Disclaimer: Sorry it took so long. Also, no Christmas special.

Chapter 19: Akiza

"Akiza, what are you doing here?" I asked.

The burgundy-haired girl, who was wearing her school uniform for some reason, didn't say anything. She had her eyes turned to Leo who was worrying over his sister's lying body.

"Leo, I'm okay," Luna spoke in a weak tone. "I was woozy, that's all."

"That's why you stay home!" Leo pointed that out. "I told it happen again! We're going home now!"

"But… what about the tournament?"

"I lost! Didn't you see it?"

Luna gasped and pouted like a sad puppy. "I didn't see it… I'm sorry, Leo."

The atmosphere around us became depressing than someone breaking a window with a rock. Seeing the two siblings interacting with each other like that made me feel like a worrying big sister trying to figure out how to make them happy. I was being reminded of a similar situation back in Satellite with Ash and Midori.

"Leo," I gently spoke. "Luna came to cheer you on. I may not know her condition, but I do understand her feelings to show you her support. The fact that she is here shows how much she cares for you. Don't you agree?"

Leo's expression changed as he came to understand where I was going with my words. He nodded his head and apologized to his sister for all that shouting that he made.

"Ladies and gentleman!" Narumi's voice shouted through the speakers. "The break is now over and our final contestants are itching to face each other!"

The crowd got excited with a roaring cheer.

Narumi continued, "These two were partners of the Tag-Duel since the tournament started! Now fate has force them to fight each other after going through many opponents. Today we want a champion who will be going to the upcoming King's Cup! Hibiki, Alice, are you two ready?"

Hibiki was the first to respond. "Of course! It's showtime!"

"I am also ready!" Alice spoke in a tone that she was pump for a fight.

"Yeah!" Narumi shouted. "It's time to Duel! Game on!"

The audience cheered yet again. This level of excitement had shown me how popular Duel Monsters had become.

Ignoring the final match, I turned to Leo. Before I could say anything, the worker in the Lady Heat costume came up to us. She was running in a bad posture that would result in her overexerting her body that she would need to breathed in large intakes of oxygen. Also, I looked at her feet and wanted to make sure that she didn't trip on anything.

"Hey! Wait!" The worker shouted.

As soon as she got here, she was breathing very heavily as I expected. As she inhaled and exhaled air in a gasping manner, she handed me and Leo three booster packs of the latest edition, Breaking Force. I asked why she was giving this to us.

The worker explained, "They are consolation prizes for participating in the tournament. At least you two won't be going home empty-handed."

"Uh, thanks," I uttered and then she left. I turned to the kids and said, "Anyway, Luna get better. And Leo, try to understand her feelings."

The twins nodded their heads.

I placed my hand over Luna's forehead and then the other hand on mine's. Her temperature seemed to be normal, though it made me wonder what caused her wooziness. I told Leo that his sister should be fine to walk back home.

"That's good," Leo breathed out a sigh of relief.

He helped her up, held her hand and shoulder, and they walked away to the exit of the park. Luna apologized to her brother again, but Leo didn't mind it as he gave her a reassuring smile. It was nice to see siblings helping and caring for each other.

When they were gone from sight, I turned to Akiza. "Okay, answer my question," I demanded in a… gentle tone.

Akiza reacted with a twitch of her head moving up like someone snapping a stick near her. She didn't look at me and said, "I was happening to be walking by and I heard your name from here."

I sat next to her and have my face drew closer with a bright smile. "Oh, since when? How long were you watching?"

"Since your Tag-Duel," she answered. "… How are you feeling?"

"What do you mean?"

"… Your lost…"

"Oh, that! Heh, I don't mind. I enter this tournament to have fun since I got nothing to do."

Then the silence returned. I wasn't sure what else to say next. The crowd became too noisy when Hibiki was doing her Link Summon. Akiza then tugged my shoulders while keeping her head not being in my sight. It made me wonder what was making her to act like that.

"I need…" She muttered and the other words went silent like her lips were only moving.

I had my hand over my ear and uttered, "I'm sorry, what do you say?"

"I need…"

"I can't hear you if you went silent like that. Forgive my tone, but you need to speak up."

Akiza bit her lower lip. She turned her to me and shouted, "Kokoro, I need your help!"

Her voice entered my ears. It was piercing that I picked my ear a little to get rid the small ringing sound.

"You don't need to yell! Wait, you need my help? With what?"

She didn't say another word as her eyes were drawn to the noisy crowd that were watching the final Duel. The teenage girl had a displeasing face. I could tell what she was thinking from that.

I took her hand and stood up. "Let's go some place that is quiet," I said with a smile.

Akiza looked at me like she was an abandoned puppy that was happy being picked up. We then left the park and headed to the parking lot to get my Duel Runner. As I was pulling out the two helmets from the built-in trunk of my motorcycle, I noticed the teenage girl was looking at the vehicle.

"What is it? Like my ride?"

"Is it safe…?"

"Huh?"

Looking at my Duel Runner again and I couldn't see what she sees. Despite that it was made from junk, it was pretty maintained. There were no scratches and holes on the sapphire-blue frame, the wheels didn't have any rust, the seat was big enough for two people to be on, the tire suspensions were still in place, and the tires weren't worn out. I didn't see the problem. That was when the logical reason popped out of my head.

"Is this your first time riding a Duel Runner?"

She didn't say anything. It seemed like I hit bull's eye there that her cheeks were tinted red and she averted her gaze again.

I lightly hit my chest with a helmet that I was holding. I put on a proud smile despite the little pain I received from that hit. "Don't worry, Akiza. You'll be safe with me driving. Just hold on really tight."

Akiza was skeptical with a puzzling expression. She took one of the helmets, brushed her bangs upward, and put on the safety equipment on her head. It looked weird seeing her wearing the helmet and school uniform together and I couldn't figure out why.

"Kokoro, where are we going?" the teenage girl asked.

I put on my helmet and answered, "Some place where we can freely speak without much noise. Which do you prefer? My place or your place?"

"… My place… is a dorm…"

"Oh, okay. My place then."

We got on the Duel Runner with Akiza sitting behind me. She seemed hesitant to held onto my body at first, but she later complied by wrapping her arms around my stomach when I was revving the engines. I drove out of the parking lot and speed up to, or less than, the speed limit of thirty-five.

"Slow down!" Akiza screamed.

It confused me. I was following the law and it didn't seem like I have gone over the limit, according to my display. Then she screamed again and held me tighter when I swerved pass a few cars on the way. I slowed down as soon as I noticed the recklessness of my driving.

We arrived at the apartment building and parked my Duel Runner in the garage. Akiza was hugging me too tightly despite my safe-driving. It was uncomfortable from having her hands squeezing my chest and stomach during the ride.

"You can let go of me now," I uttered.

The teenager blinked her eyes and saw where her hands were. She released me and apologized in a meekly tone. I found it cute to see her acting like that with her cheeks tinted red. It reminded me of Midori who hide behind me when she first met Ash and the other kids.

"It's okay," I reassured her with a friendly smile. "After all, my roommate touched my body a lot. Though, in her defense, she wanted to know my size so that she can buy me some new clothes."

"… Is that something that I need to know?"

"Huh? It wasn't? I assumed… You know what, never mind. Let's head inside."

I thought she think that I would be mad at her for her hands' placement, but I was wrong. Awkwardness settled in-between us as we walk inside the building.

Zora wasn't in the lobby, so I didn't say that I came back home. Then I think about where I should have my conversation with Akiza. Misty was at work and Toby was at his friend's place to study for the upcoming exams. Meaning that apartment room should be empty. I took her to there.

Her reaction when she saw the room was… indifferent. "Nice place," was the words coming out of her mouth.

"Well, my roommate is a model, so most of the things here are her stuff." I scratched the back of my head when I said that.

I directed Akiza to sit on the couch in front of the TV and I went to the kitchen to get some drinks. I poured icy cold water into two plastic cups and I brought and placed them on the coffee table.

"So, what is it that you want to talk to me about?" I asked as I sat next to her.

Akiza, nervous at first, explained to me. It was the topic of bullies. Ever since the incident with those boys earlier, there were others trying to get under her skin and the results ended with minor injuries. However, things escalated to the point of nearly destroying school property. She heard the concerns from the teachers about kicking her out of the academy, but they feared the consequences from that. She didn't tell me why they didn't expel her earlier and I didn't pry any further.

"Weird," I uttered without a second thought. "Why come to me of all people? I mean we just met on that one day and we have little interaction with each other."

"Your… offer…"

That hit me in the head when I realized it. I did offer her to come and talk to me, but the topic about bullying wasn't something I should know about.

"I can't be much of a help though," I said in a meek tone. "If you want my opinion, just ignore them. I mean those kinds of people only want the satisfaction of your reaction or the feeling of being the alpha dog picking on the weak."

"I tried that and…"

"Didn't work, huh."

I pondered on the idea of how to help Akiza. Looking at her face, I could imagine her as the type to lose patience easily. What bothered me was the fact that everyone knew that she was a Psychic Duelist, but they were willing to poke the bear and would take the risk of being injured in the process. I crossed my arms over my chest, closed my eyes, and tilted my head from right to left. Then I opened my eyes as I got a lightbulb popping out of my head.

"Hey, Akiza, I got an idea! Why not use your power for good?"

"For… good…?"

Akiza looked at me for a second before she gasped and shook her head. Her body trembled as she shifted her gaze to her arm. She gritted her teeth and clenched her hand into a fist.

"That's impossible," she said in a gloomy tone. "My powers aren't meant for good… They're a curse, not for making me some kind of hero. I'm a monster… nothing more and—ow!"

I slapped the teenage girl at the back of her head before she finished that sentence. Hearing her whining was ticking me off.

"Do you really believe that?" I sneered. "Do you really believe those words coming out of your mouth, young lady!? It sickens me that you actually think that way!"

Both my slap and loud voice snapped Akiza's attention. She looked at me with the eyes of a ferocious animal, but it was quelled down when I showed her my burning rage in my eyes, forcing her to become docile to some degree.

I breathed out a heavy sigh. "Listen, I'm not going to act as a preacher, but as an adult with experience under her belt. You saw me how I use my powers against yours when we met and I bet you can do the same thing too… with the right training."

"You don't know that…"

"You're right! I don't know! But that doesn't mean to call yourself a monster. You can change society's perspective about Psychic Duelists, that not all of them are evil. In fact, my roommate's little brother is like you; he has powers, but weak compare to your level. He asks me to teach him how to control it and hope he can use it for good."

Akiza was silent. She was perplexed by my words that she had her pupils dilated to the side.

"If someone like Toby has the will to change, then you will too. It's all about patience and earning society's trust. How you think that bug superhero continued being a hero despite the news calling him a menace?"

Silent Magician tried to correct me about that bugs and arachnids were different, but I ignored her voice and continued speaking.

"Anyway, it ticks me off that you chose to give up instead of working hard. The children that I took care of have shown me their will to live on despite their living conditions. Where's yours?" I poked the tip of Akiza's nose.

No words came out of her lips. She averted her eyes to her left arm. It left me no choice as I forced her head to look at me.

I put on a gentle smile and said, "I don't know what your circumstances are, but I know with hard work and dedication that you can be seen as a hero, not a monster. That's how I am today." I grabbed hold of Akiza's hands and I could feel her warmth through my palms. "There are people out there who have the worst conditions than you and they have given into despair. Don't think that the world owes you for your misfortune while others wish for the same thing."

"But… But…"

"No buts!" I placed a finger over her lips. "So, I will help you with your powers and teach you how to control them. With my help, you can change a lot of people's perspectives about Psychic Duelists. Show them that they're not monsters, they are human like you and me."

Akiza lowered her head as I released her lips. "Can… you do it?" she meekly asked.

"Of course, I will."

I nodded my head to give her some reassurance. I brushed away her bangs and saw the small smile on her face. Her eyes were watery that I took out my red handkerchief to wipe her face. Akiza wanted me to stop and that she wasn't a child, but she didn't put up any resistance. It made me wonder if her parents showered her with this level of love before. I looked deeply at her eyes to see what was in her soul, but I ended up seeing only entrance being lit and the path forward was still covered in darkness.

"Bothersome, don't you think?" I uttered that question with a chuckle.

Then a sound of someone clapping behind us. I turned to see Misty and Toby standing there with expressions that were telling me that they were amused. It seemed like Toby was the one clapping, though it was unintended because of his older sister shaking her head at him.

"Just… how long you two were standing there?"

"About the time when you said 'It sickens me that you actually believe that' part," Misty answered. "Though I was expecting something… different."

I narrowed my eyes at her as I was reading her smiling expression. "You're lucky that there are children here or I will torment you like what I did back home against those annoying people."

Misty placed a finger under her smiling lips and made a giggling sound. "Say what you want, Kokoro, but I know that you're not the type to hurt your friends. Also, we're home."

"I can see that!" I pointed a finger at her.

Akiza was confused as she asked me who these two were. I introduced them to her and vice-versa to my roommates. Then I told my roommates what about the recent event and their reactions were what I expected. Toby was excited that he was having someone from his school to be training alongside with and Misty, well, she was worried.

"Do you think that society can change that easily?" Misty asked. "Do you considered how long it will take for that to happen? I asked you to help Toby so that he won't hurt anyone and keep his powers hidden. Akiza is a different story, she's well-known for her powers."

I understood her concern about helping Akiza, but I couldn't just turn a blind-eye and ignore her. It was like the time of how much I waited for Kalin for me to apologize and that ended with him being arrested. The sense of regret that I wasn't assertive that time had weigh my heart for this long. It sounded like I was using Akiza in order for me to let go of that guilt. I clenched my hand into a fist that I could feel my nails digging into the skin of my palm.

"I…" A word spoken out of Akiza's mouth. "I was… the one who asked Kokoro for help. Her solution was… futile for me."

"Akiza…" I uttered her name.

"But even so… I won't know until I try. If that's the way to get those people off my back, then I will do it no matter how long it takes."

There was fire in her eyes and no hesitation in her words. It made me feel happy to hear her to say that she would take my training idea.

I patted her on the back and said, "My training method is going to be long and unorthodox, Akiza. Are you sure this is what you want?"

She nodded her head. "After you gave me that lecture, how couldn't I? You said that you can remove this monster's curse, right?"

"I said that I will turn you into a hero under society's perception. If getting rid of someone's powers were that easy, I would've done that to you and myself a long time ago."

"It's still the same thing," said Toby who wanted to jump in.

I continued, "Well, if you show me that level of determination, I will be happy to help. But know this, Akiza… Keep your head up, no matter what. That's what Kizuna, my mother, always told me."

The slip of my mother's name seemed to piqued Akiza's curiosity. I avoided from talking about my mother by telling her the basics that I gave Toby to her.

She didn't understand how I described the feeling of concentrating her power to her fingers as I told her to imagined having her blood flowing into her fingertips. It wasn't a good analogy that even Toby commented that it took him a long time to get that feeling.

So, I had been teaching Akiza, along with Toby, of how to concentrate her power by focusing onto one of their cards. I had them to activate their Duel Disks for their training. While this was going on, Misty went out to get some dinner for everyone.

Toby was holding the Sparks spell card. He slammed it on his Duel Disk and small transparent sparks of fire came out like a firework. It was good enough that made me believe that he wasn't slacking. Akiza was using the Giant Trunade spell card and that made me notice her power level. It was uncontrollable. Strong wind blew all over the room, causing a lot of books and paper flying. I quickly turned off her Duel Disk to stop the effect before it got worse. The room was a total mess.

"I-I'm sorry," Akiza meekly apologized.

"T-That's okay, Akiza." I chuckled. I need to clean this up before Misty gets back.

I took out the Silent Magician card and summoned her. Seeing her to appear next to me was shocking for the teenage girl. The white magician, without asking, used her magic to clean up the room. Books and papers that were lying on the ground had been flying up in the air and put back where they were. The cleaning was done in less than a minute and Silent Magician disappeared.

Then Misty returned, which was strangely quick in my opinion, and she didn't notice anything amiss. She told me that the delivery guy from the restaurant and delivery joint, Cherry Blossom came in on time and she show us two plastic trays that she was carrying in her hands.

As she placed the trays on the table, I asked, "What's for dinner?"

"We're having fried noodles and boiled vegetables. Also, Akiza, want to join us for dinner before going back?"

No words came out of Akiza's mouth, but her growling stomach did the talking. She covered her stomach with her cheeks being red again.

All of us ate dinner together and even chatted until Akiza's time to go back to her dorm. I offered her to give her a ride, but she chose to take a bus. It made me sad to hear that as we said our goodbyes.