"How about this one?" Jack gestured to the glowing glass centerpiece. It was rather beautiful: a small waterfall portrayal, with a ring of glass cascading inward to the center like very wavy flower. In the middle, a bright blue light shot straight up and featured other illuminations, which grew dull through the glass barrier.
Akiza studied it closely, "Hmm… I'm not sure. It seems a little too flashy." The twenty-seven-year-old shrugged, "What do you think, Yusei?"
Yusei gulped a little. Carefully, he examined the piece, twisting and turning it to see it all the angles. For a small while, he just stopped to stare at it, unsure.
Jack tapped his foot, impatiently, as Luna sweat dropped. Yusei was always the precise one of the team. His observing skills couldn't be beat- unfortunately, that was more of a problem than it helped in these sorts of situations.
"Well?" Akiza asked, breaking Yusei's concentration. He fumbled for a moment, wondering what to say.
"Umm-" Yusei's words were lost in a howl.
"When's lunch?" A rowdy redhead burst in to the high class décor store, "Leo and I are hungry!"
Yusei let out an unnoticed breath of relief.
"But didn't you two eat that bowl of rice just a few minutes ago?" Luna tilted her head, obviously annoyed.
"That was a whole hour ago!" Leo protest flinging his arms in the air, almost sending some of the dinning wear flying. It really was a blessed thing the clerk was standing behind him, or else Team 5Ds would have had one expensive domino reaction at their fault.
In fact, if they kept the bottomless pits empty for too long, they definitely would be a mediocre tragedy on their hands.
"Okay, fine. I'll go with you two to get lunch, however," Jack stopped, abruptly to look over at Akiza, "Do not pick anything out without me. For one, you and your husband-to-be lack a certain taste for fine arts and décor and one mere thing, from the wrong cocktail forks to an off table linen, could turn the event of the century in to a total disaster."
Akiza rolled her chocolate colored eyes, glimpsing at Yusei, "How about we all go for lunch? We could sure use the break."
"That's a great idea. Maybe after we could go to Café La Green for dessert, after," Yusei suggested. He scratched the back of his head, nervously.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Crow's face eased, significantly, as he led the lot of them out.
Yusei, however, stayed behind a few short moments, glancing at the centerpiece.
"What's worrying you?" A voice projected itself from behind him. Quickly, Yusei turned his head, managing a weak smile when he saw the strands of teal hair coming up from under her hat.
"Nothing, Luna." His smile didn't have a realism or dept to it. It was plainly on the surface.
"Oh, come on, you can tell me. You know it'll stay between us. Are you nervous about going through with this?" She asked, walking behind him as he exited the Tops' shop in to the airy outdoors.
"No, actually, I've never been more sure about something." He walked, slowly, waiting for Luna to catch up, "It's just that… well, what if I do something wrong?"
Luna gave him a funny look, giggling, "Like what?"
"I don't know- what if I give the wrong opinion on the centerpiece or the table cloth? What if the whole event turns out horrible?" Yusei let out an audible sigh.
"Yusei, don't let disaster planner Atlas get to you. There is no wrong opinion. This wedding is just as much yours as it is Akiza's. She wouldn't be doing this if she didn't want your input. Just tell her what you think," Luna spoke, articulating her words with confidence. She should have been a public speaker.
A smile flickered on to Yusei's lips, "Thanks, Luna. You're right. Jack really is getting to me."
They laughed in unison, rushing to catch up with the rest of the gang.
"It's so quaint out here." Akiza beamed, sipping some of her coffee. The gang was comfortably seated on the outer terrace of Café La Green, enjoying dessert and warm beverages.
They overlooked the whole of Fountain Plaza with the sun peering through the gurgling water and Yusei's garage just across the way. It really was magnificent.
"I know. I couldn't imagine anywhere else seeming this pleasant," Luna commented, following Akiza's eyes.
"Anything else?" Stephanie asked, shyly. She had been hanging around the scene all along, refilling tea, bringing more cake and so forth. Her undeniable interest was, undoubtly, due to Jack.
"No, thank you," Leo said, his mouth overflowing with crumbs.
"I'm good here." Akiza wore a pleased expression.
"Well, I'll be over by the counters if you need me," She sauntered off, silently.
A rumble could be heard ever so faintly, growing louder as a blazing blue vehicle grew closer. It soon came a sudden halt in front of them. There was two riders, one much smaller, than the other husky figure. It had lights on it- a police vehicle, as they had all come to recognize, even though it had been a few years since any of them had seen one up close, aside from Yusei who helped to check them regularly.
"Well, this isn't a sight I expected to see anytime soon." A deep voice came from the husky figure. It seemed to be in a singsong tone, happy almost.
"Sure is nice, though, isn't?" The small figure tilted their head, as they took their helmet off.
"Trudge, Mina!" Luna hopped out of her seat. She wasn't always on particularly great terms with them, but the familiar faces were especially kind to see.
"What's the matter, Yusei? Don't you invite me to the reunion?" Trudge feigned a hurt expression as he got off of the motorcycle.
"Well, if there was a reunion," Crow muttered, putting his hands behind his head.
"Yeah, we're just helping Yusei and Akiza plan for their impending doom," Leo sniggered, prompting his sister to shake her head in disappointment. Leo was such a knucklehead, but that was just a natural trait of his. There was no use in trying to change it.
"Ah, so they finally decided to join in holy matrimony! That's so romantic!" Mina's amber irises turned to goo as she clasped her hands together.
"Don't give her any ideas," Trudge muttered as she grabbed his arm, "Please."
"Oh, look, Jack even came back!" Mina gave him a bright smile. Jack tried to brush it off. He did wonder what happened since he saw her last, but he wasn't in the least bit, displeased. He liked the idea she got over him and moved on. Maybe that would help narrow down his options for a wedding date.
"Um, well, yeah. I mean, someone has to help them plan and stuff. Namely because of their taste, but for others reasons that vary, as well." Jack closed his eyes, leaning against the back of his seat, coolly.
"Of course," Mina gave him a grim smile, "So when is the big day?"
"You mean you don't already know? Gee, gossip doesn't spread quite as fast as it used to in this town," Crow remarked, casually finishing his last piece of cake.
"Well, what can we say? We lost a key instrument in the whole gossip cycle when you left," Yusei chuckled. Crow shot him a quiet glare.
"We're hoping for the last Friday of autumn, right before Christmas," Akiza explained, signaling to the empty two chairs beside the table.
"Oh, that'll be lovely!" Mina took a seat and began discussing wedding preparations.
Jack dozed off a bit for sometime. His sleep had most definitely been affected by the wedding- late night calls, due to time zone difference, stress at night over the preparations, and, of course, what he was missing out in terms of the matches. He really did wonder just what would happen if he decided to get married.
Suddenly, a bell rang from the door in to the café.
"Hey, Stephanie," A familiar voice chimed, "My usual, please."
Jack, leisurely, opened his eyes to peer at where the voice had come from. As he expected, in part, her eyes were hidden behind a pair of trifocals and her usual blue and white ringed shirt was wrinkled- perhaps she had to spy to get the "scoop" this time. She sat the counter inside the café, writing something down on a notepad.
A small grin played on his face.
"C-C-Carly?" Jack stuttered, a little. He couldn't help it. When he lived here, it was easier to keep his cool- he had grown used to hiding his emotions. It would take a little more practice to do so, now.
"Oh wow! Whoa!" Carly got up from her seat to greet the group, but slipped and feel on her open laces. Quickly, she pushed herself up and pulled out a camera, "It's whole of Team 5Ds. What a story!" She smiled.
"It's nice to see you again." Leo's mouth was still covered in crumbs, but that wasn't really a priority of the young turbo duelist's.
"Did you get promoted to a reporter?" Jack questioned, a little brighter than what he used to be.
"Well, you'd expect so, right? I managed to finally get something on the front page about Kaiba Corp! Angela took that well. I've been doing pretty well. New stories are hard to find, but worth it! So how about you all? Any words I can use?" She looked and smiled, tripping on the tiles, this time on to Jack's lap, "Oooops!"
He blushed, wildly, his eye widening. Akiza looked over at Luna, both smirking.
"It's my fault, really. I should have moved with the chair," He commented, quickly helping her back up.
"So she could have feel on her face? Nice thinking, Casa Nov," Leo tittered, smugly. Jack sneered at him.
"No, no. Same old me, clumsy, clumsy!" She looked up, a noticeable blush across her face.
"Your coffee is ready, Carly," Stephanie called out.
"Well, that's my cue. Nice seeing you all." Carly practically zoomed away from the table, leaving dust behind her.
"Interesting," Leo snorted, "It seems as though 'the almighty king' still has a soft spot for a certain reporter…"
"Oh, shut it, Leo!" Jack screeched, still watching Carly run off.
A/N:
Wow! This, my friends (if you don't mind me calling you a friend) is the product of an all-nighter (due to self-proclaimed insomnia) and extremely terrible writing. It's strongly cautioned you never do something so stupid (not minding my monster impulses, here) because:
This is pretty OOC.
It's just sucks!
Again, thanks for all the favorites, comments, and alerts! They mean the world to me! You all are so sweet and helpful! Your advice and constructive criticism is much welcomed and appreciated. And, well, I know I've been asking for lots of opinions, as of late, but I had an idea. For the venue, I was thinking by the fountain in Fountain Plaza. Of course, if you want somewhere else please say! I'd be more than happy to get your feedback. And music: I want song suggestions! I'll do my best to fit them all in!
Have an AWESOME DAY and all the best! Sorry for the monstrous Author's Note!