Hello people, RobotFish here!

So I've rewritten this story, finally. The prelude is the same, so you can skip it if you've already read it.

Onto the story! Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh 5ds, I only own this plot and my own characters.


Prelude: And All Things Will End

"I...I'm pregnant?"

Akiza stared wide eyed at the white stick in her hand, a blue positive sign clearly showing on the side. Her world shattered into a million pieces in that instant, and she knew that her life would never be the same.

It was a night of passion between her and Yusei, full of desire and heat, and they had been reckless. Even after dating for two and a half years, they had never made love until then, and it was one of the best nights of Akiza's life. She had never felt so loved, so close to anyone before, and she had been overjoyed that she gave Yusei her virginity and he gave his in return.

But now, she regretted it. They weren't married, Akiza was still in school, Yusei had a career to start, there was no way they could raise a child! She felt her stomach for the first time, knowing that she carried life inside of her, carried her and Yusei's child they never planned on having. A tear escaped her eye. This was all her fault, she had led him on, been needy and gone too far regardless of what Yusei was comfortable with, and now they both were responsible for this baby.

Akiza gagged as her stomach did a sickening flip, and she vomited into the toilet yet again as another round of morning sickness ate through her core. Her throat burned as she dry heaved, her eyes stinging as she tried to keep herself together.

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. She loved Yusei with all of her heart, and if she ever started a family, she wanted it to be with him. But not now, not when they weren't even settled nor even remotely prepared to care for a child, their child.

She leaned back against the bathroom wall and wiped away the bile that stained her face. Maybe they could do it, maybe they could start early, be a family...

No, it would never work. Not with their plans, anyway. Akiza would never be able to finish school while caring for the baby, and Yusei would definitely not be able to maintain his career as the King of Turbo dueling. Choosing to care for this child would be the end of their futures. But Akiza wouldn't let that happen, not to Yusei. He had been through enough, he deserved his chance to be in the spotlight, to live the life he was meant to.

So she made up her mind. She would care for this child alone.

But Yusei had other plans.


"You...you're pregnant?" Yusei asked, incredulously staring into her eyes.

She gave a weak nod, allowing herself to be held in his arms. The past few weeks had been rough, and all Akiza wanted was comfort, the kind of comfort only Yusei could give her. She didn't deserve it, she knew, but the pain of what she was going through was too much. She needed this, only if it was for a few moments.

He had come to see her after she didn't call him for an entire week. Akiza was trying to distance herself as much as possible from him, not because her love had faded, but because she loved him too much to burden him with this. Her eyes welled up with tears, and before she could hold them back, Yusei drew her into a tight embrace, and her tears fell into his chest as she wept.

Yusei hated seeing her like this. And he hated himself because he knew it was his own fault, he had broken their promise to wait and indulged himself. His heart twisted itself into painful contortions as he realized how much Akiza had been suffering and how he hadn't been there to support her and love her. What kind of a man was he?

She calmed down after a few moments, dry sobs still racking her weakened frame.

"I...I'll c-care for h-him. You don't h-have to b-be a f-father yet..." she couldn't even look into his eyes when she spoke.

Yusei was shocked by her words. Partially because he never expected Akiza to say what she had said, but mainly because he was ashamed of himself for even letting her think of bearing this weight herself. He gently lifted her chin up and met her eyes, trying to be as compassionate as humanly possible, and he placed as soft, loving kiss on her lips. She gave a weak moan at the contact, her guilt tainting the joy she felt, and he rested his forehead against hers when he spoke.

"Akiza...I would never dream of letting you do this by yourself. I want to be there for you during all of this-"

"No, Yusei!" she cried, pushing him away. "You don't know what you're saying!"

He was hurt by this, hurt that she didn't want to share this with him. He knew it would be the most difficult thing they had ever done, but he loved her. And he knew it would be worth it. "I know you're scared," he whispered. "I am too...but I want to be with you Akiza, no matter what."

She looked away, another pool of tears gathering. "You'll never be able to be King," she whimpered.

He gave a sad smile. "I don't care."

"You'll never be able to enter the WRGP again."

"I couldn't care less."

"You'll never be a famous turbo duelist."

"I don't care."

She hugged herself, breaking down when she realized what he was about to do. "Well what if I do?" she said. Her knees gave in from all of the hurt and despair, and she kneeled on the ground, silently crying as Yusei kneeled and wrapped an arm around her. "I don't want you to throw away your life for me, Yusei."

He sat down and held Akiza as she shifted into his lap, resting her head in his chest and letting him comfort her. It had been too long since they did this, too long since there were no worries, since it was just the two of them with nothing but time. Yusei gently stroked her hair, praying only that Akiza would understand.

"Akiza," he said. "...you are my life. I love you more than dueling, and I want to be there for you...and our child."

She looked up at him and gave a sad smile. "You know...I could live a hundred lifetimes and still not deserve you."

"No," he said. "If anyone is undeserving here, it's me."

They sat there for a while, forgetting all of the pain and sorrow, if only for a few moments. They would find a way. They always did. Yusei captured Akiza's lips in a tender kiss, and he stared lovingly in her eyes after they parted.

"Will you marry me, Akiza Izinski?" he asked.

Her heart fluttered, and for the first time in a long time, she felt pure, uncorrupted joy.

"Yes, Yusei Fudo...I want to spend the rest of my life with you."


The wedding was a happy one. Everyone they knew attended, wished them luck as soul mates, and they were nothing less than just that. Akiza's parents even accepted Yusei despite his violation of their trust, and gave them their blessing.

And for a while, Yusei and Akiza were happy. Yusei was still able to turbo duel when he wasn't helping Akiza with her pregnancy or helping move into their new apartment. Akiza was still able to study, even though she was six months along.

But after a while, Akiza fell back into depression. There was no way they could do this, they didn't know the first thing about being parents! Their child wouldn't receive the life it deserved, the love that Akiza wanted him to have. At heart, Akiza still saw herself as a witch...and witches can never be mothers that love their children.

It was increasingly hard to maintain her grades while trying to start a life with Yusei. Her days were long and painful, her back was stiff and sore from the extra weight. She was constantly tired and never got enough sleep. She spent all her energy to the point where the only thing she could muster in the evenings was to shamefully drag herself into bed, most of the time unable to even talk with Yusei, much less show any form of affection to him.

Carly was still able to spend some time with Akiza when the reporter wasn't working, and Akiza enjoyed the small talk. Jack occasionally hung out with Yusei, but the head Signer's busy schedule left little time for idle chatter. It was good to know that their friends were still there even if other people weren't.

The people...Akiza had never cared much about the opinions of others, but it hurt more than she expected when her secret got out. The dirty looks, the vicious rumors, previous 'friends' shunning her because of her condition, eating alone when no one would sit with her, seeing the disappointed shaking of teacher's heads as she passed by in the hallway, hearing the hateful mutterings that weren't meant to reach her ears...it all cut her to the very core. And her heart was still wounded.

Yusei wasn't faring much better. Many duelists laughed at his ordeal, unable to understand what he was going through. He didn't have the time nor the strength to prepare for duels like he once did, and it was starting to show. The misplays, the flaws, the imperfections were starting to show through, and Yusei Fudo was slowly going from a shooting star to a dying one. Even as King, his support in New Domino fell, partially because of angry moralists who didn't know the definition of forgiveness, but mostly because the myth of his invincibility on the track had been cracked.

He didn't see Akiza enough, and guilt was a constant presence in his soul. For better or for worse, he has said, and things didn't look like they could stoop much lower. The money he was earning wasn't nearly enough to support a family on its own. Even as King, he made the same amount any other second rate duelist made. Sponsorships, endorsements, that was where the fortune was, but his recent hiccups in the arena had caused a great deal of New Domino's higher ups to lose faith in him. They were holding out, seeing which duelist would take him out first, then they would pour out the cash to another man that could maintain his image of invincibility.

And it wasn't fair.

But as they were learning, neither was life.


He sat staring her in the eye, praying to everything holy that she wouldn't hate him for suggesting this.

Eight months and a week, and the baby was due at any time. Akiza's swollen stomach was a lively pouch. The baby was constantly kicking, a constant reminder of the life they had created. A few soothing words from Akiza would always calm him down though.

Over the months she had cared for him, Akiza had been growing more attached to the baby, acted more like a mother than a frightened teenage girl carrying a child. She was still scared, but she now looked at the child as a blessing instead of a curse. She thought that maybe she would be a good mother...there was no doubt in Yusei's mind that she would be anything less than an exceptional parent.

But the baby was taking its toll. The school year was over, but there was no way Akiza could attend University, not with their child. She claimed she didn't mind not being able to pursue a degree, but Yusei saw through her facade and into the deep rooted disappointment she hid. He knew she wanted to do something with her life, and he still hated himself for stripping that away.

And he was just barely surviving on the pro tour. When the sponsors learned that Yusei wouldn't just roll over and play dead, they started backing other duelists, no-name challengers who came from all over the world in hopes of de-throning the toothless tiger named Yusei Fudo. Every duel was a battle, every lifepoint lost a step closer to damnation, and Yusei had lost all joy in the game. He no longer felt the rush of the wind in his hair and his runner humming beneath him. All he felt was fear, fear that he would fail and let Akiza down, let his son down.

They couldn't go on like this.

Martha had been a tremendous help throughout everything. She had cared for Akiza when Yusei couldn't be there, given her advice, taught her how to raise a child, be a mother, and they were eternally grateful for the woman's kindness. But Martha saw how the baby was affecting the young lovers. She knew they weren't ready, and she couldn't stand by and watch while two of her closest friends suffered.

So she met with Yusei and offered a suggestion. And now Yusei was about to ask Akiza.

Martha had an old friend, Rosalie, who lived in the Satellite that cared for orphaned children and infants. After a short conversation, Rosalie offered to care for the baby if Yusei and Akiza were not able to. It wouldn't be a permanent guardianship, only a temporary one until Yusei could get back on his game and attain a few sponsorships, earn a steady income. It wouldn't solve every problem, but it would be enough.

So he came to her, humbled more than he had ever been in his entire life. He told her about Rosalie, about how she would care for the baby, about how he almost lost a duel today, and that it was only through sheer dumb luck that he had won, had kept his only means of supporting her and the baby, about his fears of losing her, not being able to support her, about not being cut out to be a father.

And he cried.

She had never seen him cry, never knew her heart was capable of feeling so much pain, and they held each other as the tears flowed from both of them. Part of her wanted to keep the baby because it was what she wanted, but she knew that it was a selfish desire. It would be best for the baby, best for her and Yusei, best for everyone if she gave up her child for just a few months. Any reservations that she might have held disappeared under the broken glaze that filmed Yusei's eyes.

So she said yes. And for some reason, they both felt hollow.


The first sponsor had come, and with it, financial stability.

Akiza had given birth two months earlier, and the baby boy was the most beautiful thing she and Yusei had ever seen. They held it for a few days, cared for it, experienced parenthood before letting Rosalie take over. The old lady was nothing short of an angel, and the couple knew that their child would be happy and loved. But giving him away was one of the hardest things Akiza had ever done. There were always postcards and visits that kept Yusei and Akiza in touch with their child, but it was nothing compared to those few days where the three had been together.

However, Yusei had gotten back on top. The last two months had been the best dueling days of Yusei's life, and he pulled off combos and moves that no one else even knew existed. Any of his skeptics and critics were silenced as he cut down opponent after opponent, duelist after duelist, and Satellite's Shooting Star had made his return. The hired guns stopped coming, and the first sponsorship was made, giving Yusei and Akiza the means to live on their own.

They still needed more time, but with three more companies practically drooling at Yusei's feet, things were looking up. Akiza had spent most of her time looking for a better apartment, maybe even a house if the price was right, for her and Yusei to move into and care for little Yukai when the moment came.

There was even cause for celebration. Jack and Carly got married not too long after Yukai was born, and now all Carly could talk about was having children. Jack wasn't sure if they were ready, but Yusei could tell that the idea of a child was secretly growing on him. A young man to carry on the family name, Jack had said. After all, Jack had plenty of sponsorships from his time as King, and even a couple of minor duels was enough for him to earn a decent income.

One thing Yusei could never repay Jack for was the blonde's refusal to duel in a title match. Jack had been approached by numerous sponsors urging him to take back the title of King while Yusei was weak, but Jack had told them to screw off. He knew his best friend needed that title, and he would be damned before he would take it away. If Yusei had ever questioned Jack's loyalty before, he immediately forgot about it.

For the first time in a long time, there was peace and happiness. Good things were happening. Life was beautiful again.

All just a calm before the storm.


They all sat watching the news report, not believing their ears.

The ferry was coming back to New Domino, carrying with it Rosalie and Yukai. The day had finally come, and Yusei and Akiza were ready to care for their child once more. Rosalie had been sad to let Yukai go when Akiza called, but her happiness at Yusei and Akiza's love outweighed any negativity.

So she had boarded the ferry to New Domino, coming to give back the life that the young couple had created. It was a new start, a second chance at having a family, this time accompanied by hope and joy rather than fear and trepidation. The ferry ride was an early departure, and the sun was just creeping over the horizon as the boat reached its halfway point.

They had stood at the docks, waiting for the ferry to arrive. Ten minutes late, then an hour, then two, then a frantic Jack on his runner begging Yusei and Akiza to come back to the house, that something was wrong, very very wrong and that they needed to see it...

There was a storm. A vicious turning of the tides that defied any meteorological explanation and prediction, and it had come and gone before anyone was the wiser. Yusei and Akiza sat in fear, the worst kind of dread, the kind that drained life from your face, drilled through your bones, tore away your innards until it poisoned your very soul. This couldn't happen, it wasn't possible...

And then they had seen it. The remains of what had been a once proud ship, turned upside down and battered until it was but a hollow shell of its former self. Much like both of them. There were rescue crews, coast guard, police, all trying to brave the wreckage for any lost victims that might have defied the odds.

And then the two words that shattered everything to pieces.

No survivors.

Akiza had let out a horrible wail and covered her face with her hands, the cold searing pain in her chest too much to endure. Yusei held her, desperately trying to make sense of anything, trying to give her comfort before realizing that he was the one reaching out to her. Their tears were unending, despite Jack and Carly's attempts to console their friends, and no one ever saw such a hopeless day.


A week passed. Then a month. And the pain dulled, but never left.

Yusei had taken off from the tour, and his sponsors had told him to take as much time as he needed, get things back to normal, deal with his loss. Deal with it? How could he ever accept the fact that his child was dead because he was too much of a coward to raise him?

He became a corpse. He blamed himself for Yukai's death, and he thought that Akiza would never forgive him for it. How could he go on with anything after this? There was blood, his own child's blood, on his hands, and he would never be able to wash off the stain. Happiness was a distant memory, its colorful pleasures faded to black and gray. He hardly spoke to Akiza, and instead chose to walk through the woods behind their house, trying to think of anything except how horribly despicable his existence was.

She cried almost every night. And he didn't hold her, didn't comfort her like he used to. He just stood outside the door, listening to her quiet sobs, trying to find the man that would have gone in the room and known exactly what to say. But that man was long gone. And she probably wouldn't want to see him anyways.

He was in the woods one day, sitting on a fallen log when he heard footsteps behind him. The log shifted as it supported her weight, and there was silence as they sat together. He didn't look up, didn't meet her eyes. He couldn't, not when she was about to say goodbye. Losing her would destroy him, but he knew that a monster like himself didn't deserve such purity and perfection. Finally, he met her steady gaze, bracing himself for oblivion.

But he found no condemnation. She looked at him with eyes that he hadn't seen in over a year, since all was well and nothing was unsound. She gently touched his hand, her warm fingers brushing over his cold palm, and she moved closer as Yusei realized the meaning behind her gesture.

She didn't blame him. And she still loved him.

Yusei felt himself break again as he hugged her tightly and kiss every part of her face, her lips, her watery eyelids, her forehead, until he lost himself in the woman he loved. She loved him, even after the hurt and pain, even after he had allowed such evil to happen. Her compassion struck in the deepest, darkest places he kept locked away, and he felt a love for Akiza so great that he didn't even know it existed.

Everything he knew told him that he was unworthy, unclean, unfit to call her his wife, but she had proven otherwise, healed his wounds where nothing else could. And that man existed again as he held her, whispering words of love, of peace, of comfort and salvation as they grew closer beneath the trees.

They wouldn't let this be taken. Not their love, never their love.

And it was there that they found the strength to move on, to honor Yukai with the rest of their lives. And so they did, and they once again found happiness in each other.


18 years later...

Yusei and Akiza sat on the porch, watching the scene unfold.

Yasuo, now 14, was dueling his little sister. It had taken them four years, but Yusei and Akiza finally found the courage to have another child, and Yasuo was born. A smaller copy of Yusei, the boy carried a striking resemblance to his father. Cobalt blue eyes, tall and lanky, spiked up hair, everything was a mirrored image. He even dueled with Scraps, because he wanted to see value in things others threw away, he said. Just like his father.

The boy bore that same seriousness of his father, although it was accompanied more by shyness than strength. He was confident enough, unstoppable with a deck in his hands, but his gentle nature allowed him to sooth even the most ferocious people he met. Yasuo had been the greatest blessing Yusei and Akiza had ever received. And just when they thought life couldn't get any better, they were blessed again, this time with Akemi.

Akemi, now 12, was definitely her mother's daughter. Magenta hair and hazel eyes made anyone else swear she was the clone of a younger Akiza. However, unlike her serious and stoic parents, the girl bore more resemblance to Leo in his younger days. Always spunky, always asking questions, never wanting to miss out on a single moment of life. And she seldom did. Her deck consisted of Naturia monsters, adding even more to the resemblance to her mother.

As the couple watched their children playing, they couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of contentment. This was heaven on earth for them, and all the pain they had ever endured was worth it to reach the lives that they lived today. Yusei held Akiza closer to him, inhaling her sweet scent that never failed to make him go crazy with love.

"Akiza?" he asked.

She turned her head to face him. "Hmm?" she replied.

Yusei kissed her neck, causing her to let out a quiet gasp of surprise. She melted into his embrace, their love as fiery and pure as it was all those years ago. He whispered into her ear when he pulled away.

"Thanks...that was all I needed."

Their love was strong, tested by time and trial, and no one could ever tear them apart.

And miles away, in the projects of New Domino, a boy awoke from his nightmares in a cold sweat.


So...Like it? Hate it? Be sure to review and let me know!

I'll try to have the next chapter out in a week or two, so don't worry too much!