(A/N: This is it. It's the final chapter :') I'll save the talking for the end of the chapter! By the way, tenses will change for a reason. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the last chapter!)

Song Suggestion: Baekhyun of EXO - Beautiful

Chapter 30

"I think we're all set," spoke Johan. He stood in front of the tall mirror, fixing his black tie. His hand trailed up to fix his styled up hair. "How do I look?" he asked, posing with his index and thumb on his chin.

"Great!" I laughed. "What about me?" I placed my hands on either side of my hips to proudly show off my attire. He held a thumbs up and nodded. He moved out of the way to let me examine myself in the mirror.

Our suits were brand new, sprayed with our favorite cologne. While I wore a simple white dress shirt under a black vest and jacket, Johan chose to wear a light blue dress shirt under his. I adjusted the red tie and smiled in satisfaction.

"Can't believe we're finally graduating," he breathed out. I turned to him and caught his eyes wavering with nervousness. "I just want that certificate in my hands already."

"Me too," I agreed. I swung my arm over his shoulders and gave him the biggest smile. "Come on, we can get through this!"

"Of course! I'm ready to be free!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. "Let's hurry up. We can't make Yusei wait any longer."

I jumped realizing Yusei was indeed waiting for our arrival. We walked out into the living room and grabbed our gowns and caps on the way out the front door.

Several minutes later, we met up with Yusei, who was calmly waiting outside his house. He pulled me into a hug and whispered, "I love you," into my ear.

"Y-Yusei," I stuttered, pushing myself away from his chest. My cheeks were burning hot.

"You two are still gross," Johan muttered past us. He turned around, beginning to walk backwards as he called to us, "Hurry up or else we'll be late!" Yusei and I laced our hands together and followed him who was way ahead of us.

The sun shone above us, creating shadows from trees, cars and ourselves. The faint sound of buzzing lingered in the warm air.

"Are you excited?" I asked.

Yusei hummed and grinned, "Extremely. I've been waiting to graduate since forever." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss above my head. "And I'm happy to be graduating with you."

The corners of my mouth rose as my cheeks continued to blush. I admired his suit that fit him too perfectly. He wore almost the exact same suit as me, except he had chosen a navy tie; same color as our gown and cap.

"Whoa, it's crowded!" Johan yelled ahead of us. We stood waiting for cars to pass and blinked at the sight before us. The front of the school was bustling with relatives and graduates. Cars were parked in the little space that was left. The scene upon us made me realize that this was reality. I was really about to graduate. "Come on!" Johan pulled me out of my thoughts and lead us towards the front of the school.

Making our way to the familiar tree, we met up with our friends. Aki and Amaya looked absolutely beautiful. They beamed upon my compliment.

Jack and Crow showed off their fancy suits with proud smiles. Juro simply stood by Amaya admiring her appearance.

As we talked to one another, I couldn't help, but stare at the others walking past us. Most came up and congratulated each of us—teachers, too.

In unison, we hurriedly put on our gowns and caps. A fuzzy feeling lingered in my stomach as I gazed at our matching attire. This is really happening.

"We look amazing!" beamed Aki. She clasped her hands together and giggled in delight.

"You don't show a sign of nervousness, Aki," Crow pointed out.

"I've been waiting for this moment. Knowing I'll be giving the graduation speech makes me even more excited," Aki explained. When she announced the news to us about her being the one to say the speech, we were proud of her. She worked hard along the year and achieved something so honorable. "Cheer me on, guys!" she winked, pointing at each of us. We laughed at her silliness and gave her our best wishes.

"Let's get going," Yusei spoke. We followed his lead, which was towards the warehouse. It was a building I rarely went to, unless it was for sports.

Once we entered, I awed at the transformed warehouse. Rows and rows took up most of the space. They were sectioned off by graduates in the front and visitors in the back. Right in the middle was a pathway for us.

"We have to get aligned by last names," Aki mentioned.

"Time for us to separate," said Crow. Yusei waved to me as he was pulled by Crow, who followed Aki. Jack, Johan and Juro went towards the first rows. I envied them for being the first ones to go up.

"Jaden, should we get going?" Amaya questioned beside me. Her violet eyes bore right at my honey colored orbs. I nodded my head and let her drag me with her.

Our seats were on the second to last row. I groaned as I sat down and slumped. "Why do we have to be the last ones," I whined.

"You're lucky I'm sitting next to you," she countered. She tucked her hair behind her ear and grinned. "We can do this!"

Suddenly, the principal's voice boomed throughout the warehouse. Behind us was a big applause for us. As he spoke, none of it made sense to me. All that I could think about was graduating. The feeling of being free was at the tip of my fingers.

Amaya was engrossed in his speaking, she didn't pay attention to my sudden nerves. I felt my hands tremble and placed them right under my thighs. I wanted to get it over with.

The call of a name brought me out of my worries and I looked up to see Aki walking up on stage. With confidence running through her veins, she introduced herself in a clear voice.

"Hello, I'm Aki Izayoi," she spoke through the microphone set up on a podium.

"From the time I entered high school, I was fully aware that the trip through these years would not be smooth. High school was going to put my skills and emotions to the test.

"The first year went by as a breeze. By the second year, I really noticed the difference school was making out of us. The precious friends I made were changing, beginning to distance themselves from each other, getting in on and off relationships, and being defeated all the time.

"Watching my friends crumble was the worst thing I ever faced. I could only watch from the sidelines. I felt weak.

"It wasn't until our last year, that a special someone joined our small group."

I froze and felt the tremble in my hands return. I glanced at Amaya who adorned a blank expression. Her eyes were beginning to water, knowing Aki's speech was going to hit us at an emotional peak.

"From the minute I saw them, I knew they were the one to help us heal from our broken friendship, even if we never showed it. And it was exactly what they did. I witnessed my long time friends become happier and more alive. I even began to feel stronger."

Her smiled seemed to falter as she took a long pause. Her voice trembled as she continued to speak. "But even this person wasn't strong enough to withstand the harsh reality of high school. Once again, I watched in horror as they were beat to their breaking point.

"I've never witnessed such sadness, and this person definitely didn't deserve it. I tried and tried my hardest to help them up to their feet, except it was pointless.

"As close friends, we faced this ordeal for our dear friend. We didn't want them to face it alone. Even though we ourselves were weak and confused on what to truly do, we faced it hard on. We handled it to the best of our abilities.

"However, love overcame. Love will always be hard to understand. Once you witness it's true form, it's undeniably beautiful. It drove me to protect it within two of my closest friends. Maybe I was back on the sidelines, but I helped.

"We all helped each other. Over the course of the months, we faced sleepless nights and tearful situations, which seemed to disappear in a matter of two months. Those two months gave me such relief. We made it. We overcame it." Tears spilled from her glittery eyes.

My bottom lip trembled uncontrollably as tears streamed down my red cheeks. Amaya softly sobbed beside me. I reached for her hand and squeezed it with care. We made it.

"Now I see this special person smiling and spending their days with immense love in their heart. Love from their significant partner, love from their family, but most importantly, love from their friends. I can finally say after this year, I'm certainly no longer weak, but strong and confident."

Aki smiled big and continued with tears trapped at the brim of her eyes. "And I tell this story because all of you who are here right now, all faced ordeals through your high school years. High school isn't easy. Whether it be school problems, family or friend problems, or relationship problems, you will face it at some point. It may bring you down to the point you feel hopeless, but you're not alone. You're never alone. You have people around you that can help you—friends, family members, and even teachers.

"It will get better. It will take a while, but I promise you all, it definitely gets better.

"It was not my best year, but I will cherish it," she whispered. I whispered her name and felt more tears spill. "I can't help, but thank this high school for teaching me many things that I will need for the future ahead of me. Thank you for the adventure and thank you for these memories. I will never forget them. Thank you!"

A roaring applause filled the once silent building. Cheers and screams filled our fragile ears. Aki stepped off the stage with a bright smile. I felt Amaya slip her hand away.

She wiped her tears away and sent me a trembling smile. "Who knew Aki was going to leave us this emotional," she muttered. I nodded and returned the smile. "We made it," she whispered, her smile growing big by the second.

I turned back to look at the stage and saw that someone else had taken the microphone. The speeches went on, but they couldn't compare to Aki's. It was a speech specifically made for us; our small group of friends.

Before I knew it, names were being called. Amaya and I cheered for Jack, Johan and Juro as they received their certificate. The image them of walking across the stage filled me with great joy.

Soon, Aki and Crow went up, along with Yusei. I screamed his name as loud as I could and grinned when he turned to scan the crowd. We waved and waved until he noticed us. His pearly whites shined against the lights of the warehouse.

It felt like eternity waiting for our turn. Amaya and I rose when it was finally time for our row to go up. I held on to her wrist on our way to the steps of the stage.

I gazed out into the visitors section and wondered if my parents arrived. I thought about Yusei's parents as well. I hoped that my parents were here to watch me graduate—to see how much I had grown.

I turned back to stare ahead of me. I tread up the steps and received my certificate as people gave a round of applause. Maybe I imagined it, but it sounded as if many shouted my name out loud. I grinned on my way across the stage and down a pair of steps.

My hands shook as I stared at the certificate. It was finally in my hands.

By the time we were back at our seats, we were told to rise. The principal gave his final words and sent us off with an inspirational saying. Suddenly, dozens of caps were thrown into the air. Amaya and I glanced at each other and together threw our caps.

They fluttered around, mixing into the big heap, but eventually fell back down. We reached for which ever one we could. I gripped the navy cap and sighed in relief.

I graduated.

"We did it, Jaden!" Amaya screamed, holding onto my arm on our way out the warehouse. My eyes wandered around searching for Yusei and my parents.

"We graduated!" I heard Aki scream behind us. The rest of our friends were walking behind her.

"Aki! Your speech was incredible!" Amaya beamed.

"Geez, you had me tearing up!" Johan fumed, but smiled back.

As they continued to compliment Aki, Yusei returned to my side and hugged me closely. "Congratulations to us," he whispered.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and smiled into his chest. "Congrats," I whispered back. I pushed back and stared up at his wide eyes. "D-Do you think my parents are here?" I questioned.

He shrugged and looked out into the messy crowd. "Who knows if my parents are even here," he replied.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted someone very familiar to me. "M-Mom?" I called out. She smiled widely as she waved towards me with my father tagging along. My mother wrapped her arms around me as she began to congratulate me. My father merely ruffled my hair with a smile.

"We're proud of you, Jaden!" my mother grinned. She brought her attention towards Yusei and smiled at him as well.

"M-Mom, dad," I began. They patiently waited for me to speak and it felt strange having their full attention on me. "This is Yusei, my boyfriend," I said, proudly. Yusei's eyes widen, but introduced himself, too.

"We know," my father replied. I was taken aback and gawked at him. "Your mother has told me a lot, Yusei."

"H-Has she?"

My mother smiled and gave each of us a warm hug. "We're proud of you two," she whispered. How long had it been since I was this close to her? Just her scent was sending my emotions haywire.

Just as she pulled back, Yusei's parents appeared. They congratulated us and made small chat with my parents. It was heartwarming seeing our parents in front of us and interacting with one another.

"Hey!" Johan called out to us. We turned our heads towards him. "Let's take some pictures together!"

"We'll help," Yusei's mother spoke up.

While Yusei's mother and my mother took turns on taking the pictures, our group huddled together in different poses. We laughed at each position we chose to do. Ranging from being casual to downright silly, we flashed our ecstatic smiles towards the camera lens.

"Yusei and Jaden should take a picture together!" someone suggested. I narrowed my eyes at Crow who stuck his tongue out.

The of us were pushed to the side. My mother walked towards us and held the camera in her fair hands. "Smile you two!" I felt Yusei's arm wrap around my waist and pulled me closer to him. And I held up a peace sign and grinned widely. In a matter of seconds, my mother had taken about two pictures. "I'm going to post these around the house," she giggled.

"Mom!" I screamed, flushing to an alarming color.

We returned to our friends and resumed on taking even more pictures with friends, family members and teachers. By the time we're finished, I blinked every few second as if I was going blind.

"I reserved a whole restaurant for this evening," Yusei's father spoke up. He sent all of us a warm smile. "Let's all go enjoy dinner together."

"Bless Yusei for having a rich father," Crow teased. Yusei rolled his eyes and punched him in the arm, earning a small groan from the orange raven haired.

Just as we were heading out of the school, I spotted a black haired girl, walking hand in hand with a boy. "Chi looks happy," I said out loud. My friends turned to stare, but merely ignored her.

"That's good," Yusei muttered beside me. I smiled in relief knowing she had finally moved on.

"Jaden!"

I brought my head up and gasped at who at had called my name. Yugi waved along with Yami. However right behind them was Alexis, Syrus, and Chazz. They all came to congratulate me.

"You guys…" I whispered. I couldn't wipe my grin off my lips. My long time friends remembered about me. "Come to dinner with us!" I told them. They smiled and followed along.

Our group of friends was put back together with the addition of more people. Like Aki said, I was the one who brought all of us together. I was the one who brought great happiness to them.

I had a purpose in life.

As the sky turned into an inky abyss with stars shimmering in the distance, I felt tears prickling in the corner of my eyes. Yusei's hand squeezed mine, noticing my sudden emotions. "I'm so happy," I whispered to him.

I was happy to have survived my last year of high school. The dark past was pushed away, only to show a bright future ahead.

A new adventure was waiting for us—Yusei and I.

I wasn't alone anymore.

And so, my rough high school life came to an end.

2 Years Later

I cover my eyes as I walk down the hot pavement. The pier is ahead of me, steadily waiting for my arrival.

The sun is shining brightly, hitting my skin with it's heat. The puffy clouds drift against the cerulean sky, relaxing me in a matter of minutes.

I had grown accustomed to the summer season by the coast. I am beginning to think that I spend most of my summer break near the clear beach.

I stop to gaze out at the sparkling, blue sea water. The small waves crash over the dark sand.

The beach below is momentarily closed due to cleaning the litter that gets left behind. I frown and shake my head in disappointment. People need to be respectful of the beauty it is.

As I continue walking to the pier, I wonder about the upcoming year at college. I'm a month away from entering my third year. I smile because I finally chose a career to pursue. I chose to study in law. I plan to follow my father's footsteps.

The pier is in my view and I rush to it, hearing the thumps against the wood. The breeze feels cool against my warm skin and I laugh at the tickling sensation. The air is filled with a salty, but fresh scent from the sea water.

I glance over my shoulder and grumble in annoyance. Yusei called me to come out here and he is nowhere in sight.

I lean on the wooden railing and return to staring at the waves. Yusei and I chose to go to the same college. Around the time I made up my mind on what career to pursue, he also picked out a career. He chose to study in psychology. I'm proud of his choice. I'm 100 percent sure he will go far in his future.

Even though the work is studious, we are getting by the best we can. Yusei and I moved into an apartment together in the middle of our second year. We also decided to get jobs in order to pay rent. The feeling of being an adult finally hit us.

It's difficult, but we're prepared.

I start to think about my dear friends. Coincidentally, Aki decided to go into the same college as us. She's getting by well in her classes. We're confident she will be one of the best teachers out there for young children.

Amaya and Juro are going to a college a town away from us. They visit when they have time, since they're busy with their classes. I grin remembering their engagement. I was ecstatic when she broke the news to me.

I wonder if Yusei will propose me. I laugh at the idea and shake my head. Not any time soon.

Crow is working diligently at a police academy near us. He visits us every weekend. I'm glad his personality has stayed the same through the years. I still thank him for all the help.

Jack continuously sends us postcards from cities he has visited. Not only is he traveling, but he is studying to be a chef. I yearn to try his cooking. He promises he will cook my favorite meal when he arrives soon. Yusei still gets jealous.

Finally, Johan is still pursuing to be a medical doctor. He is currently studying abroad, along with Alexis. Those two are something!

Along with the rest of our friends, they have chosen different paths. We all keep in contact despite our busy schedules.

"Oh, it's in a week," I whisper to myself. Since it's summer break, we made plans to all go to a beach house for a week. I bounce on my heels in excitement.

"Jaden!" I turn to look at Yusei running up to me. He is panting by the time he stops directly in front of me. "I-I didn't make you wait long, right?" he breathes out. I frown to tease him. "S-Sorry!"

I crack a smile and laugh. "You didn't," I assure him.

"What were you doing while you were waiting for me?" he asks, staring into my eyes.

I blink at him and reply, "Our friends."

He cocks an eyebrow and frowns. "Why?"

I turn to gaze out at the ocean again. "The pier always makes me think about millions of things." I purse my lips and trail my index finger against the railing. "Now that I'm thinking about it, doesn't it feel great?" I question.

"What does?" he asks with confusion written all over his face.

"Living this way," I say simply. "We have our future planned and we know how to face any obstacle that comes our way," I explain. "I like how we're living right now." I glance at him and laugh.

Yusei sighs and wraps his arms around me. "When did my Jaden get so cool?"

I scoff and slightly move away. "I was always cool," I pout. Yusei laughs and I flush because he still gives me butterflies. "Anyway, why did you call me out here?" I ask remembering the phone call earlier.

"Oh, about that…" his voice trails off. I keep my eyes gazing at the sparkling water. I want to dive in so badly. "Jaden," he speaks in a low tone.

I turn and feel my body stiffen. I cover my mouth and step back. "Y-You serious?" I whisper.

Yusei is on his knee, holding out a silver ring. He is proposing to me. "Jaden, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to face every obstacle with you by my side. I want to have adventures with you," he speaks in a velvety voice. "Marry me?"

I blink back my tears and laugh slightly. I slowly nod my head and answer, "Yes, I'll marry you." I feel his warm fingers slip the ring into my ring finger. I examine it and stare at him in disbelief. "H-How did you save so much money for this?" I question.

Yusei shrugs and simply kisses my cheek. "I have my ways," he whispers teasingly. I playfully hit his cheek and pout. "I love you, Jaden."

I wrap my hands around the collar of his shirt and pull him down for a kiss. Sparks send throughout my body, causing my cheeks to flush. The kiss it passionate, but sweet. I pull back and grin. "I love you, too, Yusei," I whisper.

"Want to have lunch by the beach?"

My eyes widen and I nod eagerly. "Of course!" I let Yusei pull me by intertwining our fingers together.

We laugh and smile as we run down the pier and into the edge of the beach.

Waves are crashing, seagulls soar above us, and the sun continues to shine. Summer is in full fling with two emotions; love and happiness.

We'll have plenty of adventures, Yusei because—

It's a perfect time to love.

(A/N: And that's a wrap! We came a long way with this story, but it's time to say goodbye. My first fic on here has grown. Even with the months I didn't update, I was still dedicated on finishing it. I've had fun writing this story for you all! I want to personally thank those who stuck from the moment I posted the first chapter. However, I want to also thank those who chose to read this story till the last chapter. It really means a lot to me! :')

I am sad to say that this is the last yugioh fic I will write, but I am happy to leave this for the fandom and for the shipping, which doesn't have many multichaptered fics last time I checked? That being said, this fic will be dear to me.

I also want to say that I hope Aki's speech will help you all in your life! Whether you're in high school, like me, in college or whatever, I want you to be strong and confident in your decisions and you are most definitely not alone! I'm also here for you! I know this is cheesy, but I wanted to get this off my chest.

Finally, before I end this, I have a thought. I started this fic when I was 13 haha, so my writing wasn't as good as it is now. I want your thoughts, but would you like me to rewrite this fic with a better writing style? I know I have many mistakes and I want to go back and change those. Of course, this is just a simple idea that I can or can not do, unless you all really want it. I'm willing to rewrite it for you all! So please give me your thoughts on it.

Now, this is a goodbye. It was fun and thank you again for reading! Make sure to check my other story if you like that pairing! PM me if you want to simply talk, I like making new friends! Leave reviews on your thoughts on this whole fic, I really appreciate them!

Bye, I love you all!