The following chapter contains content which may be unsuitable for young readers.
(That's right, I've upped it to an 'M' rating. You know what goes on in these.)
Like every morning since he had been freed from prison, Yusei awoke to the gentle touch of Akiza's skin beneath his fingers and the light scent of her hair in the air. Although their attempt to enjoy the masked ball had ended with the ship both on fire and sinking, he was genuinely glad it had happened. Without the sharp reminder of his mortality, he might have never admitted the depths of his feelings for her.
"You're awake." Interlinking with the fingers across her midriff, she held it closer before he could instinctively pull away.
"Maybe you're dreaming." Blowing gently on one ear as his words whispered across her skin, he felt her shiver through his entire body.
"Really?" Switching to her matching hand, she fastened her grip even tighter. "Then you won't mind if I do this." Sliding their hands further up, she could feel his arm start to struggle before it even made contact with anything. "Ha, got you."
"Yeah." Pulling his hand back, he rolled to face the wall. "You got me." Propping herself up on an elbow, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. It almost appeared as if he was sulking.
"Hey, what gives?" Placing a hand on his shoulder, she watched as he tried to squirm away. "Yusei, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." No, he wasn't. That tenseness was back in his shoulders. He was definitely struggling with something.
"It's okay." Pressing up against him, she buried her face in his back. "We'll fix it together, whatever it is." An insane notion struck her. It couldn't be but... "Is this about us?" He had been right the first time she tried seducing him – it hadn't been the right time. Yliaster was closing in on his friends and that matter had taken priority. But Yugi and Jaden were safe (as anyone could be around Musume) and she knew the risks better than he did.
"Of course it is." She had never heard him so bitter. Sliding one leg over his lap, Akiza pinned him to the bed as she slipped atop him. "Look, I don't"
"Take your shirt off." She didn't expect any agreement but he didn't resist as she slid it up far enough to reveal his sculpted physique. It was only when she peeled off her own that his eyes widened. Like their shared bath, he focused on not looking at her bare chest.
"Akiza, I said,"
"Hush." Taking his hand in a much gentler grip than before, she placed it directly between her breasts. "Can you feel that?" And she wasn't just trying to arouse him. She was referring to the steady pounding beneath his palm. (With maybe the slightest intent to point out how her chest practically enveloped his hand.) "Right here, right now, I'm alive. And so are you." Placing a matching hand on his chest, she could feel how his heartbeat was pulsing at a far more rapid pace. Her actions were definitely having an effect. "Mmm." That sly smile divulged exactly how far she had won. "I could die getting hit by a bus. Yliaster could change history so that we never meet. A freak asteroid could wipe us out in the night. We've only got now. So, right now," Leaning in closer, she felt his hand start sliding gently across her chest. "What do you want to do?"
Twisting them around on the mattress, he kept his hand in place as he bowed beneath the immense weight of responsibility and desire. "You have no idea how much I want this... You." Crouched over Akiza, he felt both her arms curl around his head.
"It's okay." Murmuring gently against his head, she could understand the struggle inside him. When she had been gaining control of her Psychic abilities, the temptation of power had been powerfully alluring but part of her had always tried fighting to do the right thing. If Sayer hadn't been manipulating her sense of 'right', she might have met Yusei that much sooner. "I'm here for you, whatever you choose."
"... This." Pressing his hand closer to the heartbeat, the strain of resisting flooded out of him. "I choose you. Always."
"See?" Placing both hands on his face, she turned it to face her. "Was that so bad?" Relief shimmer in his gaze as she gently pulled their lips together. "Or that?"
"No." He growled, securing his mouth over hers as his hand slid to fondle her breast. A probing touch of his tongue requested access to her mouth and she complied, arching her back as strong fingers rolled a nipple while squeezing her tit the perfect amount. Pulling at his hair, Akiza fought back as she felt the air in her lungs start to run low.
"Steady now." Pushing upward as much as she could, one hand clawed against his back. There were definitely going to be marks but he didn't care, kissing down her throat and across her chest until precise teeth were teasing the breast opposite the one he was already fondling. "Oh, yes." Grabbing his head closer to his chest, she could practically feel an orgasm building just from the action. "No wonder you're a genius."
Pulling his hair like marionette strings, she moved him back until they were both upright and she could grind against his manhood. "Mmm, looks like your brain isn't the only part of you above average." She could feel through the thin cover exactly how endowed he was and her groin tingled with anticipation.
"Don't get ahead of yourself." Snatching her hand from his head, the pain in his scalp was still sending adrenaline to heighten every sensation.
"Why not?" Moving her hand dragged his along with it. Pushing out her chest, she moved their joint grips to her perfectly curved rump and switched positions so that his palm was occupied with a more pleasing captive than her wrist. Digging her nails slightly into the skin on his neck, she looped both arms behind his head as Yusei's other hand slid to match the first
Lifting her onto his lap, he felt sturdy legs wrap about his back as she secured herself in place. Going further meant not stopping at all but he moved towards her face like he was a drowning man and she was the only source of air in the universe. Consequences be damned, he wanted her. Tugging at the revealing shorts she was wearing, he slid a finger past her hip to pull them aside.
BANG BANG BANG!
"Yusei!" At least Crow had the sense to not try opening the door again. "Come on, we gotta go!" A door slammed open and they could hear Jack blearily asking about the situation. "Yugi and Jaden, we're gonna meet them for breakfast. Hurry up!" Footsteps stormed past as Jack sprinted to action.
"The one time he wakes up early." Gasping as he was forced to regain control of himself lest they be discovered, Yusei could feel primal rage pounding against his intellect. "And it had to be today. I could kill him." He wasn't kidding. Enough testosterone was flooding his system that any male entering the room would be attacked on sight.
"Not if I get there first." Collapsing onto her side of the bed, Akiza's temper had the potential to destroy the entire building if her Psychic abilities were to leak out. "We should probably get up before he gets on Jack's nerves and they start breaking everything." Leaning on an elbow, Yusei gazed down the naked splendour.
"Maybe." Placing a finger on her hand, he tenderly began drawing it up her arm. "Or we could stay here and let them go on ahead." Tracing across the shoulder, he drew down her collar bone and between the valley of her heaving breasts before starting across the smooth plains of her taut stomach.
"Why, Professor Fudo." Catching his hand as it began to drift lower still, she began seriously planning where to hide Crow's body. "I hope that you didn't have any indecent intentions." She laughed as he leaned in and began nibbling at her neck. "Stop it, that tickles."
"Really?" Leaning upwards, he caught an earlobe between delicate teeth. "Imagine the possibilities."
"You'll have to stick with imagining for a while." Smacking him on the shoulder, she forced him over to his side of the bed. "We have to get to Yugi and Jaden before something bad happens." He was about to point out that the pair could handle themselves for a few hours before realising that Musume was the one looking after them.
"I don't know what's worse." Gently lying atop her stomach, he smiled as Akiza began toying with his hair. "My brother's or your daughter." A fresh set of pounding on the door solved that question for the moment. His brothers were worse in that instant.
"Should we save time and share a shower?" A gentle kiss covered her navel and she shuddered at the touch.
"I don't think that'll save time." Grumbling as she began sliding out of bed, one arm gently tried to drag her back.
"We can play later. Promise." Placing a hand on either side of his face, she gently touched their lips together again. She gasped as Yusei's arms suddenly threw her back onto the bed and pinned her down. "Hey, that's not funny." The sudden tumble had shocked her and she didn't appreciate it.
"I love you." Blue eyes looked down on her with absolute certainty.
"What are you saying?" Colour started rising in her cheeks at the unflinching declaration. She instinctively tried to hide her face but there was no escaping the prison of his arm.
"I. Love. You." Creeping in closer, his serious face filled her world. "I just wanted to tell you." Akiza's frantic attempts to escape her torment continued to fail as the blush grew. "Now then," Zoning in on his neck, he forced her to erupt in involuntary laughter as he attacked her neck one last time. "I think you said something about wanting a shower?" Taking her hostage had been one thing but tickling her neck after bringing her to the edge (but not beyond it) was crossing a line. Lunging down, Akiza savagely bit into his shoulder with all the strength her jaw could muster.
Sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings was difficult for most people but Jaden had been travelling across the world for years. He had fallen asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow and risen with the morning sun. Across the hall, Yugi had barely slept and was groggily opening the door.
"Hey!" Staring out at Jaden, he knew that cheerfulness was going to be impossible to dissuade.
"Hey." He paused a moment as thoughts slugged through his brain. "Can you hear singing?" Closing the door, he followed a step behind Jaden as they walked down to the main room. Thunderous snoring warned them of the slumbering dragon on the couch with a thick blanket keeping her warm. Calmly seated against the rear of the sofa was the contentious creature who had made an explosive entrance the night before, humming a gentle tune which stopped as they arrived.
Good morning. Twisting her legs from their folded position, she shifted to a kneeling bow without any indication of shame. There are refreshments available if you wish.
"I'd love a coffee. Do people still drink coffee?" Jaden gasped as an idea struck him. "Future coffee!" Exactly what 'future coffee' might be was unclear but he knew he wanted to try it.
"Coffee sounds good." Yugi wasn't used to people bowing to him (at least, not since his previous life) but he wasn't sure how to get people to stop.
Coffee it is. Rising from her crouch, she moved to the kitchen and began pulling together the ingredients.
"Y'know, you really don't have to kneel to us." Perching on a stool, Yugi wondered if it might just be a social change since the time he had come from. "Or do people do that now?"
Not as often as you are thinking. She was pouring three cups. Two dark, one with milk and a single sugar. I am familiar with your histories. Each of you deserves the utmost respect.
"How much do you know?" Of the two, Yugi had more cause for concern. Jaden's adventures had been far more public and he was also the less cautious of the pair.
Yugi Mutou, first King of Games, reincarnation of the 'Nameless Pharaoh' Atem. The only Duellist in history to have successfully completed the conditions to activate Exodia's effect. Specialised in ancient Egyptian history with a focus on games of the era. Opening the fridge, she pulled out a tray of chilled fruit. Placing it and a cup of coffee in front of the pair, she smiled benignly. And Jaden Yuki, the Uncrowned King, reincarnation and host of the Supreme King. First student of Duel Academy to graduate from the Slifer tier, replacement to Lyman Banner following a number of interim substitutes and one of the first known Duellists to have an innate ability to witness Duel Spirits. Setting down his cup in front of him, she inclined her head towards the younger prodigy.
"Fucking stalker." Slumping onto the island table, Musume was blearily rubbing her eyes and wishing she was back asleep. "Is there any coffee left or were you kissing too much arse to keep the kettle filled?"
I have the capacity to do both. Sliding the third mug across the table, she was less disturbed by the profanity than the two temporally misplaced men. Kindly excuse her manners. Musume has burdens of her own.
"I will stab you right in the face." Taking the threat under advisement, the pair began edging down the table.
Do not worry. She had noticed the tactical retreat. People who didn't know her well tended to give Musume a wider berth than some bears. The Tender Hands does no harm unless the wielder deems you evil. It is why... Phantom turned her head as the pair gave a shout of alarm. Do you mind?
"You blabber too much. This is much faster." Extracting the blade from Phantom's helmet, she tossed it back onto the couch without a second glance. "Magic sword, no hurty. Any questions?"
"Can I get one?" Brown eyes shone with desire as Jaden looked at the discarded weapon.
"Why do you want a sword?" Though Yugi was glad the attack hadn't done any damage, he also failed to see the point to a weapon that did no damage.
"Because it's magic!" Even as the impossibly cheerful tone calmed the tense atmosphere, a disapproving spectre appeared behind him.
'You're not getting a sword. Remember what happened when you took that cooking job in Persia?' He was lucky to survive with all his fingers. And that had been before the chef had seen the mess he had done with the vegetables.
"That was one time!" And at least he had managed to dismantle the local network of underground printing workshops. "Besides, I... Where'd so go?" Phantom had dropped from sight so quickly that it was like she had disappeared.
Leaning around the corner, Musume looked down at the folded form. "Hey." Giving it a nudge with her foot, she watched it scuttle sideways without looking up. "Is that a dogeza?" She hadn't seen them outside of old history books. It was meant to be a form of deep apology by pressing one's forehead to the floor.
'At least one of you knows how to behave properly.' Yubel's face still smarted from the surprise attack. 'Take notes. You could learn a lot from this one.'
"Can you just forgive her so we can get on with the day?" Musume's grandiose appeal didn't come from a place of altruism. There was a more important angle at hand. "I need more coffee."
'Very well.' The irritable Duel Spirit knew the importance of caffeine to humans. She sometimes wondered it Nightshroud's attack would have been more effective if he had gone after the coffee fields first. 'You may rise.'
My sincerest apologies once again. Lifting to one knee first, she remained bowed longer than was necessary. Had I known you were coming, I would have conducted myself in a much different manner.
"Shut up, keep pouring." Her usual pounding headache was coming back and that screaming only she could hear was starting up again. "How are you guys coping with the whole 'future' thing?" Enough coffee in her cup could let her pretend to care about nearly anything.
"It helps that everything's similar to what I'm used to." These two clearly had enough problems to fill a book. Yusei had vouched for them so he knew they could be trusted to do the right thing. He only wished they were less crazy on the way.
"I expected more flying cars." Truthfully, Jaden was underwhelmed. Science fiction always showed the future with glowing screens everywhere and impossible dreams made real. The view he had seen on the way over the night before had been spectacular yet hardly the stuff of legend.
Free market aerial transport was banned after studies discovered evidence of growing neural degeneration in high-use areas. Calmly making a fresh cup of coffee, she reaffirmed his hope for the days ahead.
"There's something I've been meaning to ask." A rare glint of deception shone from his eye. "What year is this?" Yusei had been careful not to mention it the first time they met and it hadn't come up in conversation the day before.
"Jaden, I don't think" Yugi knew what he was trying to do but was too late to stop it.
Two-zero-nine-four. Replacing both their cups with fresh ones, Phantom didn't appear shocked by the question.
"You colossal, stupid, fucking, utterly brainless idiot!" Shattering the mug in her hand, she couldn't believe that anyone so smart could be so stupid. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?!" Knowing even the smallest detail of events to come could drastically alter them before they had the chance to happen.
Of course. Looking between the three, she forgot that most people slept at night. Even before her transmutation, it had been a time to think and plan. Yugi and Jaden will likely be here for some time. The probability that they will avoid seeing any mention of the current date is marginal, thus eliminating the danger of informing them by default.
"Don't get clever." She was sorely regretting her actions. For one, the Tender Hands was across the room and she was too lazy to move far. For another, her coffee hadn't even been touched and it was spreading across the counter. "One more move like that and I'll find a way to make the next stabbing stick."
"What's all the shouting about?" Slouching down the stairs, Leo knew who was responsible for the shouting. Phantom never spoke above a gentle tone. The only question was why Musume was shouting this time.
"Morning." Giving a cheerful wave, Jaden thought nothing off a group containing the first two Kings of Games, one dragon lady and a creature who seemed to be darkness incarnate with the skills of a barista.
"Wha... how..." Taking the entire scene in, Leo sprinted back up the stairs and began pounding on his sister's door. "LunaLunaLunaLunaLuna!"
You... did not tell him either, did you? Wiping away the spilt coffee, Phantom began looking for a replacement mug while he continued to scream for his sister to explain the most extraordinary surprise of his life in the room below. Becoming a Signer had just dropped down to third on the list, right behind coming back from death Duelling Aporia aboard Ark Cradle.
"YugiMutouandJadenYukiaredownstairsandtheyrehavingcoffeeanditlooksliketheysleptherelastnightwhatsgoingonisthiswhatYuseiandMusumeweregoingtodoaretheylivingherenowIcoulddiehappydoyouthinktheywanttobefriendsaretheygonnahelpusfightYliaster," A resounding smack echoed from the upper floor. "What did you do that for?"
"You hadn't taken a breath in nearly a minute. Calm down and tell me what's wrong." Taking two steps down to the main room, she instantly saw what he had been trying to explain in his garbled fashion.
"Good morning." Yugi tried to provide a more level greeting than Jaden.
'She can see me. How can she see me?' An unforeseen after-effect of everything that Yugi had been through was a limited ability to see Duel Monsters who were willing to show themselves. He had assumed that Musume could as part of her strange abilities and Phantom as whatever she was but Luna seemed like a normal young woman currently sprinting back up the stairs to shout at her brother for letting her go downstairs in the shorts and shirt she had been sleeping in.
"That's a point." Musume only now realised the problem. "How can you see Yubel? Are you a Psychic Duellist?"
No. My working theory is that it is related to my transition. There was a good deal she could perceive now that she couldn't before. It was easiest to lump this surprise in with all the rest and leave it alone. That is the others. A knock at the door followed her words as she moved to open it.
"Don't worry about her, she's got superhearing." There had been some uncertainty when Phantom claimed to be better off dead but she was really starting to see the upsides.
"Hello." Standing at the front like some criminal empress, Akiza was barely holding back her three henchmen. Jack and Crow were actually trying to squeeze themselves past the pair at the front. "I brought the idiots with me."
Hmm. Was that necessary? She had been focussing on reviving her social skills recently and hoped the attempt at humour would be acceptable. Holding open the door, she nodded respectfully as the group filed past. Would you mind talking to the twins? They were surprised by Yugi and Jaden's arrival.
"We're okay." Phantom noted how the pair had picked the smartest outfits they had. Luna had even put on a pretty new blouse she said she had been saving for a special occasion. "It was a bit of a shock though. Nobody told us you'd be here."
"We got in pretty late. Musume said it was better not to wake you." It was Yugi talking but Jaden was getting an uncomfortable amount of attention from some. Yubel was glaring at the twins with a stare barely lower than the one she used to detonate objects.
"Can you blame me?" She was first in line as Phantom began handing out another round of coffees. The repetitive task was soothing her nerves at the difficult situation. Even though she had planned for numerous circumstances deemed impossible by normal thinking, she hadn't prepared for anything like this. There was plenty of coffee to go around. "Imagine trying to deal with these guys in the middle of the night."
"Have you guys eaten?" Jack waved his counterpart forward to dump several paper bags on the kitchen table. "We've got plenty of snacks." Stephanie had spotted the group leaving Poppo Time and ambushed her favourite member with enough food to fill him three times over. In normal terms, about twenty people.
"See? I told you Jack would share food when the world was ending."
A ring of the doorbell silenced all conversation. Everyone was present and nobody else should have been coming. Looking to the most silent figure in the room, Yusei didn't need to voice the question aloud.
Vice-Chief Trudge. Was he not invited? Like his question, he didn't need to speak to make it clear Trudge hadn't been called there. Walking over to the door, he opened it enough to slip through.
"Officer." Pulling the door closed instantly screamed 'guilty' but he had no choice. Nobody an official capacity – even Trudge – could be allowed to know Jaden and Yugi were inside. "Is this about the parking tickets?"
"Cut the crap." Bags were under each eye and he looked sorely in need of a day off. "What've you been up to?"
"Are you wearing a camera?" Looking down at his crumpled top, a couple of food stains explained that he hadn't even had time to find a clean shirt. "Or a wire?" Using the police term for a hidden microphone, he would have asked the same questions to anyone coming through the door.
"I'm here because you've been Duelling non-stop for the past few days and then you tried sneaking out of Poppo Time." That was unfair. Yusei hadn't been 'sneaking out', he had merely left earlier than most people preferred to be awake. "What gives?"
"You didn't answer my question." The tension was palpable.
There is a phone in his front pocket. Phantom had been listening in ever since Yusei had thrown her a questioning look. If she concentrated hard enough, she could actually hear the buzzing of electricity but only in one place. That is all.
"Leave your phone out here and come inside." It appeared that the ethereal words hadn't extended to his older friend.
"Paranoid much?" He watched as Yusei turned his head to glare at the door behind him. "What is it?"
"You should probably get a new phone." Scowling at the panel, he turned back to look at Trudge's pocket. "That one's already been hacked." Phantom hadn't shared that with the police officer either. Not because she was still keeping one side in the dark but mostly because she knew how loud he could shout.
"Dammit. Yusei, you can't go around breaking into my phone when you're being investigated. Or any other time!" His words slid off the scientist like water from a duck.
"Just leave it here and come inside." Waiting patiently until it was left balanced on a potted planet, Yusei ushered his friend inside first. "Tetsu Ushio," Closing the door, he finally felt safe unveiling the secret. "Meet Yugi Mutou and Jaden Yuki."
"Hey." Waving from one side, Jaden could tell that Trudge was the most normal one there. Yubel had been prepared to break the intruder in half and was still hovering right beside him yet there was no sign he was aware of the threat.
"I knew a Tetsu Ushio once." In a perverse way, the bully was responsible for unleashing the trapped spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. Without the dark emotions swirling inside him, Yugi would never have made the connection necessary to complete it. "Any relation?"
"My grandfather." Both his grandfather and father had settled down late in their lives. It was a family trait. "Most people call me Trudge 'cos I kept a beat so long." Even official memos to him used the alternative title. Anyone who used his real name risked a probing investigation.
"Yliaster was targetting them in the past. Musume and I brought them here to keep them safe." Casual mentions of time travel were less shocking with the evidence sitting right in front of them. "We can't risk anyone finding out they're here in case Yliaster finds out and comes after them again." Or should that be 'still'? Tenses were already breaking down.
Plain coffee, strong as possible, as hot as can be? Appearing at one side, Phantom held out a steaming cup so potent that even she was feeling something from it. If a fresh corpse had been present, she would have tested the effects on necromancy.
"And don't you just round off the freaky factor." Snatching the sludge, he had to practically bite into the brew. "Good coffee though." The coffee was strong enough to focus on instead of the two Kings of Games sitting right in front of him."
"We're going to discuss any way we can think of to stop Yliaster from harming them. Until we can figure out a way to them both safe in their own times, they'll be staying with us." It was the only way to be sure. Returning them without a certain way of protecting them would be as good as not rescuing them in the first place. "We could use your help." Looking around the crowded room of serious faces, Trudge knew that he had no real choice. He was an officer of the law, sworn to uphold the peace.
"Let me make a call. I'll say that I'm keeping an eye on you today." It would mean having to go to a few other places to sell the ruse but it wouldn't be too much work.
As the revered scientist walked past with his friend, Phantom noticed how he was favouring one arm marginally and focused her attention on the limb. Prof... Yusei. She didn't know if Yugi had arrived before or after acquiring his doctorate and didn't want to insult him by potentially ignoring the title. Your shoulder has a bite Akiza kicked one shadowy ankle before the question was completed. Oh. Oooooh. Embarrassment radiated off her as she realised what had happened. Mutely walking towards the patio, she grabbed a heavy metal sculpture on the way past.
"What did you say to her?" Lurking up behind him, Musume's tone promised knives, pain and bloodshed for the wrong answer.
"Yusei has a nasty bite mark on his shoulder." Smiling widely at her daughter, Akiza could see a bead of sweat forming on his temple. Visions of imminent demise filled his mind. "Phantom was asking if it hurt and I pointed out it was probably a bit embarrassing." Forget his brothers, forget her daughter the most dangerous creature in his life was undoubtedly the vixen at his side. If she wasn't trying to overpower his will, she was risking a heart attack by risking his life.
"Is she trying to drown herself?" Yugi watched as Phantom walked right into the swimming pool and let the sculpture drag her beneath the water. While the armour was supernaturally filled with her spirit, it was naturally filled with air and she needed the extra weight to keep herself submerged.
"Ignore her. She likes the quiet." Still staring daggers at Yusei's neck, Musume considered breaking a few bones out of boredom. Maybe an organ or two. If she went for the appendix, there was even a chance of getting away with it. Claim she mystically knew it was swollen. Or something.
"You've got to tell me what it was like meeting Yugi's friends." Grabbing one arm, she dragged Musume away from the imminent organ donor. That look in her eyes meant only one thing: extreme violence. "Is Mai Valentine as beautiful as the stories say or did they exaggerate?" Distracting her daughter with banal small talk about the world of the past, she was starting to grow angry with how many people were becoming aware of her failed attempts with Yusei. Sooner or later, she'd have to set that problem straight. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.
Well, there we have it. Chapter 69 of the story and the first (but hopefully not last) explicit scene. I know it's an underwhelming end but it felt more realistic this way and you have my word that they will do the deed. Eventually.