I hope you all enjoyed "Your Shot."

"I take it that means you like how I look," Akiza barged in my mindless yammer. "But you're the first guy to see me 'out of my element' so to speak." Without really thinking, I brought my sandwich up to my mouth for another monster bite.

"Note to self: eating chili peppers or anything based with peppers doesn't necessarily make you brave," I wheezed, desperately trying to soothe my mouth. "But they taste good." I could tell that Akiza wasn't really following me.

"What on Earth are you talking about, Yusei?" the dancer shot at me. "Are you a chili-head?"

"Not in the slightest," I parried back. "I was just stupid enough to take from some of Crow's chili reserves and eat it." She cocked her head at me, a sign of obvious confusion.

"All right, look," I said as I opened the refrigerator door and signaled for her to come over. "Crow's a fan of a show called 'Man v. Food,' which showcases eating challenges."

"I'm following," Akiza said to follow.

"He particularly took an interest in anything that was spicy hot," I continued to explain. "From that point, he decided to create various sauces, using a base pepper for different flavors. You got stuff made from jalapeño, habanero, and even ghost chili."

"Ghost chili?" Akiza repeated questioningly.

"Yeah, at one time it was the hottest pepper in recorded history," I shot back. "Roughly speaking, one ghost chili is equal to one hundred jalapeños."

"Wow," she simply commented.

"Wow indeed," I sighed back. "On a different note, were you all right by yourself while I was gone?"

"Yes, peachy even," Akiza stammered quickly. "No troubles…here." Something didn't seem right. Her eyes shifted back and forth while she was talking. Maybe she had trouble being alone. I couldn't tell though.

"I think I'll leave you alone," she quickly added before slowing backing towards the stairs.

"All right, I'll see you later, I guess," I replied. Akiza's more mystery than I initially gave her credit for, but that intrigued me. One of the things I like about women is a mystery they have men solve about them.

(Omniscient POV)

Nightfall came as quick as sunrise did. Yusei didn't see much of Akiza after watching her walk away from side-stepping his question of her handling loneliness. When he came to say good night to her, Akiza was already sleeping like a rock.

"Perhaps she was bushed or something," the former Satellite duelist said in his head as he walked to see her. "And why do I smell smoke? Maybe someone was burning something. I don't know." Yusei gently pulled on her blanket, making sure she didn't budge and also giving her warmth. Unbeknownst to him, Akiza had to take a few puffs from a cigarette before hitting the sack. It helped her ease the stress of her anxiety problems.

"Sleep tight, Akiza," Yusei mouthed silently before heading up to lay his head down for the night.

When the next morning came, the first one up to greet the dawn, strangely enough, was Akiza. She stood outside to relish the cool early dawn air, hoping it would clear her mind.

"My deck is more powerful now," she told herself, holding the stack of cards tightly in her grasp. "I just know, somewhere out there, someone is going to challenge me. Let's just hope I'll be confident before then." She stepped inside, just in time to see Crow coming down the stairs.

"Hey there, Akiza," the Blackwing duelist greeted her. "I hope you're enjoying your stay with us. You may have only been here a few days, but I like you more than Jack already."

"Well, at least that's something," she added on. "How goes your….chili venture?"

"It's still a work in progress," Crow answered. "But it does have one unique upside."

"And what might that be?" Akiza queried, coming closer to him.

"I make Jack taste it whenever he's drunk," he beamed deviously. "The capsicum stuff is alcohol soluble, so it doesn't really affect him much. Plus, after his hangovers, he has little recollection of being my test monkey."

"Cunning, aren't you?" the dancer and duelist-hopeful complimented him.

"I try," the former thief waxed bashful. "Hold the fort down, okay?"

"You got it," she said back after Crow hopped on his ride and dashed out to his job. "I hope so." Akiza looked down in her open backpack and saw her cigarettes, laying there, silently calling out to her.

"What if Yusei sees me?" she questioned herself, pulling her shaking right arm down. "I just have to be strong. Any vice can be kicked." The young woman made her way up to the kitchen to put on some coffee. While the brew was percolating, Akiza thumbed through the contents of the fridge, looking for more of those doughnuts.

"Nothing," she breathed, slightly disappointed. "Oh well." Her stomach began to call out for sustenance. It was a sound Akiza was used to. When she worked as an exotic dancer, there were times when she couldn't afford to have three meals a day. Besides, she fell under the notion that food would slowly take away the figure she worked so hard to have multiple guys gawk at.

"Morning," Yusei greeted her out of nowhere. "Sleep well?"

"It's just you, Yusei," Akiza panted, her heart palpitating rapidly. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I thought you might've heard me coming." The guy looked down to see Akiza rubbing her stomach in hunger.

"You look hungry," the former marked criminal pointed out. "Need something to tide you over?"

"If it's not too much trouble," the dancer requested shyly. Those were the magic words, since Yusei pulled out a few eggs from the fridge, fired up the griddle on the stove she was leaning next to, and cracked the eggs onto it.

You can't really go through a day without eating breakfast," he said. "Why else do they call it breakfast?"

"I guess you're right," she chuckled lightly. When the machine beeped, Akiza turned around poured enough for her and Yusei. After all, it was the least she could do for now.

"This guy is really friendly and caring," the dancer thought to herself. "I have to find out more about him."

Well, there you have the sixth chapter. As for when Akiza actually duels in this story, I have it already in mind. I can only hope that who it is may throw you all for a loop. Review if you wish. The love and romance will come into play soon.