Hey! I'm back with another chapter! Hopefully you enjoy!
Chapter 5: Decisions
"We've come to make an offer." Kichimi declared intensely.
Akiza face palmed. "What is it with your group and offers?" Akiza teased, hoping to relieve some of the tension.
"This isn't like Takami's offers, we're serious about this." Kichimi clarified.
Akiza sighed before signalling Kichimi to continue.
"The three of us want to separate from my brothers group. We want to create our own 'totem'." Kichimi began.
Akiza looked at her confusedly. "Good for you, what do you need me for?"
Harumi decided to speak up and continued explaining. "We don't feel any one of the three of us are popular enough to head it and be given the title of a totem pole. You are."
Akiza eyes widened as she took a step back in astonishment. "Me? You want me to lead your group?" she asked, baffled by the entire ordeal.
"Yes." Answered Kiyomi. "You managed to climb your way to the top of the social food chain in a day! If you can do that, then you can certainly lead your own social group." He explained.
Akiza tried to process what was going on. It didn't help that she still had the knowledge of Misty and Luna's spat in her head, now this? When she said wanted friends, she certainly didn't mean this! She was on the total opposite end of the spectrum now. Before nobody wanted her, now? EVERYONE wanted her! What was she going to say? What should she say? Did they expect a decision now?
"Can I have some time to think about this? I mean, you all seem nice, and who doesn't like popularity? But to be honest I don't know you very well, and I've come to like a lot of people in Luna's group." Akiza explained, clearly frazzled by this occurrence.
"Sure, we can give you some time. We can't wait forever though, and we can always become close through being a social group." Kichimi had a point there. She continued to Akiza's surprise. "Besides, you couldn't have become that close with anyone in a couple days."
Kichimi's last comment got Akiza thinking hard about the offer as she waved goodbye to the three students. They were definitely being serious about this, and it was definitely an offer to consider. They were right, she wasn't that close wit anyone yet, she still had time to decide where she truly belonged. For now, she had to put it aside and focus on the whole Luna and Misty issue.
She entered her dorm room and found her bedroom door was open. She entered and closed the door behind her. Carly truly had set up camp, she had made a small fort next to Akiza's bed where she assumed Carly was planning on sleeping.
"Nice fort." Akiza commented. Carly poked her head out the side and smiled at her friend.
"Come in! We need to get started on this!" Carly demanded as she re-entered her mini-barricade.
Akiza giggled as she complied. Carly had set up two laptops for them and had a third one charging on sleep-mode. Who needs three laptops? Apparently Carly did.
"So, I've been thinking, this contest thing going on between Luna and Misty is still going on. Misty obviously has been stealing guys from our group and shoving her tongue down their throats, but I think Luna's up to it too!" Carly started explaining.
"How do you figure?" Akiza asked the young journalist.
Carly smirked. "Her group started out as Leo and I along with herself, but after that fight was when she started joining every single club and team known to man. She made friends with Yusei in the physics club, Kalin on the debate team and Sherry in the multi-cultural club, they were outcasts then, so she asked them to join her crew." Carly elaborated excitedly.
"No way!" Akiza gasped.
Carly nodded and continued. "She made loads of friends off of all the teams AND got brownie points from all her teachers, which lead her to become one of the school's student ambassadors, which meant she showed around all the new students and made sure they settled in. Which is how she met Bruno, Crow and Jack." Carly gave Akiza a knowing look and let an air of pride sweep over her. Akiza however didn't feel too happy over the news.
"And me." Akiza stated with a tone of realization. That's why she yelled at Yusei for scaring her away. She was using her to get back at Misty, her and everyone else. Akiza felt a bit of a sting in her chest once she realized it. Carly obviously wasn't picking up on Akiza's thought process.
"She's using us. All of us, just so she can be 'better' than Misty." Akiza looked at Carly, who was now understanding what Akiza meant. "She's using us." Akiza repeated, as if she couldn't believe her own words.
Carly frowned. "You're right." She agreed sadly.
Akiza shook her head a little and decided to do something she might regret. "Text everyone and tell them to come down here. Except Luna and Leo of course. We need to talk about this." Akiza instructed, which Carly didn't hesitate to conduct.
Akiza got up and went to Sherry's room to get her up, but discovered her already awake. She decided not to bother with it until later, she had to deal with the issue at hand. "Sherry, our whole group is coming over to talk about something important, it involves you. We're going to need you out in the living room soon, okay?" Akiza informed.
Sherry was facing away from Akiza. She started to nod until Akiza left the room, so not as to give away her tears.
Akiza got the area cleaned up and ready to hold all her friends and got some food out as well, she didn't want them to completely hate her afterwards.
Yusei and Crow showed up first, followed by Jack and Bruno. Sherry came out of her room shortly after, looking tired as usual and Carly came out after she packed up her laptops.
Akiza decided to lead the little meeting. "You guys are probably wondering why you're here. It's about Luna."
"Is that why her and her brother aren't here?" Jack asked, still stone-like and frigid.
Akiza nodded. "Yeah. Carly and I did a little snooping on what happened between Luna and Misty when they turned into mortal enemies. We found out what happened and realized that they have always been competing with each other popularity-wise."
"Cause that wasn't obvious enough." Crow chimed.
Akiza gave him a quick glare then proceeded to explain further. "On Misty's side yes, but have you guys realized how Luna was competing?" Akiza asked, to which no one answered. She took it as a sign to continue.
"That fight was when she first started joining everything extra-curricular. That's how she met Kalin, how she met you Yusei, how she met Sherry. You guys were pretty lonely back then weren't you? Outcasts of the sort, right?" Akiza asked them.
Yusei and Sherry averted their eyes, which Akiza took as a yes. "Who more perfect than you to add to her little popular group? You were bound to say yes, she had probably gotten you to trust her, you were perfect targets for her." Akiza clarified.
Carly then decided to add on further. "Then she became a student ambassador, which meant she welcomed new students and got them acquainted."
Akiza took the lead again. "Perfect for making more friends! Isn't that how she met you, Jack? Bruno? Crow? It's how she met me too."
"What are you getting at?" Crow barked. Akiza stood there unfazed and crossed her arms.
"I'm saying, she didn't just meet us all by coincidence. It was planned." Akiza unveiled. Yusei, Bruno and Sherry's eyes all widened simultaneously as they realized what Akiza met. Jack stared at the girl with an eyebrow arched, he seemed impressed. Crow on the other hand was still clueless and waved his hands for her to continue.
"She's been using us all to get back at Misty." Akiza clarified for the bird brain.
Crow's jaw dropped dramatically as he re-processed everything. He ended up coming to the same conclusion as everyone else. Luna was using them.
"You guys, maybe we should talk to Luna about it first, maybe we're wrong, maybe she just likes us and thought we would make good friends?" Yusei suggested. It was rather harsh to go pointing fingers like that.
Everyone looked to Akiza and she nodded. Carly texted Luna right away. It seemed to Akiza that if Luna somehow disappeared she'd become the leader of the pack, at least that's how everyone was acting. She couldn't help it, she was a natural at leading. Back at her old school she was on the schools official duel team which was comprised of the four best duellists in the school. There was the captain, which was Akiza's role, they schedule practices, give advice to her fellow duellists and call the shots in tournaments. Captains weren't necessarily the best duellist of the bunch, but they were the best leaders.
Thinking about her Captain days reminded her of Kichimi's offer. Should she take it? She was a natural leader after all. It would be like her duel team days except she'd be liked a lot more by her group members. But she liked Carly and Sherry and Crow and Leo and Jack (hard to believe, but she did) and even Luna still after she had found out she was using them. Truth be told, Luna still treated them nicely. Akiza was utterly confused, she needed someone to talk about it, someone she trusted, besides Carly who would no doubt turn it into a story… Yusei!
Akiza walked towards Yusei, grabbed his hand and led him to her bedroom so they could be alone. None of the others really noticed since they were chatting amongst themselves, waiting for Luna's arrival.
Akiza sat Yusei down on the bed, not letting go of his hand, and looked at him directly in the eye, making sure she had his full attention. "I need some advice." She admitted.
Yusei tilted his head slightly to the side and gave her a soft, puzzled look. She continued. "Earlier this evening, I met with Kichimi behind the gym. Her friends Kiyomi and Harumi were there too. They made me an offer of their own, and I'm not sure what to do about it." Akiza explained.
Yusei nodded, now serious-minded. "What was the offer?" he inquired so he could help his 'girlfriend'.
Akiza took in a silent breathe to fuel her explanation. "The three of them want to break off from Takami's restrictive group and create their own 'totem'. Only they feel that not one of them is popular enough to be the leader. They want me to be their leader."
Yusei was shocked by the news, he didn't know what to tell her. It was a great offer but he wanted her to stay with him and the others. "I think… I cant help you. My opinion is biased."
"Why do you say that?" Akiza asked him, desperate for some form of advice.
Yusei looked at her with the smallest hint of a smile on his face. "Because I want you to stay here with us. We've grown fond of you, even Jack has! Besides, how are we supposed to be 'together' if you're in a different social group?" Yusei explained.
Akiza started to blush a little. "I thought we were breaking up?" she informed.
Yusei shook his head. "No, we're not breaking up." He declared as he moved a strand of hair out of her face.
At that moment, Crow barged in and made the silliest face the pair had ever seen then snapped into a serious mood. "Luna's here." He informed, then marched out of the room.
Akiza started to laugh a little as she lead Yusei out of the room. Luna was standing there with a look of horror on her face. Her brother was here too, no doubt over-worried about his sister. It looked like the gang had already told her what was going on.
"Do you all know about-" Luna began but was cut off by Akiza's hand. Akiza shook her head.
"Only Carly and I know and we promise not to tell a soul." Akiza assured her. Luna gave a sigh of relief, she could trust Akiza to keep it to herself and keep Carly in check about it.
Luna explained herself to the entire group and admitted that was hunting for friends after her fight with Misty, but it was because she felt lonely, not because she wanted to top Misty in popularity. She was using them to some degree, but it was a degree they could live with. They all decided to just drop the entire issue and resume their normal status again. Everyone decided to go back to their dorms except Carly who was still going to stay over at Akiza's dorm.
On the way back to her dorm, Luna started to dry her tears that she had shed in front of the group before producing new ones. They were tears of embarrassment. She had never before been so humiliated since the 'issue' between her and Misty.
Leo had decided to walk his sister back to her dorm to make sure she was okay. Heheld her hand comfortingly telling her things he hoped would help comfort her. He hated to see Luna like this. He loved his sister, he would do anything for her. To see her so broken crushed his heart.
They reached her dorm room and he turned the girl towards him. He looked her in the eyes lovingly as he moved his hand up to her cheek. He managed to get a small smile out of her. At least she had Leo. She hugged her brother warmly, what would she do without him? Leo returned the embrace tightly as he squeezed his eyes shut. These moments were precious to him. A bunch of Luna's hair got in his face and he subconsciously smelled it.
Luna noticed.
'He still feels the same way, doesn't he?' She thought. She felt guilt seep into her chest and she found it hard to breathe. Her tears started to fall again, except these tears were guilt-stricken and had been shed before.
She pulled away from him to look back in his eyes. His arms were still around her, he didn't want to let go.
He never wanted to let go.
Her tears kept falling.
Her hair had smelled like flowers.
Her guilt was attacking her heart.
Her breathe, it smelled like peppermint.
Her face was stained with salty liquid enough already.
He loved her.
She didn't love him.
It consumed him.
Not that way.
He took a chance.
She felt so horrible.
He kissed her.
For kissing him.
Their lips smashed together in a moment, and all of Leo's dreams had come true. The kiss was like the ones you see in romance movies, passionate and tender at the same time. Leo's hand had found its way into Luna's loose hair and his other arm had snaked around her waist. Her hands held his face as she pulled him in deeper. It was exactly like before, except this time, she didn't know if she could pull away.
/
Akiza had texted Kichimi the next day, explaining her position on the offer, hoping the girl would understand. Akiza had rejected it. She had come to care for her new friends, and her 'boyfriend' that she apparently wasn't going to break up with. She was really confused on that topic, Yusei seemed like he almost did have a crush on her, but she thought he saw her as a sister? Now that she thought about it, Yusei was pretty attractive. He was sweet and caring too. He was smart (obviously), and he was definitely an honest person. He was actually a really great guy. No wonder Misty wanted him so bad, besides wanting to top Luna of course. Akiza was pretty lucky to have Yusei…
Akiza was brought out of her thoughts as Carly approached her, she seemed to be over-excited about something.
"AKIZA! You wont believe this! I think I know why Leo acts the way he does toward Luna-" Carly began but was sharply cut off by Akiza.
"OH NO NO NO NO NO! I am not going snooping about anything anymore, okay? We found out some very unfortunate information last time, I think I'd rather not know anything than know something deep and dark." Akiza ranted, but Carly just couldn't contain herself.
"Leo has to be in love with his sister!" Carly exclaimed, even against Akiza's wishes.
Akiza's eyes widened. "ARE YOU KIDDING? THAT'S DISGUSTING!" Akiza lectured the hopeful journalist.
Carly cringed at Akiza's outburst as her excitement faltered. She closed her laptop and shoved it her bag and leaned back in the grass, enjoying the sun's warm rays.
Akiza followed suit, it was a beautiful day and she wanted to enjoy it. She closed her eyes and just soaked in the warmth until she suddenly felt no more light, She opened her eyes to see Yusei and Jack hovering above her and her friend.
Akiza jumped and hugged her 'boyfriend' who returned the embrace happily. He pulled back and kissed her, on the lips which surprised her a bit. It was just a sweet little kiss but it managed to send butterflies up Akiza's stomach. She was suddenly seeing Yusei in a different light, and it was making her feel nervous around him.
She could feel him start to pull away, so she kissed back a bit and pulled him in again. She felt him smile a little into her lips, which caused her to start to smile as well.
Jack had helped Carly up by offering her his hand. She grabbed it and he pulled her up, a little quickly and she flew into him. He managed to catch her instead of letting her knock him over like a bowling pin, and she blushed at the closeness. Carly pulled away a little, but she kept herself close to Jack.
After Akiza and Yusei had finally pulled away from each other, Akiza inquired about the boy's arrival. "So what brings you two here?"
"We need dates for the dance, and we wondering if you wanted to go with us?" Yusei informed.
Akiza let a mischievous grin cross her face before she decided to answer. "Oh sure! I would love to go to the dance with Jack!" She exclaimed as she walked up to the very tall duellists and linked arms with him.
Jack shook his head as an amused smirk played on his face. "You're good Izinski, you're good, but I'm here to ask Carly, sorry." He admitted as he scouted over closer to Carly.
Akiza gave a very fake sigh and put her hands on her hips. "I guess I'm stuck with you Yusei."
He gave a small smile as he walked back over to her and wrapped an arm around her. "I'll take that as a yes." He assumed.
Akiza chuckled as she gave up the very lame façade and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Little did the red-head know that from afar, a jealous teen was watching as his heart started to crack.
END
I know, a lot of sad things here, I cried while I wrote some of this chapter. At least the Luna thing got resolved! But another issue for her pops up. I've made her out as a very troubled girl… DON'T WORRY I DON'T HATE HER I ADORE LUNA! Anyways, review please!