This thing is taking off quick.

I slowly creaked my way to the pile of broken glass, thank you Jack. So as to not wake him up, I swept up a few pieces at a time instead of a whole bunch. That didn't work.

"Who's there?" Jack mumbled, still half-asleep. "Yusei, is that you?"

"Yes Jack, it's me," I sighed, slightly irritated. "I'm sweeping up your shattered bottles."

"You bet your (hic) ass, you are," he hiccupped.

"Have you been drinking again?" I quizzed. "It's not even nine o'clock yet."

"That's not for you to decide," Atlas slurred. "I'm getting up." He stepped into his boots and trotted out and about.

"What's up with that guy?" I thought to myself. I shrugged it off and went back to sweeping. Not even two full sweeps passed when I heard that arrogant voice pound at my psyche.

"Yusei, get down here this instant!" Jack yelled at the top of his lungs.

"He found her," I surmised as I set down the broom and dashed to the workshop floor.

"What's going on here?" I asked from atop the stairs.

"Who….is she?" Jack snapped at me and pointing at Akiza.

"Oh boy…" I muttered under my breath. "This is the dancer I told you about last night. The one I talked to."

"What's your point?" he spat.

"Akiza is going to be staying with us while I help improve her dueling skills," I explained while putting my arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry you and I got off on the wrong foot," Akiza tried to say, holding her hand out to Jack. "I hope you and I can be friends." Her hand just waited in midair, hoping Jack would accept her treaty.

"No dice," the once-champ retorted. "I don't trust you yet. For all we know, you could be a spy trying to steal our secrets for the upcoming grand prix." He raised his nose in the air and ambled out the door like he was royalty.

"I don't think Jack likes me," Akiza lamented slightly.

"He'll grow to like you, trust me," I assured her, stepping in front of her. "He acts rude to Crow and me, but he has our backs and we have his." She resumed to munching her chocolate/coffee dipped doughnuts and I zipped away to get dressed for the day.

It didn't take me long to don my signature blue blazer and the dark pants, but my hair is a different story. Every single day, I have to prop it up with gel and re-touch the streaks with a bright yellow dye. Lot of work.

When I came back down to the workshop floor, Akiza was up and walking around, fully examining our work floor and the base in general. She zeroed in on a few tools, thumbed through some instructions, and eyed my runner.

"Enjoying the view?" I asked her from the bottom of the stairs.

"You guys have a lot of interesting stuff," she answered back. "And I saw you drive away on this thing."

"My runner?" I pointed out as a question. "What might surprise you is that I built that thing from scratch entirely."

"You don't say," Akiza breathed, brushing her hand across the swoop. "You have a way with your hands, Yusei Fudo. You have a way….with your hands."

"Well, thank you," I thanked her. "Now, if you don't mind, I gotta head out and grab something. So, you know….try and settle in." I snatched my helmet from the rack next to her backpack, put it on, got my runner going, and I sped out.

I made my way into the city and parked my ride by a small curio shop. I've been to this place a few times before and I remember seeing something that now would make sense if Akiza had it. Besides, it's always nice to go into a place like this and just browse.

The shop had a light cinnamon scent in the air, glass cases filled with all sorts of small items, and the walls were decorated with rare photos, paintings, and anything else that can be hung on a wall.

"Can I help you, my boy?" the elderly shopkeeper questioned me when I came through the door.

"I'm not sure if….actually, you can," I responded when I spotted what I was looking for. "I'll take that." This would be perfect for her.

"Superb selection, my son," the aging collector commented as he took it out and slipped in it a plastic sleeve. "Will that be cash or credit?" I reached into my coat pocket, pulled a few bills out, placed them on the display case, and took the sleeved item.

"Keep the change," I told the man confidently before leaving the shop. After I slipped it into my inside coat pocket, I revved my runner back to life and turned towards home.

When I rolled my ride through the open garage door, I saw Akiza back on the couch no longer in her sweatshirt and instead wearing a loose Hard Rock Café t-shirt, sipping from a teacup, and leafing through a magazine.

"Held down the fort for you," she greeted me. "And I helped myself to one of Jack's tea things. Just don't tell him."

"I'll make a note of that," I commented with my helmet now off my head. "How do you like it here so far?"

"It's great," Akiza exclaimed. "At the club, a few of the dancers and I shared an apartment for a while. Although, most of the times, one of us would not be home for dinner or to sleep."

"I see," I said, going along with her story. "What else?"

"Lately, the girls started using me to take on their late night shifts," she continued. "I suspect it was 'cause of the fact that I was the youngest girl there. Anyway, when you came by to see me, it was my third consecutive day of work."

"You must've been tired," I added.

"Power naps do wonders," she resolved. "After you left, I knew I had to see you again and the rest is history."

"When I went out earlier, I saw something that would mesh perfectly with your love of plants," I told her while pulling her gift. "I figured it would be something that would help you in your pursuit of becoming a respectable duelist." I placed it in her free hand.

"What is this?" the former dancer asked, turning the card over.

"It's a card known as Black Rose Dragon," I answered.

That's right: in this timeline, Yusei is responsible for Akiza's signature card. Did you like it? Stay tuned and review if you choose.