He nodded and moved for the door. "Sure. He'd be happy to have you there. Z-one would want his family with him."

…

Yusei sat back on the bed he shared with Akiza, tugging his boots on as he prepared to leave for the Capital. Closing his eyes, he took a moment to calm himself. He hadn't ever wanted to return to that place. It held nothing but bad memories and hauntings of his mother.

But he would go back for Z-one. After all that he'd done for him, the least he could do was spend a few days to get him properly laid to rest beside his wife. It was probably more like two months, with the trip to and from the Capital, but he could handle it.

In the end, Akiza, himself, Kalin, Misty, his father, Luna, and Bruno were going. Sherry said she would make sure the town was clear of Underground and ensure the people were stable before following behind them, and the other three members of Infinity said they would return before the funeral.

Luna was going so she could report to the Archbishop while Crow stayed behind to take care of the town. Even though Yusei had adamantly refused to associate with the church after the way his mother died, she still wanted to tell them everything.

A knock sounded on the doorframe, followed by a voice saying, "Yusei."

He didn't look up, knowing the voice well, and muttered, "What do you want?"

His father stepped into the otherwise empty room, cautiously treading in on his son's space, before saying, "I won't waste your time. It's about the dragons."

He perked up slightly, finally turning to glance at him before gesturing towards the dugout bench for him to sit. "I'm listening."

Katsuro shook his head at the invitation, but stopped to stand near the bed. "This won't take long. I think it would be wise if you consulted the dragons about your punishment. I can tell you're worried about it. If your case is like your mother's, I figure you won't be punished too severely."

Yusei listened in silence, waiting for him to continue. Sighing slightly, he paused to lean back against the wall and crossed his arms before finishing, "Your mother died at the age of thirty-five after killing thousands with the dragons. You killed approximately fifty, so I can only assume your fine would be no more than a few months. I expect you'll still live a long life with Akiza and your child."

He felt a sigh of relief fall from his lips. He had been worried about it, afraid he was going to drop dead at any moment. After seeing how his mother had collapsed and died without any warning, he was terrified the same would happen to him. He was still scared of being a father, but he was more frightened of never meeting his child.

He wanted desperately to be able to be a good husband and father, but couldn't help being afraid that he would fail. After watching how his father failed him, he was scared that he would do the same. Z-one hadn't been the most involved parent, either, but Yusei understood that was because his mother had raised Katsuro while he worked as senator.

There was a saying that the fruit didn't fall far from the tree. He tried to live his own life and separate himself from his bloodline, but what if it was as genetic as his unruly hair? Would he be unable to be a good father?

He sighed, knowing deep down that Akiza would slap him if she knew his thoughts. And she wondered why he didn't talk to her about everything. Running a hand through his hair, part of him wondered if getting slapped again would help quell his fears. He knew he needed to shape up if he was going to be able to raise his child.

It wasn't having a child that had him so frightened. It was failing his child and having he or she hate him like he hated his own father that scared him. He loved Akiza more than his own life and he knew he wanted to spend his life with her. One part of him knew that she would never be able to go through life without children of her own, so he knew he would have to be a father one day.

When she'd told him of her possible infertility, he had, deep down, hoped that meant the only children they would have would be Leo, Annie, and Max. He didn't want to fail a child like his father failed him. By the time he'd become a part of the household and became a father figure to the three, they were already old enough to have morals and lessons to guide them. He wasn't their lifeline to keep them afloat in the world.

To be completely responsible for another life was the most terrifying thought in the world.

"Yusei?"

He looked up, just remembering his father was still there. "Yeah?"

He looked away slightly before quietly murmuring, "I… know it may not mean much, but, after seeing how you've grown over the years, I'm sure you'll make a remarkable parent. Much better than I was."

Yusei blinked in mild surprise, not really sure what to think of his father's remark. Before he could reply, Katsuro gave a brief nod to reaffirm his statement before turning and walking out the door. He couldn't explain it, but some part of him was happy his father thought that highly of him. He shouldn't have cared what he thought, right? It shouldn't matter. He was useless to him.

Right?

…

Akiza walked out of the trees, holding a hand over her eyes to block out the sun. She carried her parasol, but it had been over two weeks since she'd left the darkness of the tunnels and her eyes had long since adapted to their dim lightning. Being in the dark for so long was not something she found she was fond of. Despite always carrying her umbrella to shield herself from the sun, she found she still appreciated and loved the bright light overhead.

She wasn't sure she would like going back into the tunnels.

She walked over to the two covered wagons that had survived the destruction, silently watching as Yusei, Kalin, Bruno, and Katsuro hoisted the oblong crate the townsfolk had constructed to hold Z-one. It was constructed as a temporary coffin to transport him to the Capital, as thanks from the villagers for the protection he'd helped provide.

She bit her lip as they pulled the crate inside one of the wagons, not wanting to startle them with her silent approach. One wagon would carry Z-one and two or three of the passengers, while the other would carry supplies for the month-long journey. There would be towns and waypoints along the road, but they wanted to make sure they'd be all right in case something prevented them from stopping.

She was nervous about leaving her home, even if there wasn't much was left of it. She had lived her whole life in New Domino and, though she'd wanted to leave when she was younger, she was scared to know what lied beyond her little world.

But, at the same time, she knew that outside world was a huge part of what made Yusei who he was. She didn't know that much about his life before coming to her hometown and whenever she asked him about it, he would answer truthfully but briefly. She wanted to know what made him who he was and understand his world. She wanted to see the things he saw.

Swallowing, she knew there was a whole different way of life out there. And, in a matter of weeks, she would experience it firsthand.

This was kind of a filler chapter to explain Misty's vision, but we'll see more of the trip next time. I promise! Not really anything else to say about this one… I guess the good news is that Yusei won't drop dead at any given moment!

And about my comment at the start about Z-one… I was considering writing a short addition to this fic (when this one is over), showing either Z-one's meeting with his wife, or how he and Katsuro got along during Yusei's absence. Would any of you guys want to see something like that? If so, which would you prefer?

Please review!

-Valk

P.S. Does anybody else hate FFnet's new font?