When All Was Lost...
Chapter Fifty
50
It had been a few days since Yusei and his two young friends had taken Akarii in. She appreciated everything they did...but with the need to find Jack...and what happened between her and Akiza...she had a lot going on in her head.
I need to make SOMETHING right SOMEWHERE...
She thought to herself as she carefully tried to sneak away late into the night while they slept Hoping not to wake Yusei in the process...
Or any of them in that matter.
"Akarii...are you sure about this?" Yusei asked as she stumbled to her feet trying to leave.
So much for not waking Yusei...
He WOULD be the one to catch her.
After all...over everyone there- he knew her habits best.
He must have heard her shuffling and woke in time to catch her leaving.
He had known Akarii for a long time...
It didn't take him long to figure out her plan.
"Yeah..." she said softly in a hiss of pain,"I shouldn't trouble your young friends anymore than I already have..." she blinked," Besides,Blister was kind enough to loan me an empty garage for Our runner storage if you want to come with me." she stated,"It might be best if we don't stay in a place like this..." she stated,"At least for now."
"Yeah..." Yusei sighed,"You might be right." he sighed,"Hang on then." he said as he helped one of her arms over his shoulders while he held her waist for support,"I'll go with you, so let me help you, all right?"
"...Thanks, Yusei..." Akarii blinked and smiled softly.
"Of course..." Yusei smiled, "I also need to do something before we leave..." he stated, "Those twins helped me a lot...I owe them a token of thanks."
"I understand." said Akarii, "Give them my thanks too, would you?"
"You got it..."
xxxxx
"Akarii you're back!" said Blister as he stood before the door of the garage he had loaned to her,"Glad to see you're safe I guess." he blinked,"It's been days...where have you been?" he asked,"You look terrible."
"Thanks Blister, you really know how to charm a girl..." she huffed and winced in pain as Yusei dropped Akarii on the fold out couch once they got inside.
"Let's just say, Akarii had a bit of an adventure." said Yusei.
"Yusei..." Blister blinked"Good to see you again." he sighed and stared a while, "A Bit of an Adventure seems like an understatement." he chuckled, "Don't tell me you got this banged up lookin' for Yusei?"
"Yeah...you could say something like that..." Akarii sighed as she retrieved her deck and began to soft through her cards and shuffle it.
This was a quirky habit Akarii had picked up over the years...whenever she had a lot going on in her head. It provided her a sort of comfort and focus...kind of how like most girls have a Diary and tend to journal their thoughts between the pages...
She used the constant motion to stable her thoughts between the cards.
Yusei knew this habit and recognized its intention over time...
"What's up Akarii?" Yusei asked softly as he settled into the Garage they were staying in, "You seem a little out of it..."
"Yeah...sorry...I guess I am." she sighed, "I just...have so much on my mind my now..." she stated, "There's so much going on...so much I've got to do, so many things I need to make right..." she blinked slowly, "And I have no idea where to start..." she sighed.
"Hmm." Yusei hummed softly, holding his deep blue gaze on her...ponderinf his own thoughts as he listened to her troubles, "You're right..." he stated softly as he moved over toward her and leaned against the wall near by, "That sure is a lot of plates in the air...and a lot of problems that you are trying to tackle...on your own." he stated, "And maybe...that's the problem."
"Come again?" Akarii blinked, raising a brow toward her friend in skeptical confusion.
She had just got done saying she had a number of problems...and here Yusei comes, telling her she has another problem to add to the growing number-
"Well...like you just said...you are struggling with a lot of things you say you need to do, right?"
The question was rhetorical...she didn't need to answer for him to understand.
"Well an issue I'm seeing here...is that you are trying to solve them all at once." he explained, "...All by yourself." he added, "But Akarii...you're not going to get anywhere...if you keep trying to go everywhere, you know?" he stated, "And if you spread yourself too thin...then you won't be of any help to anyone."
"So then...what should I do, Yusei?"
"Well...for starters...You need to know that you're not in this by yourself." he smiled, "You and I are together now...and we can tackle these problems together." he stated softle kneeling down beside her with a hand resting on her shoulder, "First thing to note...is that there is no such thing as an unsolvable problem..." he hummed, "So let's put out heads together...lay them all out one at a time...and this time? I will do the hardest parts with you."
Blister sat back quietly and watched the two friends talking together on the floor with a smile on his face.
"...You know, Akarii..." he said softly, "You got yourself a good friend there." he stated, "Yusei's got a good head on his shoulders...you should listen to him."
"...Thanks, Blister." Yusei smiled.
"Okay...well...to list all the things on my Honey Do List..." she hums, "I know that I need to get to Jack..." she stated, "I don't know how I'm going to get to him but...I need to find him." she stated, "And I need to talk to him."
Yusei nodded.
"Yeah...that's something we share." he said, "I need to do that too..." he stated, "After all...I need to save my friends too...and seeing Jack seems to be the best way to do that..." he blinked, "And so? What else do you have..."
"Well...there's also Akiza." she stated, "Things didn't go over well between the two of us...I's like a chsnce to talk to her too...to clear air with her..." she sighed, "Akize is my friend." she stated, "She was my friend for all the time I spent at the Arcadia Movement... and I feel awful about the way things turned out..."
Yusei's eyes narrowed sadly and he nodded.
"I understand." he said softly.
"I'm not sure how yet...or what I'll say but...I feel like...if we can just talk...then maybe we can clear the air between us."
"Well...that's another thing we have in common." said Yusei, "I would also like to talk to Akiza...and save her from that place if I can." he nods firmly, "Okay...so now...what's next?"
"Next..." she pauses, "Next is..." she falls silent for a while...thinking back to Crow...and the promise she made him.
"Crow..." she said softly, "I promised him...that I'd come back..." she sighs, "I have to go back to him...and out kids...but..."
"But?" Yusei blinked.
"...My brother." she stated, "Yusei...I want to find Kai...no I...I need to..." she sighs, "I have to. I have to know what happened to him. The real story...every detail...I need to know."
Yusei's eyes narrow softly and he sighs, nodding.
"Yeah..." he said so, "I'd like to know too...so...that's another thing we'll do, together." he smiles.
"Yusei..." she blinks and shakes her head, "You don't have to do that..."
"Kai was a friend to all of us. Akarii." Yusei said softly, "I think we'd all like to know the truth." he smiled, "And once we get back home- together- maybe Crow can help us with that."
"...And maybe I can too." said Blister pulling their attention away from their thoughts.
"I know a thing or two about digging things up." he stated, "So maybe...while you two focus on picking up the pieces of the rest of this whole mess...maybe I can work on digging up whatever information I can find about your brother."
"That would be amazing Blister...thank you." said Akarii.
Yusei smiled warmly and playfully nudged her shoulder.
"So? Now...we have all the problems layed out...and? What are we gonna so about it?" he hums, "...Where should we start?" he hums as he spins and leans back against her back, "...What can you do in the current moment?"
She blinked her eyes a few times and hummed softly. Carefully pondering out the problems they had just laid out... She remained silent for a while...
Sifting through her cards and shuffling her deck...until finally she speaks once again.
"I think..." she said softly, "Since I'm here in the City...and I now know how to get in...and get out..." she blinked, "I should start...with Akiza." she stated, "I'm not too keen on the idea of going back to that place...The Arcadia Movement..." she sighed, "But if I want any chance of finding Akiza and talking to her at all...I think that's the best place to start.
Yusei was quiet for a while...closing his eyes silently in his thoughts before releasing a deep breath.
"Well...all right then." he said firmly, "I'll go with you...and we can try to help Akiza...together."
To Be Continued...