Thanks for those who voted on my polls! So far, its a close fight between Hikari Yuki and a new OC, but not telling the exact results. It will be open for an indefinite time so if you wanted to make a difference, please do vote!
To be honest I was supposed to update Love Written In The Stars, however due to certain kid who I can call Syd, has been bothering me in Facebook, making me update this. So, for those who also wanted a fast update on this one, you really should thank him for that. :p
(And if you are reading this right now, don't worry it is not bother in a bad sense. :p)
But, before I go through the fic, of course, I'd like to thank:
Crystal-Wolf-Guardian-967
1supergirl4
KirbyStar64
Cheese lovin' Bear
13simplestrongsoul98
For reviewing. Other than that, I'd also like to thank those who faved, alerted, and read the story. ^^,
Well, know what to be honest ever since my second to the last update in Searching, I somehow felt bummed out, or rather more appropriately experienced a burn out making me not want to update anything at all. ( I mean for the whole summer I did nothing but lock away myself inside the house just to keep on writing.) Then suddenly in facebook, I got in contact with some people from the past that I wished to be longed forgotten ended up making me oddly feel good. O.O
Which is why I am still currently updating all of my fics.
Anyways, I bet you noticed that I stated that there will be a week interval per round, not only that it made the story go for a longer length than how I really planned it, but it made the story more versatile to me.
Moving on, please do enjoy my next update for Autumn Tryst. : )
(Side Note: The Anonymous Review Reply Section is no longer anonymous, and it shall serve as a general Reply Section now for the reason of FFN's link problems. Well, whoever you are wherever you are I just make it a point that I can reply to you because your thoughts on the reviews really meant a lot to me. I may not be receiving monetary compensation, but the fact that I hear you guys enjoying and are happy reading my fics, it is really suffice, which is why I don't let your posts go to waste.)
The Heart of The Crimson Dragon: Autumn Tryst
-Chapter 21-
As the first round finally came to its end, the winning pairs now all rendezvous towards Kaiba Dome for further announcements regarding the Second Round.
The rest of the contenders who lost still stood there on the Dueling Field, although apart from the winners, as they just all watched from the sides instead.
And one of them happens to be a pair of hazel eyes, who's tracing stare just won't stray away from a certain blond.
'Hmmm, she seems pretty different today. More like paler than usual.' The brunette thought, as he still kept his stare on her, with his pointing finger slightly scratching his chin due t o curiosity.
"On the next round, other than using your partner's deck, there is a catch of course!" The MC finally started with his usual zest. "No one can edit those decks. Of course, since your decks are currently registered, we can actually check and know if you did edit it. Thus if caught, your pair will be automatically be disqualified. To add, for the next round and onwards, the event sight will now be in Kaiba Dome! That is all! Good day to you all Neo Domino City!" With that, the first day of the tournament finally came to its conclusion.
Yet, even after all that explanation, Clyde can't help but still stare at his best friend, causing the burgundy haired girl beside him to finally notice his dazed state.
"What's wrong?" She finally started, somehow startling the brunette; letting out startled a gasp.
"No-Nothing. I was just, reflecting on the last duel, right! Yes, definitely reflecting." He just suddenly exclaimed. Aki then tried to follow where his eyes were staring at, now finding herself smiling a bit after knowing what it was.
"Really, reflecting, huh? Jeeze, if you're going to daydream about our dear best friend, you should know so well that you can just openly tell me that." She stated in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone, as she simply shrugged her shoulders.
"I said, I'm not. But, I'm just worried, okay?" Clyde sighed. Well, there's really no use arguing with Aki after all, especially for the fact that arguing with her will only cost him a terrible consequence, which he never dared to test.
"Fine, whatever you call it. But, you do know that as long as she is with Yusei, you have nothing to worry about, right?" She simply beamed at him, hoping to appease whatever havoc is running through his mind, whilst patting his shoulder a bit.
'I certainly don't know about that though.'
"Let's go. Everyone's waiting for us." With that, Aki just dragged the brunette towards the group. Clyde's eyes still didn't leave her small physique, as he now noticed a few specs of sweat appearing on her forehead.
'Seriously, I think something's up, and I bet she's trying to hold it in. Doesn't he notice anything wrong at all, or she's just such a good actress that you can't notice her state at such proximity?' He wondered.
"Hey, look it's Aki and Clyde." Crow finally greeted them with a wave, as the twins did likewise. Jack, Yusei and Hikari just nodded at them, whilst they just smiled and nodded in return.
"Hi. You guys did all well today." Aki remarked.
"Nah, that was nothing. After all, who would dare beat Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan! We're definitely a formidable pair!" Crow stated ever so proudly, whilst cracking up a grin.
"You too. After all, you really posed us a challenge just a while ago." Yusei simply replied, as he also let out a small smile, causing the burgundy haired girl to blush, whilst she swiftly looked away.
'Silly, Aki! What are you doing acting up like this! Stop it! This is all wrong!' She tried to nag into her head, which somehow worked as she gained control of her emotions. 'Yes, remember, you said it yourself right? Yusei and Hikari have this unbreakable bond that no one can enter through.'
Hikari on the other hand, just kept herself silent, yet tried to keep a small smile plastered on her face. However, in all honesty, despite the smile, she can't help but find herself in a state of faze.
'Crap, what is this?' She thought, somehow causing her brows to furrow a bit, whilst her vision started to get blurry with each passing second. 'I feel sick, it's like I am going to throw up.' For some odd, reason she just lost control of her body as her feet abruptly dragged her away from the scene, catching the attention of the people around her, especially Yusei. However, before she could even run further she easily tripped as she found herself suddenly falling into the ground.
"Hikari!" Yusei called out, as he quickly ran towards the blond for aide, whilst cradling her in his arms. "Hey, Hikari are you okay? What's happening?"
'Damn, how come I didn't notice it before? Just what is happening? Was she actually feeling sick this whole time?' He thought, as somehow a memory flashed into his mind, a memory almost longed forgotten. 'Could it be why she was in a terrible mood?'
*"YOU! UGH! You'll definitely pay for this little girl! Just you wait and see!" Rio uttered as he made a run for it.
"I guess that guy just doesn't keep his promises, huh?" Nervin uttered, as the others nodded in agreement.
"Thanks guys," Hikari stated as she blushed. "I actually didn't know that you'd think that way after all." Then Yusei just patted her playfully on the head like just like time, with a small smile on his face, but this time it made her blush a bit. The guys noticed as they grinned maliciously, and then whispered something to each other.
Then Hikari tried to glance back at her arm, which surprised her a bit for some reason.
'The mark on her arm's gone. Was I just imagining things a while ago?' Yusei thought. 'But, I was definitely sure enough that I saw something. I wonder what it was.' Then suddenly, Hikari lost her balance and became unconscious, but before she fell on the ground, Yusei caught her in his arms.
"Hikari!" Yusei and the others called in unison. 'She feels hot. Does she have a fever?' Yusei thought worriedly as he placed his hand on her forehead and her other hand on his to compare.
"She's burning up right now!" Yusei exclaimed.
"But, she was just alright a while ago, right?" Rally uttered with concern. Then Nervin also touched Hikari's forhead.
"Yusei's right, she's burning alright, you better take her home Yusei." Nervin uttered, and then they became more worried as Hikari started to breathe heavily.
"I think I'll just bring her to Martha right now!" Then he quickly left his friends and rushed away from the scene, as he carried the unconscious blond in his arms.
It wasn't long. The moment he arrived in the orphanage Martha was quick on her feet as she immediately accommodated the both of them, and called Dr. Schmidt.
Truly, she was just new to his life; he can't help but feel all worked up. After all, her condition really looks serious. He just sat there at the staircase, his hands covering his face; praying that everything would be okay and it's just all a simple fever that would go away in a pinch.
In a matter of minutes, Martha finally came to Yusei, as she sat beside him with a gentle hand patting his back.
"It may take some time. But, don't worry. Everything's going to be okay."
It took days for her to recover all right, and Yusei somehow find it a miracle to see her sapphire eyes open before him.
For a minute there, he really thought that her life was going to end there. After all, she was sleeping for full three days. With the way she laid there almost lifeless under those white bed sheets, she was like a sleeping beauty under a cursed spell.
Somehow, though it was unnatural for him, he was just happy to see her awake and alive again. Though, with a little bit of repercussion.
"Yusei, you better take very well of Hikari." Martha stated to Yusei, who's looking at her skeptically obviously waiting for a reason. "Well, you see, I don't think if she's aware but, your friend seems to have a weak body, and she's the type to get sick and tired easily."
"She might not have any serious diseases, but getting simple illnesses could cause her to be in a bad situation like this one."*
"No, Hikari. Stay with me." He stated, trying to be calm as much as possible, whilst he shook her body lightly; making sure she won't lose her consciousness like what happened before.
'No, not now. Not when I needed you the most.'
More beads of sweat formed on to her forehead, her eyes wincing in pain, whilst her breathing becoming heavier than it was before, as her hands clutched on to her stomach. Despite the nausea, she tried to get away from his grasp, as she herself tried to stand in all fours.
"I'm fine."
'Yes, I'm fine.' The blond tried to rationalize. 'I'm not that weak anymore. I'm no longer that person. I won't succumb to my body's weaknesses!'
"Just leave me alone for a sec. I need to-" She tried to stand, with her hand supporting her head, as she tried to go for another run, and this time to the nearest trash can, as she found herself rabidly vomiting.
The rest of the gang was really surprised, however despite the dire situation, one of them just really have to ask:
"Oh my gosh, is Hikari pregnant!" Crow suddenly blurted, causing the rest to all look at him with wide accusing eyes, then to Yusei with a very worried face, and then to the blond.
"No way! Hikari is it true! You're going to have a baby?" Rua also joined, as his mouth just simply fell agape. Hikari on the other hand, just stared back with tired eyes, as she tried to shake her head light enough not to make her even more nauseous and dizzy as she already is.
"Omg, I never thought Yusei would actually pull off something like that." Jack exclaimed, his amethyst eyes dilated due to the great shock.
"No! Of course I didn't. I'd never do that to her, especially at this point in time. Stop fooling around!" Yusei bellowed angrily, as he now slowly approached the blond his hands grasping her shoulders tightly.
"Hikari, are you sure you're okay?" He asked once again. With each second passing, though her cheeks were slightly tinted in pink, the rest of her face was just getting paler and paler. He made his forehead touch hers, only to find himself at a shock.
"You're burning hot. Why didn't you tell me that you're actually feeling sick?"
'This is ironically nostalgic, and almost like a deja vu.' He thought, he didn't care if the blond would protest, as he now craddled her in his arms.
"I said, I'm fine. Call it normal. It happens to everyone." She simple uttered, with her hand now covering her eyes.
"Yusei, I think you should just get her home and tend to her." Clyde finally joined in as he knelt beside the couple.
"But, I dont know what to do with her, I don't even know what's happening to her right now." Yusei was just really worried, and definitely unsure. Surely, he may have great array of knowledge in the field of Science and especially Physics, but not Medical Science. For right now, all he can just think about is for the past not to repeat itself again.
"Trust me, I think I know what's happening. Don't worry. What's important now is you tend to her, right away. She'll be fine." Clyde tried to smile calmly at them, hoping to appease everyone, before trying to take his leave to the nearest pharmacy.
Due to Clyde's persuasion, he got everyone to calm down and leave, with only the residents Jack and Crow now were left behind at the apartment sitting down at the plastic chairs on the garage with their eyes staring at Yusei's bedroom door.
"Still, I bet she could be pregnant, and Clyde went running to the store to buy some Pregnancy Test Kit or something." Crow stated which earned him a quick jab on the back of his head.
"Hey, that hurts!"
"You deserve it for fooling around at a time like this." Jack simply gritted his teeth.
"Hey, at least I am just trying to think positive, after all, isn't that good news? After all, little Ares will finally have a little brother or sister!"
"*Sigh*, really, I don't know how your minds works at all. But, then again that works." Jack simply shook his head, as he found his face resting on his palms in a miserable manner. "Oh well, I hope it's either that or it's just a simple cold or something, and nothing serious."
Yusei quickly laid her unconscious body on the bed. It didn't really take long enough, before her sapphire eyes finally shut.
He started by slowly taking her trench coat off and her red long boots and placed it carefully beside her duffel bag of fleshing clothes.
He marveled, 'I wonder what happened? I was sure that she was fine just a while ago. Heck, I was even toying around with her this morning.'
The door finally opened, revealing a brunette with a plastic bag at hand, and a bowl of cold water with fresh towel dipped on it.
'He surely knows what he's doing alright. Well, they have been together longer than with me, and I can't believe that I'm envious of Clyde for that.'
"How is she?" He asked, as he placed all the stuff beside my bed, and took a few bottles of tablets and capsules.
"She's sleeping." Yusei uttered with his usual nonchalant tone. Truly, he may look apathetic, but if you take a quickly peer onto his mind, he's probably the most nervous wreck out there, as his thought still keep on worrying despite Clyde's assurance. "You seemed to be used to her being like this."
"Well, I did spend almost all of my childhood life with her. To be honest, her frail state was actually enough to get my careless youth self to run havoc around Duel Academy."
'I wonder how that went.' Yusei thought—curious.
"Rather, the me who didn't have the care in the world, and right now I can't believe I'm one of the people who actually cared for her the most. But, of course, next to you of course!" Clyde let out a playful grin, as he finally took the towel and gave it to Yusei.
"Here, you might as well as do the honors." Yusei just gave him a skeptic brow, yet understood what he meant as he took it and dabbed it on the blond's pale face, down to her neck, her arms, and-.
"Okay, that's enough." Clyde took his hand, his hazel eyes now eying Yusei's azure ones. "I know that you're like her boyfriend, but I'm like her brother and her best friend to boot. I wouldn't want to see a guy do inappropriate things to her."
"But, I am doing it for her temperature to go down. Isn't that the most appropriate thing to do at a time like this? Like I have any malicious intent."
"Touche. That's why I'll be the one doing it." Clyde playfully grin as he quickly grabbed on the towel at Yusei's hands. But, of course, Yusei didn't go down without a good fight at all, as he his grip on the towel tightened and pulled it back towards him.
"Does it really make a difference if you do do it?" Yusei asked, yet despite the mental war, Yusei still kept his serious, yet nonchalant expression. Clyde just pulled back in response.
"Well, of course it does. After all, I did it tons of times."
"Hmmm, Jack did you hear something?" Crow asked, as his eyes trailed off towards Yusei's door. Jack followed, as his eyes also went towards the door, as loud voices sounded from the door. Followed with a bit of creaky sounds made by the bed.
"Yeah." Jack finally stood up, abandoning whatever they were just doing right now.
"Don't you think that they're doing it?" Crow also stood up, as his eyes went wide with his mouth agape, due to the wild imaginations forming on to his head, which only caused him another jab on the back of his neck. This time HARDER.
"Stupid! I don't think they'll be doing that with Hikari feeling all bad, especially that they're actually three people in there." Jack sighed as he just shook his head.
"Well, then let's check it out then."
"Seriously, shouldn't you just leave them alone, in whatever they're doing inside?" Jack grunted. But, Crow was just really persistent for his own good, as he ended up dragging Jack in front of Yusei's door.
"Hmm, then let's think of this as a bet then, if we find them doing it, you are banned for a week from Cafe La Green." Jack stared back in surprise, yet was able to retain his fierce look.
"Then if not?"
"Then for a week, I'll let you spend half of my funds from my job at Cafe La Green, and order as many coffees as you want. How's that?" Crow said, now smirking confidently with his arms crossed in front of his chest, making the blond smirk back at him.
"Hmmm, that's actually a good deal. I'll take you on." With that, the two slowly opened the door, only to find the both of them surprised. As they both found the two guys playing a game of tug-of-war with a small, wet, white towel as the rope, and the blond girl who's supposed to be taken care of them is actually trying to break the two as she joined in, pulling the towel as well in a dizzy demeanor.
"What the hell?" Crow uttered—dumbstruck, whilst Jack found himself to be at the same state, but quickly got over it with all the unlimited coffee in mind that he'll get for the whole week for free.
"Doing it, huh? Yeah, right, they're definitely doing it. You mind if I start with my coffee spree right now?"
"Damn it, whatever. Here." Crow uttered bitterly as he now handed Jack his wallet. 'Crap, there's go my back-up funds for Aqua's upcoming concert.'
"Guys, please stop already! I'm feeling dizzy as it is, and you're definitely making me feel a lot worse right now." Hikari stated. Due to her nausea and dizziness, she finally let go of the towel, collapsing on the bed, somehow shocking the bickering pair, as they're finally both thrown into a temporary ceasefire.
"Hikari! Are you okay?" Clyde asked, as he finally let go of the towel, went by her side, and then turned to Yusei with a nasty glare on his face. "This is all your fault!" Clyde shouted.
"My fault? Well, if you really didn't start pulling, I wouldn't have fought back. All I care about is taking care of her, and now look at her. She's even more worse compared to before."
"Jeeze, I feel sorry for Hikari. But, oh well, she seems to be feeling better now anyways. Uhm, sort of," With that Crow quickly and silently shut the door behind him, and never again dared to open it again.
Okay, this was a sort of filler chapter, but it was just made to make the story a little bit more longer and add a little bit more moments, before the story goes for a complete conclusion, which I hope that you all enjoyed.
(hehe, LWITS readers, did you notice the Aqua cameo?)
But, don't worry! The next one definitely won't be a filler anymore!
So, please do look forward to that
Don't forget to review!
Oh yeah, Btw, know what for some reason I suddenly had an idea... remember Hikari's drunk moments, and somehow they're just like a blind spot within the story, I mean I know I showed her how she gets drunk, but what happens after that?
I somehow had the knack of making side stories about it, so whaddya think? And all will be in the POV of our very own most favorite Canon Character in 5ds. (guess who!)
And title would either be: Hikari's Dunken Tales or Whoever the Canon-Character-is' Drunken Tales.
Do you think I should go for it or not?
Please do retort! (lol reply sounds more better o.o)
Review Retort(Reply, hehehe was just toying with words) Section:
KirbyStar64: Lol, intense is such a strong word. Lol, didn't expect that kind of reaction, but I liked it hahaha. (Those duels took enough patience and deck editing for it to work, like seriously lol)
No, but WTGP does EXIST IN THE GAME ONLY. Hahaha, it would have been awesome, but I bet it will be a tandem between Yusei and Aki(which makes me sick), and Crow and Jack; the rest is history.
Lol, I am happy that you'd want another fic, however, who do you want Yusei to be paired off with? Lol would it be the classically reserved Hikari, the strong-willed, mysterious Rina, the ever-so-jolly-and-bright Rika, or a brand new OC that I don't even know yet lol. Like I said, so far its a strong competition between Hikari and a brand new OC, so I wonder who you'll pick?
Anyways, thanks for the awesome review! I hope that you liked the present chapter! Please do look forward for more!
Cheese lovin' bear: Yeah, and that's why I updated as soon as I can, coz you're not the only one. :p Anyways, thanks for the awesome review. :p hope you liked this chapter, and that you'd look forward for the next.
13simplestrongsoul98: Lol, ako I ay nag-wo-wonder kung ikaw ay isang Pinoy na laki sa Pilipinas o stateside hahaha. Anyways, I'm happy to hear that you're happy for the fast updates, well if it wasn't for you guys saying please update faster, and a guy on Facebook who's also making me update, and another guy who isn't really reading a fic but have read the prequel and told me who wanted to see the ending, I wouldn't have updated this first.
Thanks for the thumbs up, coz it helps a lot for writing does really require a heck lot of determination to keep on going!
Of course, maraming salamat sa iyong review, dahil ako ay tunay na nagagalak sa simpleng minsahe na nilalaman nito. (omg, nosebleed. In all honesty, I suck so much in our very own mother tongue, which is why I am ashamed of myself haha. But, I am trying my best to learn!)
TC to all of you!
-jory014